Effect of wood ash as a biofertilizer on some agromorphological parameters of peppers (capsicum sp.) in napiedougou, northern Côte d'Ivoire

In Côte d'Ivoire, annual pepper production is estimated at approximately 10,000 tons. However, soil fertility is a limiting factor in its production. Chemical fertilizers, which are commonly used, present environmental and health risks. The search for more effective alternative methods is therefore necessary. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of wood ash as a biofertilizer on pepper growth and production.The experimental design was a single-factor randomized Fisher block design. Three treatments—wood ash, chemical fertilizer, and a control with no fertilizer—were applied to the habanero pepper variety. Fertilizer application rates were 50 g/planting hole for wood ash (T1), 125 g/growing bed of NPK, and 50 g/ growing bed of urea and potassium sulfate (T2), with three applications per plant.The results showed a significant difference between plant height (T1: 105.33 ± 5.67 cm and T2: 119.8 ± 1.67 cm) and the number of flowers (T1: 267 ± 3.46 and T2: 288 ± 1.53). However, there was no significant difference between stem diameter (T1: 15.99 ± 0.50 mm and T2: 16.44 ± 0.87 mm), the number of fruits (T1: 260 ± 4.41 and T2: 264 ± 3.51), and fruit yield (T1: 8.79 ± 0.45 t/ha and T2: 8.92 ± 0.12 t/ha).This study showed that wood ash at a dose of 50 g/planting hole has a positive effect on pepper production. It improved the fruit yield of the peppers; therefore it could constitute an alternative to the use of chemical fertilizers in agriculture.