Spice Farming

The native land of Chilli is considered to be Mexico with secondary origin in Gautemala. Chilli is an annual sub herb belonging to the family Solanaceae. It is also called as hot pepper, red pepper, cayenne pepper, capsicum, etc. Most of the cultivated varieties in India belongs to the species Capsicum annum. Chilli of commerce is the dried pod.

India is the only country rich in many varieties of chillies with different quality factors. Chilli is the universal spice of India. It is grown in almost all the states in India.

Chilli has two important commercial qualities. If some varieties are famous for red colour because of the pigment casanthin, others are known for biting pungency attributed by capsaicin. Chilli imparts pungency and colour to the dishes. It is an important ingredient in day to day curries, pickles and chutnies. It is also a rich source of Vitamin A, C and E and assists in digestion. It also prevents heart diseases by dilating blood vessels.

 

Chilli requires warm and humid climate for its best growth and dry weather during the maturation of fruits. It grows in wide range of altitudes ranging from sea level upto nearly 2100 m above MSL. It is generally a cold weather crop but can be grown throughout the year under irrigation. Black soils which retain moisture for long periods are suitable for rainfed crop whereas well drained chalka soils and sandy loams are good under irrigated condition.

Chilli is propagted by seeds. Direct sowing is recommended for rainfed crop under retentive black soils. For direct sown crop, the seeds are drilled by the end of July of first week of August. Seed rate is 6.25 kg per hectare. After 30-40 days of sowing, thinning and gap filling is done on a cloudy day. Plant to plat distance of 15 cm is maintained in the rows which are 56 cm apart.

For transplanted crop, seedling are grown in raised beds and 40-45 days old seedlings are used for transplantation. For cold weather crop, transplanting is done during the first fortnight of September. Seedlings are transplanted at a spacing of 56 X 56 cm or 60 X 60 cm or 90 x 60 cm depending upon the soil fertility.

10 tonnes of Farm Yard Manure is applied as basal dose per hectare. Sheep penning @ 2500-3000 sheep per hectare is done if available and neem cake @ 3-4 quintal per hectare is applied with fertilizers at the time of final ploughing. For rainfed crop, 60 kg N, 30 kg P2O5 and 50 kg K2O per hectare are applied as basal dose at the time of last ploughing. Whenever green manure crop is raised, phosphate fertilizer is applied at the time of sowing of green manure crop. Depending upon the rainfall, a top dressing of 20-30 kg N per hectare is done in two split doses by placement.

For irrigated crop, a basal dose of 60 kg N, 60 kg P2O5 and 30 kg K2O are applied per hectare at the time of final ploughing. After 45 days of planting, three split doses of 20 kg N plus 10 kg K2O each are applied at 15 days interval followed by irrigation. Later on two more split doses of N @ 20 kg per hectare is given. In the soils where Zinc deficiency is noticed, Zinc sulphate @ 25 kg per hectare is applied. Zinc sulphate can also be sprayed @ 2 gm per litre of water using 1250 gm Zinc sulphate per hectare.

Chilli requires frequent inter cultivation. In direct sown crop, blade harrow is worked starting from 30th day of sowing. Four intercultivations are needed at 10 days interval alternated with blade harrow and tyned harrow or junior hoe. Final intercultivation is given by the country plough. For an irrigated crop, intercultivation is given either by junior hoe or light plough after each irrigation. Intercultivation is followed by hand weeding to check the weed growth.

Chilli cannot withstand heavy moisture. Hence irrigation should be given only when necessary. Frequent and heavy irrigations induce lanky vegetative growth and cause flower shedding. The number of irrigations and interval between irirgation depend upon soil and climatic conditions. If the plants show drooping of leaves at 4 p.m., it is an indication that irrigation is needed.

Thrips, mites, aphids, root grubs and pod borers are the major pests in chillies. Fruit rot & Die back, bacterial leaf spot, powdery mildew and mosaic disease ( caused by virus) are major diseases infecting chilli.

Harvesting is done when the pods are well ripened and partially withered in the plant itself. The harvested pods have to be kept in heaps either indoor or in shade away from direct sun light for 2 or 3 days so as to develop uniform red colour. Then the pods are dried in the sun spreading them on clean dry polythene sheets, cemented / concrete drying yards etc. Pods have to be spread out in thin layers for uniform drying with frequent stirring which is essential for preventing mold growth and discolouration. The material has to be heaped and covered by clean gunny bags / polythene sheets. The moisture content of dry pods is to be kept at 8- 10 %. Improved drying system could be used to ensure cleanliness and uniform colour of the product.

Well dried pods after removing the extraneous matters like plant parts, etc should be packed in clean, dry gunny bags and stored ensuring protection from dampness. Dunnage has to be provided to stack the packed bags to prevent moisture ingress from the floor. Care should be taken to stack the bags at 50 –60 cm away from the wall. Storing chillies for longer period may lead to deterioration. However, if cold storage facilities are used, the product may be stored for 8-10 months. Insects, rodents and other animals should be effectively prevented from getting access to the premises where chilli is stored.