Effect of Chemical Treatments on Pests and Diseases of Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.)

A study on the effects of chemical treatments of pests and diseases on pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) was carried out at the Institute of Agricultural Research for Development in Cameroon. The trial was laid out in a 4 x 4 factorial design (4 varieties of pepper x 4 chemical treatments), making 16 treatments in 4 replications. The results showed that chemical treatments had highly significant effects (P < 0.001) on the reduction of pepper plant infections by viral diseases. To control Fusarium disease, fungicide treatment and insecticide + fungicide treatment gave satisfactory results. To combat fruitflies ( Ceratitis spp., Bactrocera spp., etc.) responsible for premature fruit fall off, chemical treatments had highly significant effects (P < 0.001) on the reduction of the pests’ population. The chemical treatments used during this experiment had highly significant effects (P < 0.001) on the number and average weight of marketable fruits harvested during the reproductive phase of pepper plants. Highly significant differences were observed in fruit yields from subplots in the following decreasing order: insecticide + fungicide, insecticide, fungicide and finally the control with no chemical treatment. Concomitantly, the total revenue and benefit margin accruing from the different chemical treatments followed the same trend.