Method of Seed Production

Method of Seed Production
    Varieties
    • Panniyur-1, Panniyur-2 (Krishna), Panniyur-3 (Shima), Panniyur-4, Panniyur-5, Panniyur-6, Panniyur-7, Sreekara, Subhakara, Panchami, Pournami,IISR Thevam, IISR Malabar Excel, IISR Girimunda, IISR Sakthi, PLD-2
    Nursery
    • Pepper is propagated by cuttings, raised mainly from the runner shoots. Cuttings from the lateral branches are seldom used, since in addition to reduction in the number of fruiting shoots, the vines raised from them are generally short lived and bushy in habit. However, rooted lateral branches are useful in raising pepper in pots.
    • Runner shoots from high yielding and healthy vines are kept coiled on wooden pegs fixed at the base of the vine to prevent the shoots from coming in contact with soil and striking roots. The runner shoots are separated from the vine in February- March and after trimming the leaves, cuttings of 2 to 3 nodes each are planted either in nursery beds or polythene bags filled with fertile soil. Cuttings from middle 1/3 of the shoots are desirable as they are high yielding. Adequate shade is to be provided and irrigated frequently. The cuttings will stricken roots and become ready for planting in May—June.
    Propagation
    • A rapid multiplication technique has been developed by the National Research Centre for Spices, Calicut. In this method, a trench is filled with rooting medium (preferably forest soil, sand and cow dung mixture at 1:1:1). Split halves of bamboos with Septa with 8 to 10 cm diameter and 1.25 to 1.50 m length are fixed at 450 angles on a strong support. The bamboos can be arranged touching one another. Rooted cuttings are planted in the trench at the rate of one cutting each for one bamboo. The lower portions of the bamboo are filled with a rooting medium (coir dust and cattle manure mixture 1:12) and the growing vine is tied to the bamboo in such a way as to keep the nodes pressed into the rooting medium. The tying could be done with dried banana sheath fiber. The vines are irrigated regularly. As the vines grownup, filling up the bamboo with rooting medium and tying each node, pressing it down to the rooting medium are to be continued regularly. For rapid growth, each vine is fed at 15 days interval with 0.25 litre of nutrient solution prepared by dissolving urea (1kg), super phosphate (0.75 kg), muriate of potash (0.5 kg) and magnesium sulphate (0.25 kg) in 250 liters of water.
    • When the vine reaches the top in about 3 to 4 months, the terminal bud is nipped off and the vine is crushed at about three nodes above the base in order to activate the axillary buds. After about 10 days each vine is cut at the crushed point and removed from the rooting medium and each node is separated. Such cuttings with the bunch of roots intact are planted in polybags filled with pot mixture and kept in a cool humid place. Care should be taken to keep the axil above the soil. The bud starts developing in about 3 weeks when the polybags can be moved and kept in semi shade. Subsequent harvesting can be had at every 2-2½ month’s time.
    • The advantages of this method are
    1. Multiplication is rapid (1:40).
    2. The root system is well developed and
    3. A better field establishment and more vigorous growth as a result of better roots system.
    Land
    • Well drained level land and hill slopes are suitable for growing pepper. When grown on a sloppy land, the slopes facing south should be avoided and the lower half of north and north eastern slopes are preferred for planting, so that the vines are not subjected to the scorching effect of the sun during summer.
    System of cultivation
    • Pepper is grown as monocrop as well as a mixed crop. Large scale cultivation of pepper as monocrop is done on hill slopes by clearing jungle lands and planting standards for the vines to climb on. As a mixed crop, it is grown with arecanut, coconut, mango, jack etc. where these trees serve as standards for the pepper vines. Peeper is also a suitable intercrop in coffee estates where the shade trees serve as good standards for them.
    Planting
    • Pepper cuttings are generally planted with the onset of the southwest monsoon. Planting can also bed done during the northeast monsoon wherever it is regular and well distributed when pepper is grown as pure crop, pits of 0.5 m cube are dug at a spacing of 2.5 x 2.5 m and Erythrina stem cuttings of 2 m length or its two year old seedlings are planted on receipt of early monsoon showers.
    • Certain other trees like Silver Oak, Ailanthus excelsa and Garuga pinnata are also used. With the onset of regular rains, 2 or 3 rooted cuttings are planted around the base of the standard nearly 30 cm away. But in the case of coconut and arecanut which have a thick intercoiled root net close to the trunk, pepper cuttings are to be planted 100 to 120 cm away from the tree trunk which are about 8 to 9 m high.
    • Initially, the vines may be allowed to climb on a stick or pole about 2 m tall which is tied to the trunk in a slanting position. After one year, when the vine has attained sufficient length it may be separated from the temporary stake and the lower leaves may be nipped off. A narrow trench of 15 cm deep and wide should be prepared from the base of the vine to the base of the tree trunk.
    • The vine may be placed in the trench in such a way that the growing tips are tied to the trunk while the other parts of vine are covered with the soil. A small ridge is formed over the trench which should not be disturbed while doing intercultural operations to the palm.
    Cultural practices
    • As the cuttings grow, the shoots are tied to the standards as often as required. The young vines should be protected from hot sun during summer months by providing them with artificial shade. Regulation of shade by lopping the branches of standards is necessary not only for providing optimum light to the vines buy also for enabling the standards to grow straight. Adequate mulch with green leaf, saw dust or coir dust or organic matter should be given towards the end of northeast monsoon. The base of the vines should not be disturbed to avoid root damage.
    • During the second year, practically the same cultural practices are repeated. However, lopping of the standards should be done carefully from the fourth year onwards, not only to regulate the height of the standards, but also to shade the pepper vines optimally. Excessive shading during flowering and fruiting encourages pest infestation. Pruning the top of the vine after it has reached the required height i.e., 6 m is normally practiced when it is trained on standards like silver oak, coconut, arecanut for convenience of picking.
    • From the fourth year usually two diggings are given, one during May-June and the other towards the end of southwest monsoon in October- November. Growing cover crop like Calapogonium mucanoides, Moimosa invisa are also recommended under west coast conditions.
    Manuring
    • Judicious and regular manuring is necessary to get good yield.
    • About 10 kg of well rotten cattle manure or compost is given in April-May.
    • Fertilizers to supply 100 g N, 40 g P2O5 and 140 g K2O per standard for vines of three years and above may be applied annually in two split doses in April-May and August- September.
    • During the first year of planting, 1/3 of the above dose and in the second year 2/3 of the dose may be given.
    • Manures are applied around the vines at a distance of 30 cm and forked into the soil. Lime may be applied at the rate of 500 g per standard during April in alternate years.
    Harvesting and curing
    • Pepper vines start yielding usually from the 3rd to 4th year. The vines flower in May – June.
    • It takes 6 to 8 months from flowering to ripening stage.
    • Turning of green fruit to red colour is symptom of maturity.
    • The whole spikes are picked, when one or two berries on the spike turn bright or red during November to February in plains and January to March in hills.
    • Berries are separated from the spikes by rubbing them between the hands or trampling them under the feet or spikes with fully ripe berries are filled in gunny bags and steeped in flowing water for about 7 days.
    • Outer rind of the berries is then removed by rubbing them with hands in a bucket of water and further cleaning the seeds with fresh water. The cleaned seeds are dried for 3 to 4 days.
    • The seeds which are now dull white in colour are further cleaned by winnowing and polishing them by rubbing with a cloth. The recovery of white pepper is about 25 percent of rip berries while that of black pepper is about 33 percent.
    • Pepper seeds can be stored up to one year at 20-300C with periodical sun drying.
    Yield
    • One hectare plantation of 7 to 8 years old gives about 800 to 1000 kg of black pepper.
    Plant protection
    • The important pests are beetles,top shoot borer, thrips which can be controlled by spraying of any insecticides such as Endosulfan (0.05%), Monocrotophos (0.05%) or chlorpyriphos 2 ml/lit or dichlorvos 76 WSC 1 ml/lit or phosphomidan 40 SL @ 2 ml/lit three rounds at monthly intervals starting from new flush formation
    • The important disease is quick wilt or foot rot, this disease can be controlled by application of Trichoderma viride @ 20 g/vine along with FYM or Bordeaux mixture 1% or Metalaxyl-Mancozeb @ 2 g/lit or spraying with 1% Bordeaux mixture and 0.25% Ridomil /MZ. Slow decline or slow wilt disease controlled by treating the planting pit with phorate @ 15 g or carbofuron @ 50 g.

Last modified: Wednesday, 11 January 2012, 9:41 PM