Capsicum production technology


Common name - capsicum/Sweet pepper / Bell pepper

Scientific name - Capsicum annuum

Family -Solanaceae

Varieties

  • Arka Mohini :  selection from Titan of USA by IIHR , Bangalore.
  • Arka Gaurav : Indeterminate variety tolerant to bacterial wilt.
  • Arka Basant :  Excellent keeping and cooking qualities.
  • Green Gold
  • Bharath

Climate

  • Chilli grows in tropical and sub tropical regions 
  • Chillies can be grown  in areas with over 40 ° C temperature.
  • It is raised from sea level to 2000 m
  • Optimum temperature for fruit set is 24°C. 

Soil

  • Chilli can be grown all types of soils from light
  • Well drained loamy soil rich in organic matter is preferable 
  • Optimum soil pH for chilli is 5.8 to 6.5.
  • It is very sensitive to water logging.
  • Plough the land 3-4 times followed by planking to level the field.

Season of sowing - September - February

Seed rate

  • Varieties : 1.25 kg/ha
  • Hybrids : 200 g / ha

Nursery raising

  • Apply 15-20kg of well rotten FYM and 500g of 15:15:15 NPK fertilizer during preparation of nursery bed.
  • Nursery soil should be drenched with Formalin solution or with captan 0.3% @ 5 lit/m²  to control damping off.
  • After drenching, the bed should be covered with alkathene sheet for 48 hours then open for 48-72 hrs before sowing. 
  • Optimum time for seed sowing in northern plains is October- November while February-April for hills

Transplanting

  • Transplanting is done in the evening. The optimum spacing is 60 x 45cm for open field conditions.
  • In poly houses spacing is 45 x 30cm.
  • Irrigate immediately after transplanting
  • Thereafter light and frequent irrigation should be given upto the establishment of plant.

Manure and fertilizers

  • Apply 250g FYM or compost for one hectare before transplanting.
  • 150kg N, 75kg P and 75kg K per hectare recommended. Full dose of p and K and 1/3 dose of N should be applied at the time of transplanting.
  • The remaining 2/3 N is applied in two equal splits during 5-6 weeks after transplanting at the time of earthing up and 8-10 weeks after transplanting.

Irrigation

  • Chilli plant cannot withstand water stagnation and excess moisture, hence light irrigation proper drainage is recommended.
  • Generally crop is irrigated at an interval of 5-6 days in
  • summers and 9-10 days in winters.
  • Sandy soils requires frequent irrigation than clay soils.

Growth regulator

  • Spray 1.25 ppm Triacontanol (12.5 mg /10 l of water) on 20th, 40th, 60th and 80th day after transplanting.
  • Spray NAA 10 ppm (10 mg/l of water) on 60 and 90 days after planting to increase flower set.

Inter-culture and Weed control

  • Gap filling is essential
  • Two to three hand weeding at 20 and 60 days after transplanting are essential.
  • Nitralin @ 0.5-1.0kg/ha or Alachlor @2.5kg/ha pre transplant surface application give good control of weeds in chilli crop.

Pest

Thrips

  • Grow Agathi as Intercrop
  • Treat seeds with imidacloprid 70% WS @ 12 g /kg of seed
  • Apply carbofuran 3% G @ 33 kg /ha or phorate 10 % G @ 10 kg/ha 

Aphids

  • Treat seeds with imidacloprid 70% WS @12 g /kg of seed.
  •  Apply phorate 10 % G @ 10 kg/ha or spray Carbosulfan 25 % EC1.0 ml/lit.

Fruit borer

  • Set up pheromone traps for Helicoverpa armigera at 12 Nos./ha.
  • Collection and destruction of damaged fruits and grown up caterpillars.
  • Spray Bacillus thuringiensis at 2 g/lit.

Diseases

Damping off

  • Treat the seeds with Trichoderma viride 4 g/kg or Pseudomonas fluorescens 10 g/kg of seed 24 hours before sowing.
  •  Apply Pseudomonas fluorescens as soil application @ 2.5 kg/ha mixed with 50 kg of FYM.
  •  Drench with Copper oxychloride at 2.5 g/lit at 4 lit/sq.m

Leaf spot

  • Leaf spot can be controlled by spraying Mancozeb 2 g/lit or Copper oxychloride 2.5 g/lit.     

Die-back and fruit rot

  • Spray Mancozeb 2 g/lit or Copper oxychloride 2.5 g/lit. thrice at 15 days interval.

Anthracnose

  • Use of disease-free seeds
  • Treat the seeds with T. viride 4 g/kg or P. fluorescens 10 g / kg of seed 24 hours before sowing
  • Spray Mancozeb 2 g/lit or Copper oxychloride 2.5 g/lit thrice at 15 days interval.

Chilli mosaic

  • Raise 2 rows of maize or sorghum for every 5 rows of chilli crop against wind direction. 
  • Apply phorate 10 % G @ 10 kg/ha or spray Carbosulfan 25 % EC1.0 ml/lit.

Powdery mildew

  • Dust Sulphur 25 kg/ha
  • Spray Dinocap 2 ml/lit or Carbendazim 1 g/lit or Wettable sulphur 2 g/lit 

Harvest

  • Green chillies are harvested after 60 days of transplanting 
  • Dry chillies are harvested after 90 days of transplanting.
  • 5-6 picking is done for green chillies.
  • 2-3 picking for red ripe fruits

Yield

  • The yield of capsicum is 20 tonnes/ha and from hybrids yield above 45 tonnes/ha.
  • About 25-40% dry chilli recovery is obtained depending upon cultivars.




Reference

Textbook of vegetable crops by Prem nath k.R.M.swamy

Vegetable science by D.singh