Horticultural Science and Technology 원예과학기술지 ISSN:1226-8763(Print) 2465-8588(Online)

The aim of this study was to determine the optimum transplant age for winter-planted and summer-cultivated paprika. The effect of the transplant age on growth and fruit yield was determined in seedlings that were 45, 50, 55, 60, 65 and 70 days old. At all ages, the paprika transplants showed vegetative growth at the early growth stage, but this development was greater in older transplanted seedlings. Paprika plants at the middle growth stage retained a vigorous generative growth pattern regardless of transplant age because sufficient natural light was supplied in the greenhouse environment. However, when grown under low light intensity and high temperature conditions, the seedlings transplanted at the late growth stage had strong reproductive growth. Seedlings transplanted at 45-, 50- and 55-days had greater plant height and leaf area compared to the other seedlings at the initial growth stage, but all seedlings were similar in height and leaf area by the middle growth stage regardless of transplant age. The 45–day-old seedlings produced larger fruit yields than older seedlings at the initial growth stage, but their fruit yield sharply decreased from the middle growth stage, resulting in the lowest overall fruit yield. Due to a relatively higher fruit drop rate, the 65- and 70-day-old seedlings also had smaller fruit yields than the 50-, 55- and 60-day-old transplants. These results indicate that transplanting age can influence growth and fruit yield in winter-planted and summer-cultivated paprika plants, and that 50-, 55- and 60-day-old transplants are ideal for inducing consistent growth and fruit production in this crop.