TY  - EJOU
AU  - Mendoza, Adolfo Amador 
AU  - Raymundo, Rosalba Guadalupe Gomez 
AU  - Seañez, Ana Rosa Ramírez 
AU  - Hernández, Hipolito  
AU  - Torres, Rogelio Enrrique Palacios 
AU  - Galero, Nelda Xanath Martínez 
AU  - Muñoz, Miguel Ángel García 
AU  - Gutiérrez, Saribel Zilli 

TI  - Growth and Yield Responses of Soledad Chili Pepper (<i>Capsicum annuum</i> L.) to the Application of Chitosan and <i>Bacillus subtilis</i>
T2  - Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany

PY  - 2026
VL  - 95
IS  - 1
SN  - 1851-5657

AB  - The cultivation of Soledad pepper (<i>Capsicum annuum</i> L.) is essential in Oaxaca and Veracruz, but it faces issues with pests and diseases, which affect yield and cause economic losses. To mitigate these impacts, farmers have started using biostimulants such as chitosan and plant growth promoting bacteria instead of agrochemicals due to their environmental and health benefits. This study evaluated the effect of <i>Bacillus subtilis</i> and chitosan, both individually and combined, on the growth, yield, and fruit quality of Soledad pepper under greenhouse conditions. Four treatments were applied at different stages of the crop cycle: Q (Chitosan), BS (<i>Bacillus subtilis</i>), Q + BS (Chitosan + <i>Bacillus subtilis</i>), and T (Control). The results showed that the combination of chitosan <i>and Bacillus subtilis</i> significantly improved plant growth, especially in height and stem diameter. The chitosan treatment produced the highest number of fruits and plant weight, while the combination of chitosan and <i>Bacillus subtilis</i> enhanced fruit quality, increasing characteristics such as size, weight, pericarp thickness, and physicochemical parameters, notably in brix degrees, citric acid percentage, and pH, outperforming the individual treatments and the control.
KW  - <i>Capsicum annuum</i> L.; chitosan; <i>Bacillus subtilis</i>; fruit quality

DO  - 10.32604/phyton.2025.073856