Pepper

Introduction

Taxonomy

Family –Piperaceae

Botanical name–Piper nigrum

Common Name–Pepper

Pepper, popularly known as the "King of spices" is one of the earliest spices known to man and it is today the largest commodity in the international spice trade. It is most widely used spice all over the world. Black pepper of commerce is the mature dried berries of the woody perennial evergreen climbing vine, Piper nigrum. Pepper is cultivated over an area of 32,800 haof Sri Lanka and Matale, Kandy, Kegalle, Kurunegala and Nuwara Eliya are accounted as major districts of cultivation.

It can be grown either asa mono crop or as a mixed crop in the coconut and tea plantations using live and dead standards as support. It is an ideal crop forhome gardens where it can be trained on the existing tree species as well.

Cultivation

Agronomic Requirements for cultivation

The plant can be grown from sea level up to elevations of about 1,200m above sea level in areas receiving an annual rainfall of not less than about 1,750mm. Areas withprolonged drought may be avoided unless there is facility for irrigation. It is also essential that thereshould besufficient rainfall during the flowering season toensuremaximum pollination. Being a crop of the humid tropics, its growth and yieldperformances will be better in areas with low diurnal variation in temperature.

However, it can tolerate a minimum temperature of 10°C and a maximum 40°C. Continuous strong wind is harmful. Therefore, sheltered valleys and leeward slopes arethe best situations for growing pepper in the mid and up country areas. For the better growth of plant, it should be established in welldrained loamy soils which are rich in organic matter andhaving a minimum depth of 60cm. If the level of organic matter islow, it is essential to add farm yard manure, compost and green manure, etc. to upgrade the soil fertility. Soils liable to be waterlogged are unsuitable.

Recommended Varieties

High yielding Ten local pepper selections have been identifiedwith othercharacteristics such as high pungency, bold berries, continuous bearing habit and resistance to pest and diseases, etc. Theseselections arenow recommended and released for cultivation.

Other than local selections the two commercial varieties Panniyur – 1 of India and Kuching of Malaysia have introduced to Sri Lanka and have observed both are economically beneficial to cultivate along with local selections.

Field Planting and Spacing

The field planting of rooted pepper cuttings are planted at 2.5 x 2.5 m spacing (1700 plant/ha). At each and every point a Support for the veins to climb must be established. In Sri Lanka Gliricidiais commonly used as support trees. These supports should be maintained at a height of 3–3.5 m.

Mixed cropping

Pepper can be mix cropped with coconut and tea and also can be grown in the homesteads with a variety of the other perrenial crops. With coconut, pepper may beplanted at 2.5m spacing (both within the row and between rows) in triangular system, between every two rows. With tea,pepper may betrained onGliricidiashade trees. Most tree species generally grown in the home gardens can also beused as support trees for pepper.

Maintenance

It is required to train 3 – 4 orthotropic shoots over the support to get amore productive columnar shape canopy with a substantial number of plagiotropicbranches. As the vines grow, they should be tied to the supports at every node.When the pepper vines reach the top of the supports, they should be prunedregularly to maintain the height.

Manuring

For proper field establishment and higher yields, it is essential that the plants are fertilized adequately from the time they are planted in the field.

The following fertilizer mixture is currently recommended.

Components / Parts by weight / Nutrients in the
Mixture
Urea (46% N) / 4 / 14 % N
Rock Phosphate (28% P2O5) / 5 / 11 % P2O5
Muriate of Potash (60% K2O) / 3 / 14 % K2O
Kieserite (24% MgO) / 1 / 2% MgO

Application rates per plant per year in grams

Years / Beginning of the
first monsoonal rains / Beginning of the
second monsoonal rains
1st Year / 250 / 250
2nd Year / 500 / 500
3rd year and onward / 700 / 700

By applying 10 – 15 kg of fresh Gliricidia leaves and tender branches as a mulch, at four times per year per vine can reduce the synthetic fertilizer dosage by 50 %.

Harvesting

Unlike other pepper growing countries, Sri Lanka pepper flowers twice a year during the Maha and Yala rains. Two types of commercial pepperproducts calledBlack pepper, from fully matured unripe berries, and White pepper from fully ripe berries, are prepared.

Quality Requirement

Black pepper is graded as Grade I special, Grade I, FAQ Grade and Light barriers. Light barriers are defined as those that float in solution of Alcohol and water.

Standard Specifications of black pepper

Colour / The colour should be black or
brownish black
Appearance / There should be solid deep set wrinkles on
the surface.
Cleanliness / The pepper should be free of dead or live
insects rat droppings, mould, dirt, etc.
  1. Mould berries : 1% Maximum for Grade I Special and Grade I,
    2% Maximum for Grade FAQ.
  2. Dirt : 1% Maximum for Grade I Special and Grade I,
    2% Maximum for FAQ.

Light berries / 2% Maximum in Grade I special,
4% Maximum in Grade I,
10% Maximum in FAQ.
Moisture / Maximum content
  • 12% in Grade I Special and Grade I,
  • 14% in FAQ and Light berries.