Most valuable and important crop of India and is used as a principle ingredient of various curries and chutneys, also used in vegetables, spices, condiments, sauces and pickles. Also it has many medicinal properties, especially as an anti-cancerous agent and instant pain reliever. It also prevents heart diseases by dilating blood vessels. It is rich source of Vitamin. India is the world leader in chilli production. Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Odissa, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan are major chilly producing states in India.

Nasik, Pune are major chilly growing areas of Maharashtra.

Chilli is grown in many types of soils-sandy to heavy clay. A well-drained, fairly light fertile loam with a fair moisture holding capacity is ideal. The light soils produce better quality fruits than heavy soils. Chilli crop prefers a soil reaction ranging from pH 6–7.

Agnirekha: Cultivated for green chilly. Gives average yield of 105qtl per acre. Resistant to powdery mildew and wilt disease.

Jayanti: Medium tall variety and its fruits are green and on ripening turn to red. Gives average yield of 6-8qtl per acre (red chilli yield).

Byadgi (Kaddi):  Mild flavor, long and bright red color variety. Variety having good storage capacity.

Phule Jyoti: Less susceptible to powdery mildew and resistant to sucking pest. Gives average yield of 83qtl per acre of green chillies and 12.5-14.5qtl of dried chillies.

Arka Lohit : Suitable for cultivation under irrigated as well as rainfed areas. Fruits are dark green color and turned into red on ripening. Gives average yield of 100qtl/acre.

Kiran: Light green, long, thin gives red color on ripening. It is resistant to sucking pest. 

Pusa Jwala: Plants are dwarf, bushy, light green. Fruits are 9-10 cm long; light green, highly pungent, tolerant to thrips and mites. Average yield of 85qtl/acre (green) and 18qtl/acre (dry).

Pant C-1: This variety is easily distinguishable from the other varieties because it has upright fruiting pods. The pods are highly pungent, relatively small, broader at the base and narrow towards the tip. It is moderately resistant to mosaic and leaf curl virus. The green pod yield of this variety is 110qtl/acre. The dry pod yield is about 20qtl/acre.

Phule Sai: Gives red color after drying. Variety is medium spicy. Fairly resistant to blight.

Pusa Sadabahar: Plants are erect, perennial (2-3 years), 60-80cm tall, fruits are 6-8cm long, born in clusters with 6-14 fruits/cluster, ripe fruits dark red, highly pungent, resistant to CMV, TMV and leaf curl complex, first picking in 75-80 days after transplanting. It gives an average yield of 95qtl/acre (green) and 20qtl/acre (dry).

Kashi Early: Plants of are tall (100-110 cm height) without nodal pigmentation on dull green stems and bear pendant fruits. Fruits are long (8-9 x 1.0-1.2 cm), attractive, dark green and turn bright red at physiological maturity, pungent with smooth surface. First picking of the green fruits starts at about 45days after transplanting. Average yield of this hybrid is 100qtl/acre (red ripe).

G 5: Chilly is thick, glossy with deep red color. Gives average yield of 20qtl/acre of dried chillies.

G 3: Suitable for cultivation under rainfed and irrigated conditions. Chilly are having high pungency. Gives average yield of 16qtl/acre of dried chillies.

Private companies variety: Savitri, Volcano, Tapan, Green wonder and CCS 1

EllachipurSannam: Variety having red color fruits and hot in taste. It is popular variety of Amaravathi district.

Nagpur: Popular variety of Nagpur region. Fruits are red color with high pungency. 

Nalchetti: Mostly grown in Nagpur region. Fruits are red in color with high pungency. 

SangliSannam: Popular in Kolhapur district. Red color and hot variety.

Carry out ploughing for 2-3 times and clod crushing after each ploughing. Add compost or Farm Yard Manure @150-200qtl/ acre and mix well in the soil 15-20 days before sowing. Do not cultivate Tomato and Chilly crop in same field or in nearby field, as pest and diseases are similar. Also spread anthracnose and bacterial disease.

Time of sowing

Sowing of chilly can be done round the year. In Maharashtra, June-July, August - September and January - February is optimum time for chilly plantation.

Spacing

For sowing, use seed spacing of 60cmx60cm or 75cmx75cm or 90cmx90cm.

Sowing Depth

In nursery sow seeds at depth of 3-5cm and then covered with soil.  

Method of sowing

Transplanting of seedling in main field.Form raised beds of 1m width and convenient length. Mix sterilized cocopeat@300kg with 5kg neem cake along with Azospirillum and phosphobacteria each@1kg. Sow the treated seed in protrays@1seed per cell. Cover the seeds with cocopeat and keep the trays one above the other and cover with a polythene sheet till germination starts.After sowing of seeds in nursery, cover bed with 400 mesh nylon net or thin white cloth. It helps to protect seedlings from pest-disease attack. After 6 days, place the protrays with germinated seedlings individually on the raised beds inside the shade net.Water with rosecan everyday upto seed germination. Drench with 19:19:19 @ 0.5% (5gm/Ltr) at 18 days after sowing.

Seed Rate

For varieties use seed rate of 400 to 600gm and 80-100gm/acre for hybrids.

Seed Treatment

To protect crop from various soil borne disease seed treatment is necessary. Before sowing do seed treatment with Thiram@3gm or Carbendazim@2gm/kg. After chemical treatment, treat seed with Trichoderma@5gm/kg or Pseudomonas fluorescens@10gm/kg. Keep it in shade. And use it for sowing. Do Watering with rosecan on daily basis. Drench the nursery with Copper oxychloride@2.5gm/ltr of water at 15days interval to prevent crop from damping off disease.

To protect against wilt, sucking pest, Dip roots for 15min in Trichoderma harzianum@20gm/Ltr+0.5ml/Ltr Imidacloprid before transplanting. Seedling inoculation with VAM supplemented with nitrogen fixing bacteria, save Super phosphate by 50% along with saving of 25% nitrogen application.

 Fertilizer Requirement (kg/acre)

Nutrient Requirement (kg/acre)

At time of land preparation, mixed 20 to 40 cartloads of well decomposed cowdung. Overall, apply Nitrogen@32kg, Phosphorus@12kg and Potash@20kg per acre in form of Urea@70kg, SSP@75kg and MoP@35kg. 

Apply whole quantity of Phosphorus and Potash and half quantity of Nitrogen before transplantation. Remaining quantity of Nitrogen should be applied in two equal splits i.e. 30 and 50days after transplantation. 

For irrigated areas, apply Nitrogen@40kg (Urea@90kg), Phosphorus@20kg (SSP@125kg) and Potash@20kg per acre (MoP@35kg). Apply half of Nitrogen,full dose of Phosphorus, Potash at time of transplantation. Apply remaining quantity of nitrogen, 25 to 30days after transplantation.

WSF: 10-15 days after transplanting, take spray of 19:19:19 along with micronutrient@2.5 to 3gm/Ltr of water. Due to low temperature, plant absorbsfewer nutrients and growth gets affected. In such cases foliar spray helps in growth of plants. In vegetative growth stage take spray of 19:19:19 or 12:61:00 @ 3-5 gm/Ltr. For better growth and more yield, Spray with 50ml Brassinolide per acre in 150Ltr of water at 40-50 days after transplanting for two times at 10 days intervals.

To obtain good fruit quality along with good yield, take spray of 12:61:00 (Monoammonium Phosphate)@10gm/Ltr before flowering. When flowering starts, in initial days take spray of Boron@25gm/10liter of water. It will help to control flower and fruit dropping. Sometime black spots is observed on fruits, these are due to calcium deficiency. Take spray of Calcium nitrate@2gm/Ltr of water. In high temperature Flower drop is seen, spray with NAA@50ppm (50ml/10L water) when crop is in flowering stage. Give one spray of Sulphate of potash(00:00:50+18S) during fruit development stage@3-5gm/ltr of water. It will give good fruit development and color). Fruit cracking reduces fruit quality and lowers prices up to 20%. Take spray of chelated Boron(Solubor)@200gm/acre/200Ltr water at fruit ripening stage. To improve plant growth, flowering and fruit set, Spray with seaweed extract (Biozyme/Dhanzyme)@3-4ml/Ltr water twice a month. Maintain good soil moisture.

Do frequent weeding, hoeing and earthing up and keep field weed free till 45 days. If weed left uncontrolled then it will reduce crop yield upto 70-90%. Before transplantation, apply pendimethalin@1 ltr/acre in main field. If weed intensity is high, take pre emergence spray of Sencor@800ml/acre. Mulching is also an effective way to reduce soil temperature along with weed control.

In winter, apply irrigation with interval of 6 to 7 days and in summer month, apply with interval of 4-5 days depending upon soil moisture. Flowering stage is critical for irrigation, water stress during this stage can leads to flower drop and adversely affecting fruiting and productivity. According to various researches, it is found that, half inch irrigation at every fortnight causes maximum penetration of roots and thus gives high yield.

• Pests and their control:

Fruit borer: Caterpillar eat leaves of crop afterward they enter into fruit and caused heavy loss in yield management. Collect and destroyed damaged fruits and grown up caterpillars. Set up pheromone traps for Helicoverpa armigera or Spodoptera litura at 5 Nos./acre.

To control pod borers apply poison bait balls made up of bran-5 kg, Carbaryl-500 gm, Jaggery-500 gm and sufficient amount of water. If infestation of fruit borers is observed. spray Chlorpyrifos + Cypermethrin (Nurel-D/Amla) @30 ml+Teepol@0.5 ml in 12 Ltr of water with power sprayer. Spray with Emamectin benzoate 5% SG @4 gm/10 Ltr of water or Flubendiamide 20 WDG@6 gm/10 litre of water.

Mite: These are widely distributed pest observed throughout the world. It attacks on several crops like potato, chilli, beans, cotton, tobacco, curcurbit, castor, jute, coffee, lemon, citrus, blackgram, cowpea, pepper, tomato, sweet potato, mango, papaya, brinjal, guava. Nymphs and adults feed exclusively on the lower surface of the leaves. Infected leaves give cup shape appearance. Heavy infestation results in defoliation, bud shedding and drying of leaves.

If Infestation of yellow mite & thrips is observed in field, spray of Chlorfenapyr@1.5ml/Ltr, Abamectin@1.5ml/Ltr are found effective. Mite is a serious pest and it may cause yield loss up to 80%. For effective control spray Spiromesifen 22.9SC@200ml/acre/180Ltr of water.

Aphid: They attack mostly in winter month and later stage of crop. They suck sap from the leaf. They excrete honey like substance and developed sooty mold i.e blackish colour fungus on the calyx and pods thus deteriorate quality of product. Aphids also work as important insect vectors for chilli mosaic. Mosaic disease transmitted by aphids cause 20-30 percent loss in yield.

To control, take spray of Acephate 75SP@5gm/Ltr or Methyl demeton 25EC@2ml/Ltr of water. Soil application of granular insecticides viz Carbofuran, Phorate@4-8kg/acre on 15 and 60 days after transplanting were also effective.

White fly: The nymphs and adults of White fly suck the cell sap from the leaves and weaken the plants. They secrete honey dew on which black sooty mould develops on leaves. They also transmit leaf curl diseases. To check infestation use yellow sticky traps coated with grease and sticky oils.

In case of severe infestation to control take spray of Acetamiprid 20SP (@4gm/10Ltr of water or Triazophos@2.5ml/litre or Profenophos@2ml/litre of water. Repeat the spray after 15 days.

• Diseases and their control:

Powdery Mildew: Patchy, White powdery growth appears on lower side of leaves. It parasitizes the plant using it as a food source. It commonly occurs on older leaves just before or at fruit set. But it can develop at any stage of crop development. In severe infestation it causes defoliation.

Avoid water lodging in field. Keep field clean. To control spray with Hexaconazole(Contaf, Sitara) along with sticker @1 ml/Ltr of water. In case of sudden rain, chances of powdery mildew are more. Mild infestation take spray of water soluble Sulphur @ 20 gm/10 Ltr of water 2-3 times with interval of 10 days.

Phytophthora blight: It is caused by the fungus Phytophthora capsici. It is soil borne and commonly observed on soil with low drainage capacity and areas where proper cultural practices have not been maintained. Also cloudy weather is favourable for spread of this disease.

Avoid crop rotation with brinjal, tomato, cucumber, pumpkin for atleast three years. Spray with Copper oxychloride@250gm/150Ltr of water.

Thrips: Commonly observed pest. Mostly observed in dry weather. They suck sap from the foliage and results in curling of leaves. Also causes flower drop.

To check severity of thrips incidence, keep blue sticky traps @6-8 per acre. Also to reduce the incidence spray Verticillium lecani@5gm/Ltr water

If incidence of thrips is more, then take spray of Imidacloprid 17.8SL or Fipronil@1ml/Ltr water or Fipronil 80%WP@2.5ml/Ltr of water or Acephate 75% WP@1.0gm/Ltr or do drenching of Thiamethoxam 25% WG@1.0gm/Ltr of water.

Die back and fruit rot: The branches and leaves get dried and black spots are formed on infected parts. Spots are usually circular, water-soaked and sunken with black margins. The fruits with many spots drop off prematurely resulting in heavy loss of yield. The disease spreads rapidly with blowing wind, rains during rainy season. Partially affected plants bear fruits which are few and of low quality.

Use disease free seeds. Before sowing seed treatment with Thiram or Captan@4gm/kg of seeds is effective in eliminating the seed borne inoculum. To control die back and fruit rot diseases spray with Mancozeb@2.5gm or Copper oxychloride@3gm per Ltr of water. Give first spray just before flowering and second at the time of fruit formation.

Wilt and damping off: Moist and poorly drain soil causes damping off disease. It is soil borne disease. Water soaking and shrivelling of stem occurs. Seedlings killed before emergence. If it appears in nursery the entire lot of seedling may get destroyed.

To control wilt, drench nearby soil with Copper oxychloride@250gm or Carbendazim@200gm/150Ltr of water. To control wilting of plants due to root rot do drenching with Trichoderma bio fungus@2.5kg/500Ltr water, near to roots of plants.

Anthracnose: It is caused by the fungi Colletotrichum piperatum and C.capsici and is promoted by warm temperatures, high moisture. It is characterised by black spots that are formed on infected parts. Spots are usually circular, water-soaked and sunken with black margins. The fruits with many spots drop off prematurely resulting in heavy loss of yield.

If infestation of Anthracnose is observed then spraying with Propiconazole or Hexaconazole @1ml/Ltr of water should be done.

Yellow Mosaic: Light and green patches observed on leaves. In early stage plant growth get stops. Yellowing, chlorotic ring spots on leaves and fruits. Select healthy and disease free seeds for cultivation. Avoid monocropping in chilly crop. Raise two rows of maize or sorghum for every five rows of chilly against wind direction. Uproot and destroyed infected plant away from field.

Recommendations given for aphids may be adopted (take spray of Acephate 75SP@1gm/Ltr or Methyl demeton 25EC@2ml/Ltr of water. Soil application of granular insecticides viz Carbofuran, Phorate@4-8kg/acre should be done on 15 and 60 days after transplanting.

Bacterial Leaf Spot: It is observed mostly in rainy season. On young leaves the spots are yellowish green, on older leaves they are dark and water soaked. Severely affected leaves become chlorotic and defoliation occurs. It observed on stem also. Stem infection leads to formation of cankerous growth and wilting of branches. On fruit round water soaked spots with pale yellow border is observed. 

To control various leaf spot and yellowing diseases, spray Propiconazole 25%EC@ 200ml or Chlorothalonil 75%WP @400-600gm per 150-200Ltr of water. If bacterial leaf spot infestation is observed, to control spray with Streptocycline@1gm +Copper oxychloride@400gm/200Ltr of water.

Chilly can be harvested green or left to ripen on the plant. The ripened colour will depend on the variety grown. To increases no. of pickings, Spray Urea@10gm/Ltr and Soluble K@10gm/Ltr (1% solution each) with 15 days interval during harvesting time. For canning purpose they are harvested when fruits are of red color. Chilly use for drying purpose is harvested at full ripe stage.

This include 1) Drying 2) Grading and Packing 3) Storage