Sweet pepper cultivars Magali R and Magda Super under organic management were compared, intercropped or not with Crotalaria juncea, and submitted or not to pruning starting from the third branch. Average yield of commercial fruits was 37 t ha-1 with maximum value of 43 t ha-1. The hybrid Magali R produced heavier and longer fruits than cv. Magda Super. However, no significant difference of productivity was found between cultivars. Fruits of both Magali R and Magda Super reached more than 10 cm of average length, the minimum required for highest market standard. The number of fruits increased in plants not submitted to pruning regardless of the process used. Branch pruning also reduced the average basal diameter of fruits and increased their average weight, without effect on productivity. 15% of the hybrid Magali R plants presented mosaic symptoms at the end of the vegetative cycle compared to 38% of Magda Super. Intercropping with crotalaria resulted in higher yields, increase of average fruit weight and nitrogen content of pepper fruits as well as in the amount of that element exported at harvest.
Capsicum annuum; organic cultivation; green manuring
