An experiment was conducted to study the influence of pruning techniques to improve the yield and quality characters of capsicum (Capsicum annum var. grossum) under shade net condition. The study consisted of three stem pruning systems viz., Two main stems, four main stems, Unpruned (control) and three fruit pruning systems one fruit per node, one fruit on alternate nodes, one fruit on every two nodes. Plants pruned to four shoots with one fruit per node recorded the best results for yield hectare-1 (64.09 tonnnes). Capsicum plants with two main shoots recorded the highest ascorbic acid (75.61 mg g-1), carotenoid (6.38 mg g-1), TSS content (5.18°brix), except fruit chlorophyll content (0.57 mg g-1), which was found to be highest in unpruned plants. Capsicum plants with one fruit on every two nodes excelled in the qualitative characters viz., carotenoid content (5.52 mg g-1), and TSS content (5.11). The capsaicin content and phenol content was not affected by the pruning treatments.
Key Words: Capsicum, Quality, Shoot pruning, Fruit pruning