The effects of six applied N treatments differing by rates and frequencies of application on the yield and
quality of pepper (Capsicum annuum var. annuum L. ‘Anaheim Chili’) grown for seed was studied. The timing of N
applications was based on crop phenology, leaf petiole nitrate-nitrogen concentrations (NO3-N) minimum thresholds,
and scheduled calendar applications of fixed amounts of N. Solubilized NH4NO3 was applied through a trickleirrigation
system to ensure uniform and timely applications of N. Rate of mature (green and red) fruit production
was unaffected by any treatment except weekly applications of 28 kg·ha-l of N, which stopped production of mature
fruit before all other treatments. Early season floral bud and flower production increased with increasing amounts
of N. The two highest total N treatments produced more floral buds and flowers late in the season than the other
treatments. Total fruit production was maximized at 240 kg N/ha. Differences in total fruit production due to frequency
of N application resulted at the highest total N level. Red fruit production tended to be maximized with total seasonal
applied N levels of 240 kg·ha-1 and below, although weekly applications of N reduced production. Total seed yield
was a function of red fruit production. Pure-1ive seed (PLS) production was a function of total seed production.
Nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) for red fruit production also decreased with N rates >240 kg·ha-1, but PLS yield and
NUE decreased in a near-linear fashion as the amount of total seasonal applied N increased, regardless of application
frequency. Season average NO3-N (AVE NO3-N) values >4500 mg·kg-1 had total seed and PLS yields less than those
treatments