Abstract:

To make full use of the abundant yellow sand resources in Xinjiang, a new yellow sand substrate block was prepared for pepper growth. The study determined the total N content, pH, EC value, and mechanical properties of the yellow sand substrate block, investigated the effect of the substrate block on the growth of pepper seedlings after planting .The results showed that the nitrogen release rate of the substrate reached 74.4% at the 7^th week, and the three enzyme activities of the substrate were 60.5%, 69.1% and 62.4% higher than those of the normal substrate, respectively. The damage of substrate block can be effectively reduced by the method of piecewise drop and the height of the first drop is higher than that of the second drop. After transplanting, the growth condition of seedling cultivated by substrate block was better than that cultivated by yellow sand substrate. The content of capsaicin, vitamin C, soluble sugar, crude fiber, and amino acids was 28.57%, 29.2%, 3.31%, 10% and 20.41% higher than that of ordinary substrate cultivation, respectively. The yellow sand substrate block can slowly release nutrients, and provide nutrients for the growth of seedlings and peppers after transplanting, and the growth status and quality of cultivated crops are significantly better than that of ordinary substrates.

Key words: yellow sand, substrate block, pepper, seedling