Production technology of chilli

Production technology of chilli


Botanical Name - Capsicum frutescens

Family - Solanaceae

  • The chilli is also being termed as "Chilli Pepper" in many parts of world.
  • Chilli is one of the most valuable crops of India.
  • The crop is grown largely for its fruits all over the India.
  • It is used in India as a principle ingredient of various curries and chutneys. 
  • Chillies can also be grown successfully in Hydroponic system.

Climate 

  • This is a plant of tropical and sub-tropical region.
  • It grows well in warm and humid climate and a temperature of 20°C to 25°C.

soil 

  • Chilli can be grown in all type of soft but the sandy - loam, clay loam are more suitable.
  • Acidic soils are not suitable for chilli cultivation
  • The land is prepared by giving 2-3 ploughings and clod crushing after each ploughin
  • Compost or FYM @ 150-200 quintals should be spread and mixed well in the soil at least 15-20 days before sowing

varieties 

Improved Varieties

  •  Kankan Kirti
  • Agnirekha 
  • Musahvadi 
  • Phule Jyoti 

TNAU Varieties

  • K 1, K 2, CO 2, CO 4 (vegetable type)
  • PKM 1, PMK 1 (for semi-dry conditions in Southern Districts)
  • PLR1 (for coastal regions of North - East Tamil Nadu) and KKM (Ch) 1.

Hybrids - TNAU Chilli Hybrid CO 1

Seed treatment

  • Seed should not be treated with any chemical fungicides or pesticides.
  • In chilli farming use trichoderma & psuedomonas sp @ 10g/ kg to prevent from fungal pathogens.

Nursery raising 

  • Fresh chilli seeds are sown in well prepared nursery beds.
  •  Although in can be sown by broadcast method in the main field. Transplanting method is preferred for better quality to survival.
  • Seed germinate in  5 to 7 days.
  • 40-5 days old seedlings are ready for transplanting
  • Ridges and furrow type of layout is used. 
  • Seedlings are raised on raised bed.

Sowing Time

  • In  kharif it sown in May - June 
  • Summer crop, it is sown in the month of January.

seed rate  - 1/2 kg seed is required for 1 hectare area.

Spacing

  • Rained crops is 60 x 45 cm
  • Iirrigated crops is 60 x 60 cm.

Manures & Fertilizers

  • 9 to 10 tones/hectare of FYM or compost is applied at the time of field preparation.
  • In chilli for rained crop 50 kg N and 25 kg P should be applied 1/2 dose of N, full dose of P applied at the time of transplanting.Remaining1/2 dose of N applied 30 days after transplanting.
  • in chilli for irrigated crop 100 kg N, 50kg P & 50 kg K per hectare.

Irrigation

  • Chilli is grown both as rain fed and irrigated crop. 
  •  First irrigation is given after the transplanting
  • Irrigate the field 5-7 day interval
  • The maintenance of uniform soil moisture essential to prevent blossom & fruit drops Flowers

Interculture Operations

  • 2-3 shallow hoeing should be given to the soil to kill the weeds
  • provide soil mulch during early stages of growth
  • Application of weedicides for controlling the weeds
  • Lasso @ 1.5 litre per hectare with one hand weeding were effective in controlling the weeds.

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.
Root knot nematode

  • Apply TNAU formulation of VAM (containing 1 spore/g) to control root knot nematode in nursery.

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 

Maturity indices

  • Chillies which are used for vegetable purposes are generally harvested while they are still green but full grown.

Harvest

  • Harvesting can be done 75 days after transplanting.
  • First two picking yield green chilli and subsequently yield red ripe fruits.

Yield

  • Varieties : 2 - 3 t/ha of dry pods or 10 - 15 t/ha of green chillies.
  • Hybrids : 25 t / ha of green chillies
  •  The dry recovery to fresh japed chillies varies from 25- to 40%.

Post harvesting Tasks

This can be done in 3 phases

  • Drying  
  • Grading 
  • Packing & Storage


Reference

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

Vegetable science by D.singh