Introduction
Black pepper (piper nigrum ) is being cultivated on a large scale in India. North American region is the major importer of Indian pepper. In India it is grown in Kerala, Karnataka, Tamilnadu, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Pondicherry. India is also a major consumer of black pepper.
Climate and soil
Black pepper is a crop of warm humid tropics. it requires adequate rainfall (200-250)rainy days with a total rainfall of (2000-3000 mm)and a dry spell of 30-45 days before flowering with the onset of rains and humidity (75-95%)
The hot and humid climate of the sub mountainous tracts of Western Ghats are suitable for its cultivation. The crop tolerates the temperature between10 degree centigrade and 40 degree centigrade. Black pepper thrives best on red, lateritic, or alluvial rich soil in humus. The pH of the soil is 4.5 to 6.0 is ideal. Pepper is grown in red loam, sandy loam, clay loam and red lateritic sandy clay loam soils.
Propagation
Black pepper is propagated through shoot cuttings. seed propagation is also possible but not followed. Runner shoots from high yielding and healthy vines are kept coiled on wooden pegs fixed at the base of the vine to prevent shoots from coming in contact with soil and striking roots. The runner shoots are separated from vines from February –march and after trimming leaves, cuttings of 2-3 nodes each are planted either in nursery beds or in polythene bags filled with fertile soil. The cuttings strike roots are become ready for planting in the month of may-June.
Cultivation
PLANTING: Black pepper, being a climber, needs standards for support. Pepper is also trained on coconut, arecanut and jackfruit tree. The live standards are used at a spacing of 2.7 x 2.7m, accommodating 1,100 vines/ha in its monocropping system. With the onset of south-west monsoon, 2-5 rooted cuttings of black pepper are planted individually in pits on the northern side of the standard.
Training/pruning
As the black pepper cuttings grow, the shoots are tied to standards as often as required, regulation of shade by lopping branches of standards before the south west monsoon, is necessary not only for providing optimum light to vines, but also for enabling standards to grow straight.
Manuring and fertilization
Major pepper growing tracts in Kerala and Karnataka have in general satisfactory level of N, but are poor in P, K, Ca, Mg and Zn. An application of 140g N, 55g P2O5 and 200kg K2O/vine/year is optimum. One third of the recommended dose is applied during the first year which is increased to two thirds in the second year. Full dose is given third year onwards. Organic manure in the form of cattle manure or compost is given @10kg/vine in May. Application of lime 500g/vine during April – May in alternate years is also recommended.
After care
In the early stages, the vines are tied to the standards, if found necessary. When pepper is grown on plantation scale, growing of cover crops is recommended. When such cover crops are grown, they are to be cut back regularly from the base of the plants to prevent them from twining along with the pepper vines. Lowering of vines after 1 year growth promotes lateral branch production. Intercropping of pepper gardens with ginger, turmeric, colocasia and elephant foot yam is advantageous.
If pepper is grown in open places, shading and watering of young seedlings may be done during summer months for the first 1-3 years. Mulching the basins of pepper vines during summer months is highly advantageous. Saw dust, a recanut husk, and dry leaves are suitable mulching materials.
Prune and train the standards in March – April every year to remove excessive over growth and to give them a proper shape. The effective height of the standards is to be limited to 6m.a second pruning of the standards is to be limited to 6m.
Pests and diseases:
1) Quick Wilt :-
This is the most serious disease in pepper caused due to phytophthera fungus. It occurs during the rainy season as the high soil moisture, high humidity and lower prevailing temperature are favorable for development of this soil borne fungus roots, stem and leaves at the ground level are affected by this disease.
The disease is manifested as foliar yellowing initially which intensifies as diseases severity increases. Arial branches break off at nodes and leaves shadding occurs. Spikes are also shed. Leaf infection is severe on pepper intercropped in a recannt and coconut gardens. The stem at the ground level shows a blackish discolored patch which extends downward to the roots. Rotting with faul smell occurs and vines with collar infection die within 15-20 days.
2) Slow Wilt:-
Unlike quick wilt disease symptom are normally observed from October onwards after rains ceases. Affected plants show yellowing of foliage, occasionally drying of branches from the tip downwards and subsequently reduction in vigor and yield. Foliar yellowing slowly increases and is more severe during summer months. Affected vines may show sign of recovery during next monsoon. But the disease symptoms again appear once the rains stop. Infected vines die within a year.
GREEN PEPPER :
In addition to black and white pepper green pepper can also be prepared, which has good demand. For making green pepper the branches arc harvested before they are ripped and stored in tins having 2% salt solution. This pepper is further used to make pickles.
Harvesting and postharvest management
Pepper berries mature and become ready for harvesting in 180-200 days. In high altitude areas, this period may be more by about 30-45 days. Black pepper is produced by sun drying the mature pepper berries for 3-5 days after their separation from spikes by threshing. To give a uniformly lustrous black colour to the finished product and to prevent mouldiness of the berries, a heat treatment is recommended as described here, collect suitable quantity of separated berries in a perforated basket/vessel or clear gunny bag. Dip the berries along with the container in boiling water for one minute, take out, drain and spread on a clean surface for sun drying.
Yield
Average pepper yield in India is 273kg/ha, while it is 425kg/ha in Indonesia, 2000kg/ha in Malaysia and 431kg/ha in srilanka.