Technology for medium early field production of pepper variety Ivaylovska kapia

In Bulgaria, vegetable production has long-standing traditions, with increasing requirements for cultivating varieties with typical flavor qualities that match consumer demands. This necessitates the creation of technologies that can be offered to farmers along with the variety and enable the full realization of the biological potential of the varieties created at the Maritsa Vegetable Crops Institute.

The proposed technology aims to provide guidelines for cultivating the Bulgarian variety Ivaylovska kapia, which was developed at the Maritsa Vegetable Crops Institute, Plovdiv, and the Experimental Station for Irrigation Agriculture (ESIA) – Pazardzhik, and whose produce has a traditional Bulgarian taste.

The technology is tailored to the biological requirements of the crop and the variety by optimizing key technological elements: cultivation and fertilization scheme through the use of mulch. The application of modern technological and technical solutions, reflecting good agricultural practices, aims to increase the yields of the Ivaylovska kapia variety and the competitiveness of Bulgarian growers in pepper production.

Optimizing the cultivation scheme allows for efficient use of light and helps reduce competition between individual plants, which have identical requirements, influences growth and productive qualities, and limits pest infestation.

The assessment of the main economic indicators, combined with the obtained average yield, gives us reason to believe that the cultivation schemes, the applied fertilization, and the use of suitable mulch can be recommended as economically justified for medium-early pepper production of the Ivaylovska kapia variety.

Offering specific technologies for the varieties will enhance the purposefulness of their demand and production. The technology will be offered to farmers along with the variety and will enable a more complete realization of the biological potential of the varieties created at the Maritsa Vegetable Crops Institute - Plovdiv.

The cultivation technology for the new Bulgarian variety Ivaylovska kapia will be provided to producers as a practical action guide, which will contribute to accelerating the processes of adaptation to European requirements and standards, and to realizing the country's potential for building a sustainable and competitive sector.

The main users of the presented technology are: vegetable producers; specialists; researchers with professional interest in this field; the Ministry of Agriculture and Food and other organizations.

The technology was developed by an author team: Prof. Dr. Hr. Boteva, Assoc. Prof. Dr. V. Todorova, Prof. Dr. V. Yankova, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Iv. Tringovska – Mendeva, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tsv. Dincheva, Chief Assist. Dr. G. Pasev and Chief Assist. Dr. K. Vasileva, based on their own scientific research, as well as on studies conducted in recent years within the project: ZEMDKT 1 "Development and improvement of cultivation technologies for new Bulgarian vegetable crop varieties".

Funding source: Maritsa Vegetable Crops Institute – Plovdiv, Agricultural Academy - Sofia.

"Technology for Medium-Early Field Production of Pepper, Variety Ivaylovska Kapia" was awarded a Diploma at the Innovations Competition in the "Innovative Developments" section of the International Agricultural Exhibition "AGRA 2026".