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.

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.

Early/ light spicy varieties:

NP-46A: It has small, bushy and spreading variety. The plant attains the height of 10-15cm. It gives an average yield of 4-4.4qtl/acre dry chillies and 33qtl/acre chillies. The variety matures in 175-180 days.

G-5: The variety is resistant to thrips. It has long and branch plants. It gives an average yield of 12.5qtl/acre dry chillies and 52qtl/acre green chillies. The variety matures in 180 days.

G-4: The plant attains the height of 50cm. The variety matures in 180 days. It gives an average yield of 6qtl/acre dry chillies and 27qtl/acre green chillies.

Pant C-1: The variety is developed by Pantnagar Agriculture University. It has straight plants which attain the height of 50-60cm. the variety matures in 100-120 days. It gives an average yield of 10qtl/acre dry chillies and 50qtl/acre green chillies.

Pant C-2: The variety is resistant to mosaic virus.

Pusa Jwala: It has small plants which attain the height of 40-41cm. The variety matures in 120-128 days. The variety is resistant to bacterial disease and nematodes.

Kiran (X200): It gives an average yield of 5-5.5qtl/acre and 12-.5-14.5 dry chillies according to the rain and 41-62.5qtl/acre chillies. The variety matures in 210 days.

Aparna: The variety matures in 210 days. The plant attains the height of 50-55cm.

K-1: The variety matures in 210-215 days and it gives an average yield of 6-8qtl/acre.

Small and spicy varieties:

Bird’s eye and Tabasco chilli varieties are included. The fruits attain the length of 12-25mm.

Hybrid varieties: Agni, NS101, CH1, CH104, Champion, Jyoti and Surya.

Saline areas: Jwala, Chaman and G-4.
 

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 should be done in March-April month.
 
Spacing
In Kharif season, use spacing of 60cm x 45cm and for irrigated areas, use spacing of 60cmx60cm.

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 rose can everyday upto seed germination. Drench with 19:19:19 @ 0.5% (5gm/Ltr) at 18 days after sowing.
 

Seed Rate
Use seed rate of 2-2.5kg for sowing in one acre land.

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 15 days 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)

Overall chilly crop requires Nitrogen@17kg, Phosphorus@4kg and Potash@12kg in form of Urea@37kg, SSP@31kg and MOP@20kg/acre. Apply whole quantity of Phosphorus and Potash and half quantity of Nitrogen before transplantation. Remaining quantity of Nitrogen should be applied in two equal part 30 and 60days after transplantation.

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.

• Pest 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. Or 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 gives 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 per cent 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.
 

• DIsease 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 occur on older leaves just before or at fruit set. But it can develope 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. 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 favorable 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 wind blown 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 nursary the entire lot of seedling may get destroyed.

To control wilt, drench near by 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. To control spray Propiconazole or Hexaconazole @1ml/Ltr of water.

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 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.

Plant starts yielding, 70 days after transplantation. Harvesting is done depending upon purpose like for fresh market, long distance transport etc. Mature green tomatoes, 1/4th fruits portion gives pink color are harvested for long distance markets. Almost all fruits turn into pink or red color but having firm flesh are harvested for local markets. For processing and seed extraction purpose, fully ripe fruits with soft flesh are used.

After harvesting, grading is done. Then fruits are packed in bamboo baskets or crates or wooden boxes. To increased self-life of chilly during long distance transport pre cooling is carried out. From ripen chilly several products like Puree, syrup, juice and ketch up are made after processing.