Everything you need to know about chilli cultivation. Learn about:- 1. Description of Chilli 2. Soil Suitable for Chilli Cultivation 3. Preparation of Land for Growing Chilli 4. Seed 5. Sowing 6. Transplanting 7. Spacing 8. Irrigation 9. Manures and Fertilizers 10. Flowering and Fruiting.
Contents:
- Description of Chilli
- Soil Suitable for Chilli Cultivation
- Preparation of Land for Growing Chilli
- Chilli Seeds – Drying and Storage
- Sowing of Chilli Seeds
- Transplanting of the Seedlings
- Spacing of the Seedlings
- Irrigation for the Crop
- Manures and Fertilizers for Chillies
- Flowering and Fruiting in Chilli
1. Description of Chilli:
A bushy herb, usually annual, reaching 2 feet or a little more in height. Stem smooth, angular or striate, hollow, dichotomously branched, the branches spreading. Leaves alternate, one coming off from the side of each bifurcation, spreading, on rather long petioles, ovate, 2-3 inches long, acute at both ends, entire, dark green, thin, glabrous, the upper ones much smaller. Flowers solitary in each bifurcation, on short peduncles, erect, or stiffly curved downwards, thickened at the top.
Calyx cup-shaped, truncate, with 5 very small denticulate teeth, persistent, smooth, green. Corolla rotate, with a short tube, the spreading limb cut more than half way down into 5 ovate, acute, faintly ciliate segments, pale greenish-yellow. Stamens 5, inserted on the corolla-tube, short, erect; filaments tapering upwards; anthers about as long as filaments, 2-celled, basifixed, the cells dehiscing longitudinally, purplish-blue.
Ovary conical, smooth, 2-celled, with numerous ovules, style rather thick, longer than the stamens; stigma terminal, thickened. Fruit indehiscent, oblong, conoid, ovate or nearly globose, scarcely pulpy, inflated, incompletely 2-celled, skin thin, tough, smooth and very shining, usually brilliant scarlet, often wrinkled. Seeds numerous, compressed, oval or somewhat reniform, nearly smooth, bright yellow; embryo curved into a ring; radicle thick; endosperm scanty.
2. Soil Suitable for Chilli Cultivation:
Chilli is cultivated on almost all well- drained and aerated soils, except on salty lands. The black and retentive soils are best for a rain-fed crop, and rich, friable, well-drained, loamy soils are preferred for an irrigated crop. On light soils, it is solely grown as an irrigated crop. It is also grown on light or heavy, red loams under heavy manuring and good drainage as in the Godavari and Visakhapatnam districts of Andhra Pradesh. On sandy loams and alluvial soils, good crops are raised with liberal manuring and irrigation.
In Kerala, the crop grows well on well-drained, fertile lateritic loams; it is also rotated with mundane (dry) paddy on soils with limited depths, and on hillslopes. The crop is not very sensitive to acidity, but a strongly acidic soil should be limed to bring it to a moderate or slightly acidic level. Though grown in tracts of considerable salinity, the general pH is 7.6, but it tolerates a pH of 5.0. Alkaline soil is also not suitable. The lime and humus-rich soils give higher yields. The crop also suffers from the deficiency of oxygen.
3. Preparation of Land for Growing Chilli:
For a nursery, a high-level area near any water source is selected for proper drainage and easy irrigation. The soil is dug upto 25cm, and brought to a fine tilth. The seedlings grown on raised beds are more vigorous than on levelled beds. Organic manure at the rate of 25 tonnes/hectare is generally added to the nursery; ash also may be applied. Sheep-penning is done in some states and is reported to improve the brightness of red colour of the fruits.
Application of Furadan granules to the soil before sowing has been recommended to prevent the attack of nematodes and mosaic disease. Also, ammonium sulphate from 68 to 185 kg/ha is recommended as top- dressing. In Andhra Pradesh, the nursery is supplied with 53-70 tonnes farmyard manure, followed by sheep-penning at the rate of 2,500-5,000 sheep per hectare. In Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, the nursery is supplied with cattle manure and ash.
A top-dressing of fertilizer to supply 13.5kg N/ha is given in Tamil Nadu 20 days after sowing. In Kerala, the nurseries are grown in coconut plantations. Well-decomposed and powdered manure is mixed with the soil and sprinkled over the nursery to cover the seeds. In Maharashtra, sieved farmyard manure or compost is added at the rate of 37 tonnes/ha. When the seedlings are 15 days old, ammonium sulphate at the rate of 108-183 kg/ha is applied.
A 10 m2 seedbed needs 627 g ammonium sulphate and 2.5 kg each superphosphate and potassium sulphate to produce vigorous seedlings. In the Surat district of Gujarat, castor-cake is added to the nursery, 20 days after sowing. In and around Delhi, a mixture of cow-dung and soil is sprinkled. If the seedlings are stunted, a solution of ammonium sulphate (1-2 handfuls in 9-14 litre water) is sprinkled, followed by the sprinkling of normal water to wash the leaves; this process is repeated, if necessary.
Covering the nurseries with grass has been recommended in Haryana to protect the young seedlings from the hot sun. The size of the beds differs from place to place from 1.8- 2.4 m x 0.9-1.2 m to 18-27 m x 1.2 m. The beds are raised by a minimum of 15-24 cm for proper drainage. The soil should be sterilized with for maldehyde or steam, or the bed drenched with copper sulphate solution 15 days after sowing to prevent the diseases caused by excessive moisture.
The field should be ploughed at least 60 cm deep (as the plant has long taproot) soon after the harvest of the preceding crop, and the soil exposed to the sun to destroy the pests. The field should be ploughed 4-6 times crosswise along with manure or compost, and harrowed. It should be brought to a fine tilth and planked smooth before preparing suitable sizes of beds. The field is made ready for planting by the end of July when the rains set in and enough moisture accumulates for transplanting.
Deep furrows are ploughed at 60 cm x 60 cm or 22 cm x 30 cm distance. These furrows are repeatedly split and brought close before the final ploughing. This is not necessary on dry land, where transplanting is done after the receipt of heavy rains. When cropped with tobacco, a spacing of 55 cm apart for chilli and 80 cm apart for tobacco is given. For partially rain-irrigated crop on medium-black soils, ridges and furrows are opened at the time of final top-dressing.
4. Chilli Seeds – Drying and Storage:
Since the crop is primarily cross-pollinated, some typical plants of the cultivar which are robust and high yielding are chosen from the centre of the field for purity of seed. The selected, healthy fruits are allowed to ripen on the plant; they are dried and stored under damp-proof conditions till the next season. Seeds from the first flush of pods show maximum percentage of germination, as the sprouting declines with subsequent flushes. The same trend is reported for the weight of fruit and seed, and the percentage of seed to fruit.
The seeds are removed from the fruits one week before sowing. The dried fruits can be stored as such for two seasons, and the seeds for one season only without any deterioration in germinative capacity. The viability of seeds can be maintained for five months if treated with fungicides, such as Captan (4 g/kg), sulphur dust (4 g/kg), Bavistin (2 g/kg), Vitavax (2 g/kg) and Benlate (4 g/kg). Vivipary has been reported in some cultivars from Tamil Nadu, which reduces the value of chilies.
The seeds are light and germinate in 3-10 days. A good- quality seed gives germinative percentage upto 90. The seed should be floated in water to discard the lighter ones, and washed to remove the pungency, as it facilitates germination and reduces the attack of ants.
Germination can be hastened by soaking the seeds in aqueous solution of a-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA 50 ppm) for 4-5 days. Good germination occurs at soil temperatures of 18.3-26.7°. To protect the seed from black ants after sowing, the seed should be rubbed with a few drops of kerosene oil, or the edges of the beds dusted with BHC (5%).
Seed Rate:
A higher rate of seed is needed for the rain-fed crop than for the irrigated crop, as 3-8 seedlings are planted per hill for the former and 1-2 seedlings for the latter. The rate also depends upon the cultivar grown. In Andhra Pradesh, 2.4 kg is sown in the nursery which yields up to 150,000 seedlings, sufficient for one hectare. More than this rate causes damping-off in the nursery and the seed rate is directly proportional to the death-rate; in other regions 1-2 kg seed is sown for seedlings sufficient for one hectare. For direct sowing, 3.3-11.0 kg seed is used per hectare.
5. Sowing of Chilli Seeds:
The seed is directly broadcast in the field, or sown in the nursery to raise the seedlings for transplanting. The seeds, mixed with fine sand or ash, are broadcast in thin layers in the beds or in lines, and gently but firmly pressed with hand, and covered with cattle manure. Black ants cause damage to the seeds and seedlings.
The beds are watered with a rose-can to prevent washing away, and irrigation is continued till germination is complete. Later, irrigation should be given regularly through channels till the growth is vigorous. After the seedlings establish, watering is done once in two days to harden the seedlings, but the beds are never left dry.
The seeds are kept covered for quick germination, conservation of moisture, and to prevent the exposure of seeds during watering, as well as to heat. A thin layer of mulch of straw leaves, gunny bags, grass and Cajanus cajan stem are employed in Andhra Pradesh; in Kerala, leaves of coconut are used during the summer, and cotton stalks in Gujarat.
When seeds start germinating in 10-20 days the mulch is removed. The first irrigation is given immediately after sowing, avoiding submergence and formation of crust. The second irrigation may be given 4-5 days after the first one depending upon the weather.
Generally, overwatering and excessive moisture should be avoided. The nursery bed is inter-cultured with a pointed stick; 2- 3 weedings are given. If the seedlings are crowded, the bed is thinned by removing unhealthy seedlings to prevent the plants becoming tall and leggy. The seedlings are topped on a sunny day, 7-10 days before transplanting, to encourage branching and sturdiness; also, topping wards off leaf curl and aphids.
It was, however, reported from Maharashtra that topping and pruning of roots do not have any additional advantage. The seedlings reach 15- 22 cm in 15-56 days and are ready for transplanting.
Spraying copper fungicides, such as Perenox (0.3%) and Bordeaux mixture (1:1:50), to control damping-off, leaf spot, etc. and Endrin (2- 3g/l water) on 15-30 days old plants to control diseases and pests results in erect and healthy seedlings. Before uprooting the seedlings for transplanting, a drenching is given to prevent damage to root system. The uprooted seedlings should be washed in BHC solution to prevent infestation by thrips.
In regions where winter is severe for the early crop, the seeds are sown in the nursery in November, and the seedlings are over-wintered by providing windbreaks or covered with polyethylene sheets. These seedlings are transplanted in the open fields, as the season warms up, and the danger of frost is over.
Broadcasting of seeds, however, is limited as the plants are very delicate. The seed is sown broadcast in parts of Cuddapah and Guntur districts of Andhra Pradesh and in Ramanathapuram in Tamil Nadu. In some areas, 6-7 seeds are sown in lumps on 0.8- 1.25 cm ridges and 20.0-22.5 cm apart, as the seedlings surface better in a group than when they are thinly sown.
6. Transplanting of the Seedlings:
The seedlings are transplanted when they are 15-56 days old and attain 15-22 cm in height with 7-8 internodes; in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, 42 days old seedlings are transplanted under rain- fed as well as irrigated conditions. The beds are drenched before the actual uprooting. The seedlings are carefully uprooted, one each at a time to avoid crushing the stem and damaging the roots; levering up the seedlings is recommended for uprooting. These are covered with wet gunny bag or cloth for preservation, if necessary.
They are dipped in a solution of Endrin (2.0-5.6 g/l) or washed with BHC to free them from pests and white ants. Transplanting should be done early morning or later in the afternoon; cloudy or drizzling weather is the most ideal period for continuous transplanting. In the absence of rain, the beds are heavily watered. It is reported that a second transplanting 10 days after the first induces earliness and increases the yield to almost 25 per cent besides extending longevity. The best time for planting under rain-fed conditions is the first fortnight of September.
7. Spacing of the Seedlings:
The spacing of the seedlings depends upon the cultivar, and varies from 13 to 15 cm x 30 to 90 cm in various regions according to local practices. Though closer spacing ensures higher yields, the yield of individual plant decreases; wider spacing, however, increases the yield of the individual plants. Also, closer spacing is reported to produce earlier crop. The small-fruited cultivars are planted in rows
45 cm apart from each other; and for the large-fruited cultivars a spacing of 90 cm or more between the rows and 60 cm between plants is given on very fertile soil when the growing season is long. In the Ramanathapuram and Tirunelveli districts of Tamil Nadu, chili is grown with betel vine with 60 cm between rows and 3.0-4.5 m between the plants and these plants grow up to 4.5 m due to constant shade and irrigation. The seedlings are planted either at the intersection of markings, or for the irrigated crop on the slant of the ridges.
At each intersection, soil should be stirred, 15 cm in diam, to a depth of 7-10 cm, properly mixed and pressed with a trowel. The seedling is placed without twisting or looping the taproot with the green portion above the ground. The soil should then be firmly and gently pressed with hand to ensure proper establishment and for new roots to be formed in c 7-10 days. During this period gap- filling may also be done.
Planting on ridges and furrows is reported to be beneficial over the Oat beds, since ridges help to economize irrigation. Where the ridge and furrow method is not followed, a shallow pan around the plant is necessary for immediate watering. In the absence of rains, hand-watering is given for a couple of days following planting, preferably both in the morning and evening, thereafter repeating it once a day till the seedlings establish. In the ridge and furrow method, the water is let into the furrows as the transplanting proceeds and irrigation need not be given for c 5 days.
8. Irrigation for the Crop:
The major chilli growing areas are rain-fed. However, regular and continuous irrigation is important, especially in areas with less rain, since irrigation prolongs the life of the crop and encourages bearing, and pickings may continue till the end of February. The crop is given 8-9 irrigations, depending upon the rainfall, soil- moisture, humidity and the prevailing temperature. Higher level sites need more irrigation. The maintenance of uniform moisture, however, is essential to prevent the drop of flowers and fruits.
Excessive moisture in the zone of roots for a long period, as also extended dry periods are detrimental to the crop. Frequent and light irrigations yield better results than heavy ones at long intervals. Irrigation is given every alternate day for the crop during the winter and summer in South India till the seedlings establish.
The crop is later irrigated once in 5-10 days, depending upon the frequency of rainfall and the retentiveness of soil moisture and the method of preparing bed. The seedlings establish within a week. At the time of flowering, one irrigation is necessary to prevent flower drop, depending upon the availability of moisture.
9. Manures and Fertilizers for Chillies:
The chilli is a heavy feeder and responds to heavy manuring. A balanced use of fertilizer is the prerequisite for higher yields. Highly decomposed manure varying from 13 to 128 tonnes/ha, depending upon the locality is added to the field, usually before the first ploughing. Ash also is added. The manure may be applied 2- 3 weeks before transplanting to prevent washing off by rains. Sheep- penning may be practised as in the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh; in some regions, bat-guano is also applied.
The manure can be supplemented with oilcakes of groundnut, pongam, margosa, mustard or castor. Green-manuring with leaves such as pongam, is prevalent in Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, Gujarat and West Bengal. Manuring the preceding crop has been recommended in certain regions. The supplementary manure should be applied as a top- dressing before the flowering commences.
In Andhra Pradesh, generally 53-70 tonnes/ha manure is applied along with sheep-penning. In sandy soils, powdered manure or groundnut cake is added as top-dressing at the rate of 550 kg/ha between the fertilizer doses. A month after planting, pig-dung is applied as top-dressing at the base of the plant at the rate of 568 kg/ ha. Wild indigo is incorporated at the rate of 20 tonnes/ha in situ into the soil in some parts of Andhra Pradesh at the time of preparation of soil.
Pillipesara (Vigna trilobata Verdcourt) and Medapesara (V. radiata Wilczek) are grown and ploughed in situ after 40-45 days. A basal dose of 128-tonnes per hectare of compost or manure is given in Tamil Nadu; sheep-penning is also carried out. In Malabar region of Kerala, c 14 tonnes manure and 7 tonnes ash are applied as a basal dose. But, when the crop is raised in the ridges as pure crop, a handful of manure is added to the hill at the time of transplanting. After 15 days, 13 tonnes manure and 11 tonnes green leaf are added to each hectare and earthed up.
Again, a light dose of manure is given after a month. When grown as an intercrop with coconut, heavy application of manure (35 tonnes/ha) and oilcake 1.3-1.9 tonnes/ha) as a basal dressing or a mixture of 247 kg ammonium sulphate, 493 kg superphosphate and 123 kg potassium sulphate, or a mixture of 247 kg powdered cake of groundnut, 370 kg superphosphate and 185 kg potassium sulphate has been recommended. A basal dressing of 70 tonnes manure or compost, depending upon rain-fed or irrigated conditions is given in Karnataka.
Green manuring with sunn hemp is found advantageous in some parts. A month after transplanting, a good dressing of powerded cake of groundnut, pongam, castor or margosa is applied to the furrows at the rate of 1.3-1.9 tonnes/ha; the last three cakes also check white ants. In Maharashtra, the manure (35-58 tonnes/ ha) is applied in the last harrowing. Spot-application is reported to yield better. Sheep- penning is also carried out whenever possible.
Optimum dose of manure or super-compost for the main field is 75 tonnes/ha. Coal, water-hyacinth and bone meal are reported to increase the yield. In the hilly regions of Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir, a basal dose of 65-78 tonnes manure per hectare is applied. In West Bengal, farmyard manure is liberally applied as a basal dose. Treating the seedlings with Azotobacter chroococcum Beijerinck is reported to increase the plant-height leaf- area and number of flowers.
Nitrogenous fertilizers increase the yield in chilli, whereas P2O5 and K2O impart quality; they also increase the yield when applied along with N, at the same time reducing the adverse effects of nitrogen. In the absence of P and K, the N will not be utilized fully. Chilli demands all the three principal elements. Starter solutions comprising urea, single superphosphate and muriate of potash increase the yield. Care should be taken not to apply the fertilizer near the roots, as they are harmful to the root system.
Nitrogen increases the bulk of the plant. An average yield of c 45 kg berries can be obtained per kilogram, nitrogen, which is a very good response. Though the yield of ‘Sindhur’ increased upto c 171 qt/ha with 150 kg N/ha, it decreased considerably with increased dosage of N. Protein increases with increase in nitrogen and also with phosphorus. When deficient in nitrogen, the growth is stunted and leaves turn pale, or even completely bleached, leading to premature shedding.
Most soils in India are deficient in P, resulting in the stunting of plants, and leaves becoming small, bluish green, dirty greyish- green or even brownish dry, and shedding prematurely. Superphosphate is, therefore, included in the mixture of fertilizer; also it contains lime which promotes healthy growth of chilli. The incidence of thrips is also lessened if the soil is supplied with lime. Applying P (ortho- phosphoric acid, 0.5% sol) in split-doses to the soil, and also as foliar-spray after flowering generally increases the vigour, yield, protein and ascorbic acid.
Chilli is very susceptible to cold weather and frost, and potash builds up resistance. During drought, potash enables the plants to withstand and survive the critical periods. It also imparts general resistance to the plant against diseases and pests. Potash is associated with vitamin C and the attractive colour (deep red), glossiness and lustre in the fruit.
Potassium deficiency leads to retarded growth although not to the extent as in the case of N and P. Foliar symptoms start with whitish necrotic spots in the older leaves which finally coalesce. The scorch is followed by premature abscission of the leaves.
Chilli responds to micronutrients (Cu, Mn and Zn) when the soil-moisture is favourable. ‘Sattur-Samba’ a local variety responded well at Coimbatore when Zn was applied; zinc sulphate at the rate of 11 .22 kg/ha over chrysanthemum.
10. Flowering and Fruiting in Chilli:
Flowering in chilli generally starts 30 days after transplanting and in another 21-30 days the green fruits are ready for the first harvesting; but in some areas, the fruiting is reported to take upto 60 days. Irrigation prolongs the life of plants and they continue to bear upto the end of February. Generally, from November onwards the fruits begin to ripen, reaching the maximum ripening by mid- December, when 70% of the crop is gathered. Ripening gradually proceeds upwards from the bottom of the plant.
At Guntur, the flowering starts in the nursery itself, when they are 6 weeks old and later transplanted. In Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, the plant generally flowers during the rainy season, one month after transplanting, but these flowers are shed. The later formed flowers set fruits. The rain-fed crop commences flowering in November, which extends lip to February, and the crop lasts 6-8 months. The hot-weather crop is transplanted in February and harvested from April.
The first flush of fruits is usually plucked green to stimulate further flowering and fruiting. The mild types flower in c 45 days after transplanting, and within 30 days fruits arc ready for harvesting which should be before ripening. Flowering in bird chilli commences in November and harvesting in the first week of January and continues till about June at 10-days interval.