1) About the crop a) Name of crop Chilli b) Common names Lal mirch(hindi, Punjabi & Urdu ); Mirachi(Marathi); Lanka/Lanka Morich( Bengali); Marcha (Gujarati); Menessina Kayi(Kannada); Marstu, Waungum(Kashmiri); Mulaku (Malayalam); Lanka (Oriya); Milagai (Tamil); Mirapakayi (Telugu); Khursani (Nepali). c) Scientific name Capsicum annuum /Capsicum frutescens d) Family solanaceae e) Origin new Mexico & Guatemala f) Importance It is one of the most common vegetables grown throughout the Country. Different varieties are grown for vegetables, spices, condiments, sauces and pickles. Both green and dried chillies are the important components of our routine diet. It will give the required pungency, colour, taste and flavour to our dishes. When a chilli taken with food stimulates our taste buds and thereby increases the flow of saliva which is necessary for digestion. The presence of capsaicin in chilli is responsible for its pungency and it has medicinal value. Capsanthin, a pigment in chilli used for natural colouration to Jams, Jellies and squashes, since it is a natural pigment and no harmful or side effects on human health. Hence, there is lot of demand for chilli oleoresin in the world market. Chilli also contains vitamin A, C and E. Because of these reasons chilli is having lot of export potential. 2) Cultivation a) Soil and climate Chillies can be grown in all types of soils provided they are well drained, well aerated and rich in organic matter. Chillies can be grown successfully in light textures soils by providing adequate irrigation and manuring. Heavy textured soils are also suitable for rainfed crop. An ideal soil for chilli is light loamy or sandy loam rich in lime and organic matters. Chilli can be successfully grown in soils with soil ph of 6 7. Chillies can be grown under tropical and sub tropical climates. It can be cultivated upto an altitude of 2000m. However, pungent varieties or
varieties suited for spices cannot be grown on higher altitudes. A warm humid climate favours growth while warm and dry weather enhances fruit maturity. It can be grown successfully as a rain fed crop in areas receiving an annual rainfall of 850 1200 mm. Heavy rainfall leads to poor fruit set and in association with high humidity leads to rotting of fruits. A soil temperature of 10 C retards plant development, where as 17 C causes normal development. A temperature ranging from 20 25 C is ideal for chillies. Tops of plant will continue to develop at higher temperatures but root development is retarded at soil temperatures of 30 C and above. In chillies fruit development was found to be adversely affected at temperatures of 37 C or more. High temperature associated with low relative humidity at flowering increases the transpiration resulting in abscission of buds, flowers and small fruits. A daily mean temperature of 20 0 C to 25 0 C is more favourable for its successful production. b) Season and months It can be grown in plains throughout the year but Kharif season is the best. Rainy Season June July Winter Season October November Summer Season February March c) Varieties d) Methods of cultivation There are two methods 1. Direct sowing direct seeding of chilli under rainfed conditions is recommended in heavy black soils Thin out excess seedlings at 40 45 days age and transplant the same wherever gaps are found. 2. Transplanting Chillies are grown on nursery beds & then transplanted on main field.
Nursery bed preparation Since the seeds are very small in size, they are normally sown in raised nursery beds and the seedlings are planted in the main field later on. Seeds can be sown individually in small plastic cups or ice cream cups. Avoid using same place for nursery bed preparation year after year.the size of the nursery plot to raise seedlings for planting a hectare of chilli would be 180m x 1.2m. These plots would be better, made into smaller beds of 3m x 1.2m instead of single bed. The width of the bed does not exceed 1.2 m so that it facilitates weeding and watering without trampling the bed. Apply 25 30 tones FYM/ ha. Transplant 40 45days aged seedlings. Optimum period of transplanting chilli is first fortnight of July. The site for nursery beds should be located close to the source of water supply. The common practice is to broad cast seeds in the nursery bed, but line sowing is preferred so as to proper germination, uniform spacing and to facilitate weeding, hoeing and plant protection operation. The rows are usually kept about 8 10cm apart.. Small seed should be sown mixed with a little sand and covered with soil by passing a flat wooden plank followed by light irrigation with a sprinkler. Watering of the bed is done gently to avoid packing or washing away of the soil covering the seed. In the beginning shade is provided by covering the seed with a thick layer of leaves over the bed. When the seedlings are more than 2.5 cm, tall, the shade should be removed. e) Seed rate 1.5to 2kg per hector 1.5kg/ha or nursery of 25 30 beds of the size 1x4 m would be adequate to transplant one hectare. The seedlings with 3 4 leaves which are approximately 40 45 days old should be transplanted with adequate spacing. f) Spacing Spacing should be 45 cm to 60 cm between plants, depending on cultivar, and 60 cm to 90 cm between rows, depending on the type of cultivation equipment being used. 15 cm x 60 cm (within and between rows 2 seedlings/hill) Irrigated Crop Light soils 45 cm x 75 cm (within and between rows) 2 seedlings / hill. Heavy soils 60 cm x 60 cm (within and between rows) 2 seedlings / hill (Fertile soils).
g)land preparation During last week of May or first week of December, ridges and furrows are prepared. Fields which are previously used for Potato, Tomato, Chilli and Tobacco are not suitable for Chilli cultivation. The field is ploughed three or four times and leveled properly. At the last ploughing 20 25 tones of farmyard manure, 200 kg neem cake has to be applied. Ridges and furrows are formed at a spacing of 60 cm. Proper land preparations at correct season and time with the appropriate time of sowing will help to obtain higher yields. During first ploughing moisture retention capacity of the soil gets increased and land becomes favourable for cultivation. When the land is ploughed there should be enough moisture in the soil. Number and depth of ploughings depends on weed growth intensity in that area, seed rate, nature of crop root growth etc. Summer ploughing is having its own advantages so that summer showers should be better utilized for land preparation. For getting required soil physical condition, after each ploughing, work with gorru so that clod size will be reduced. h)sowing/ planting Transplanting A suitable chilli plant for transplanting is 15 cm to 20 cm in height and has a good sturdy stem. Immersion of seedlings in Starter solution (a dilute solution of nitrogen, phosphorous and potash) at the time of transplanting will boost the growth of the seedlings. The transplanting is done in small flat beds in light soils where irrigation is available and on shoulders in shallow furrow where irrigation water is scanty. In heavy soil it is usually transplanted on ridges and during the rains also it is advantageous to plant the seedlings on ridges. The seedlings are planted in the furrows at a spacing of 30 cm and the plant is allowed to spread on the broad ridge. In the normal system of planting, the seedlings are planted on the sides of the ridges. 3) Intercultural operations a) Thinning & gap filling Thinning & gap filling is done for keeping 2 healthy seedlings per spot. The gap filling is done in missing areas of the planted main field to maintain optimum population.
b) Water management One has to irrigate chilli during rabbi and summer season. During rabbi season 7 8 irrigations at 15 days interval are required During summer season 10 15 irrigations at 7 8 days interval are required SYSTEM AND METHODS OF IRRIGATION The irrigation system must ensure uniform distribution and no wastage of water. Chillies can be irrigated by surface irrigation system; sprinkler irrigation system; sub irrigation system, and drip irrigation system. Surface irrigation system: water is directly applied to the surface of the soil and is spread by gravity. There are several methods viz. flooding from ditch, check basin, ring and basin, border strip and furrow. Sprinkler irrigation system: water is applied in the form of thin spray from above. A typical sprinkler irrigation system consists of a pump, pipes, risers and nozzles that convey water under pressure. Sub irrigation system: water is applied into a series of field ditches deep down to the impervious layer. It then moves laterally and then vertically through capillaries and saturates the root zone. Drip irrigation system: it involves the slow application of water, drop by drop, to the root zone of a crop. The equipment consists of a pumping unit to create pressure, pipe lines, emitters and a filter unit. c) Earthing Up It is the process of putting the earth or soil just near the base for certain crops to give support to the plants. In Vegetables To facilitate irrigation. d) Fertilizer management I. Organic fertilizers 20 ton well rotten FYM or compost should incorporated at the time of land preparation II. Chemical fertilizers
Chillies being a long duration crop require a good amount of manures and fertilizers for high yield. The nutrient requirement for varieties is 100:50:50 kg NPK/ha and for hybrids it is 200:75:75 kg NPK/ha. Basal dressing Fifty per cent of the N is applied along with full dose of P and K as basal dressing just before planting as noted below. 1. 50 kg of Nitrogen (110 kg of Urea)/ha. 2. 50 kg of Phosphorus (313 kg of Super Phosphate)/ha. 3. 50 kg of Potash (80 kg of Muriate of Potash)/ha. Top dressing Thirty days after transplanting, the remaining 50% nitrogen (N) is applied in the form of urea 110 kg, as a band application 5 10 cm away from the plants and mixed with the soil. Chilli responding well for ratooning with yield potential of 63% of the main crop within 100 110 days and with a fertilizer dose of 75:25:30Kg. NPK/ha Application Methods Fertilizers are applied in several ways. Basal dressings are those fertilizers which are incorporated in the soil just before sowing or planting. In general half the dosage of N, full dosage of P2O5 and full dosage of K2O are applied as basal dressing in most crops. e) Crop protection I. Pest management Stem borer, shoot borer, thrips, aphids, mites are major pest infesting Chilli. II. Disease management Blight, leaf blast, powdery mildew, bunchy top are the diseases of Chilli.
III. Weed management Weeding is the process of eliminating competition of unwanted plants to the regular crop in respect to nutrition and moisture. So that crops can be grown profitably. It also facilitates other operations like irrigation and fertilizer application. The advantages of weeding are 1. Conservation of soil moisture. 2. Reduced competition for nutrients, sunlight, space and water. 4) Harvesting & post harvest processing a) Method of harvesting Time and stage of harvesting chilli is decided by the purpose for which it is grown. Mostly the crop is produced for dry chilli fruits. The crop is ready for harvesting green chilli in about a month after transplanting. This practice not only supplements net returns to farmer but also enhances growth of plants and induces them to produce more flowers and fruits for dry chillies the fruits should not under ripened or over ripened. Crop is ready for harvesting ripe fruits in about three and a half months. Picking of fruits continues for about 2 months and 6 pickings are taken annually. While harvesting fruits, care should be taken to hold stalks firmly, and fruit should be pulled upward gently, breaking the base of the stalk. If it is rainfed crop 2 4 pickings and for irrigated crop 6 8 pickings are generally taken. b) Production I. Main product Depending on the variety and the season it produces 250 to 400 quintals of fruits per hectare. II. By productc) Post harvest processing The fruit can be stored for two to three days during winter and one to two days during summer under ordinary conditions but it can be kept for about a week in fairly good conditions at 7.2 o to 10 0 C and 85 to 95% relative humidity. Chillis are sold for distant as well as for local markets.