Capsicum

Product Profile

Package of Practices

Varieties

Harvesting Windows

Production Centers

Marketing Centers

Plant Protection Chemicals

Quality Standards

Crops Specific Tools

Micro Irrigation

Dos and don’ts

Statistics

Export Trends

1. Product Profile

Capsicum in Bearing Red Capsicum Green & Coloured Capsicum

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Is widely cultivated in central and South America & in most of the European
Countries . In India it is commercially grown in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka,
Deccan Plato, Himachal Pradesh & Parts of U.P. It is grown in Poly houses in
Pune & Bangalore. In Karnataka and Telangana Region, it is grown as a field
crop during winter . In Himachal Pradesh it is a summer vegetable. Its
popularly know as Simla Mirch in India. It is also grown in Darjeeling District
of West Bengal in sizable area.

Capsicum also called Sweet Pepper or Bell Pepper is rich in Vitamins A & C.
Besides Green , Yellow, Red & Orange Peppers are cultivated. The color is due
to carotenoid pigments. Sweet Pepper also belongs to the same sp., as that of
hot chilly. It is botanical variety with the same chromosome number.

Food value of Capsicums vary with the varieties and location. However
general values are :

For 100 gms edible portion

Water 92.4 gms
Protein 1.2 gms
Calcium 11 mg
Ascorbic Acid 175 mg
Vitamin A 870 I.U.
B-Complex Group 0.66 mg
Folic Acid 2.0 mg

Sweet Pepper, Green or Colored are eaten cooked or raw as slices in salads.
Also used for stuffing and pickling. Diced sweet pepper are mixed with sweet
corn and other vegetables for cooking, stewing etc.,

2. PACKAGE OF PRACTICES

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Capsicum can be grown on well drained soils with good organic matter. It’s a
winter season crop in South India and summer season crop on Hills. In
Northern Plains it can be grown in the spring season.

Nursery Production:

1kg seed is adequate for raising nursery and transplanting in one hectare. In
the case of hybrid seeds, 300 to 400 gm only are used. Nursery beds of 1 meter
width and 15cm height of convent length are prepared to sow the seeds in
rows 10cm apart and 2 – 3 cm within the row to get healthy seedlings. Seeds
are treated with Captan or Mancozeb at 2 -3 gm per kilo of seed. After
sowing, the seeds are covered by a thin layer of top soil and irrigated, using a
sprinkler or rose can. Seed beds are normally sown in August – September
and the seedlings are transplanted when they are 30 -35 days old.

Transplanting:

Seedlings are transplanted at 60 x 30 cm spacing . A spray of copper oxy

chloride in the nursery bed when the seedlings are 10 days old helps in
overcoming fungal diseases associated with ‘ damping off ‘ of seedlings.
Before the seedlings are taken out a spray of insecticide against sucking pests
is done.

Before transplanting, the roots of the seedlings are soaked in solution

containing ‘Biophos ‘ a Phosphorus solublizing bacteria for quick
establishment and root growth.

Manuring:

Besides 10 tones of Farm yard manure, chemical fertilizers containing

100:50 : 100 kg / hectare of NPK is applied. P is applied as basal dosage and N
& K in split doses. Micro nutrient sprays containing B, Cu, Zn, Mn, Fe at
fortnightly intervals during growth and fruiting helped in increasing yields.

Irrigation:

Irrigation to be given at the time of transplanting and subsequently as and

when required. In poly houses normally sprinkler irrigation or fogging is
resorted to.

Weeding & Inter culture:

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Normally light plowing is done between rows, 30 days after planting to loosen
the soil and hand weeding is done in the rows. A second inter culture and
earthing up is done 50 days after planting. No further inter cultural
operations are done as the crop will be in flowering and fruit set.

Harvesting:

Sweet peppers are picked while they are still green but fully grown. Colored
peppers are picked when the color is fully developed. Sweet peppers are
picked with an upward twist.

The yield of sweet peppers varies with cultivars and management practices.
Average yields of 10 – 12 tons / ha in the open and 30 – 40 tons in the poly
houses is common.

Plant Protection:

Inter planting of Mary Gold and Onion / Garlic helps in reducing the insect
attack. Planting of 10 yellow boards / ha with grease or oil coating reduces
the attack of sucking pests. Zolone or Rogar are sprayed at 2ml / lt. of water
to control thrips attack. To prevent mites, Dicofal at 5ml or propergite at 3 ml
/ lt. of water is sprayed.

To Protect the crop from leaf spots , Mancozeb at 2.5 gm / lt. of water is
sprayed. To ward off bacterial wilt, which is common, drenching the
plant roots with 500 lt. of water / ha containing 15 kg bleaching power
works well. For shoot drying caused by ‘Canofora sp’ , Copper oxy
chloride @ 3 g/lt. of water is sprayed on the foliage.

3. Varieties / Cultivars:
There are several cultivars of thick fleshed sweet peppers of different shapes,
mostly non pungent. Many seed companies market their hybrids or
selections. The varieties commonly grown in India in the past are California
Wonder, Chinese Giant, Yolo Wonder. Bharat was the first hybrid capsicum
introduced by the Indo American Hybrid Seeds, Bangalore. Subsequently,
Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bangalore, released 3 varieties “
Arka Basanth”, “ Arka Gaurav” & “ Arka Mohini”. Arka Basanth is light

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yellow in color . Now, large number of Capsicum hybrids are available for
cultivation from different seed companies in India and from MNC’s.

4. Harvesting Window
Sweet peppers are picked while they are still green but fully grown. Colored
peppers are picked when the color is fully developed. Sweet peppers are
picked with an upward twist.

The yield of sweet peppers varies with cultivars and management practices.
Average yields of 10 – 12 tons / ha in the open and 30 – 40 tons in the poly
houses
is common.

In the South the crop is harvested from later part of November to the end of
February, when grown in the open. On the hills in the North & South
India the crop is harvested from March to July. In the plains of North
India the spring crop comes to harvest during March & April. In the poly
houses Capsicums are grown through the year.

5. Production Centers:
1. Tamil Nadu,
2. Karnataka,
3. Deccan Plato,
4. Himachal Pradesh &
5. Parts of U.P.
6. Darjeeling

It is grown in Poly houses in

1. Pune
2. Bangalore.
3. Karnataka

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 6. Marketing Centers:
1. Coimbatore
2. Dharwad , Bangalore
3. Hyderabad
4. Shimla
5. Allahabad, Luck now
6. Darjeeling

7. Plant Protection Chemicals:

Plants are a part of the food chain and their growing features offer
conducive growth conditions for various pests and diseases. In order to
control or manage these pests and diseases at various growth stages of
crop life and during storage & transport too, many chemicals are used.

The build-up in- and aftereffects on- the human body of most such
chemicals have led to the imposition of maximum residue levels (MRLs)
in the finished produce, the restricted use or a complete ban on the use of
the chemical in its various forms. This has also led to calls for organic
cultivation of all crops.

You will find here information on chemicals to be used

Permitted India European Union

Banned India European Union

Restricted India European Union

8.Quality Standards:
 Good Quality Bell Peppers are used for stuffing. The locular spaces are
wide with no placenta.
 The flesh thickness varies from 5 -6 mm good quality pods and 3- 5 mm
in second grade.
 They carry characteristic flavor. Should be free from pungency.

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 9. Crops Specific Tools
As in chillies crop production ( efresh portal )

10. Micro Irrigation

Micro irrigation systems provide continuous moisture to the plants at the root zone. It facilitates
continuous growth and biological functions of the crop
 Drip Irrigation Saves about 40% water and increases yields by 20 %
 Inline drip irrigation is recommended for Capsicum
 Sprinkler irrigation is preferred for summer crop as it facilitates fruit set when the night
temperatures exceed  26 degree centigrade

11. Dos & Don’ts in Capsicum Cultivation:

Dos Don’ts
1. Grow varieties / hybrids suitable Don’t grow heat tolerant varieties
for the season / region in summer and vice-versa .

2. Raise seedlings on raised beds Avoid flat bed nurseries

3. Use rose can / sprinklers for Avoid flow irrigation & excess
watering the nursery moisture in the nursery
4. Protect the nursery from sucking Avoid spraying insecticides /
pests and fungal infections using fungicides with longer residual
mosquito nets action in the main field during
fruiting
5. Provide humid conditions and Don’t grow capsicum during
shade when the night and day summer unless shade nets are
temperatures exceed 25 o & 36 o c provided in the plains.

6. Harvest fully grown up / Mature Immature pods shrivel and loose

green capsicums and those with market value if harvested when
full color development in colored they are tender.
varieties
 Store them at 7 to 8 o c and 90 -95 Avoid cold injury by subjecting
% humidity the produce to 0 o c

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 12. Statistics
Bell Pepper Production in India is comparatively of recent origin. Although
the

country leads in the production of hot pepper, sweet pepper production is

limited

to certain pockets for limited use as vegetable. Authentic Statistics of Area &

Production are not available.

13. Export Trends

India is not an exporter of sweet pepper as the production is locally
consumed.

With the advent of Green House Technology the production & productivity of

sweet pepper is likely to increase to the level of exports to neighboring

countries in

Asia & Middle East.

14. Service Provider:

State Govt. through the Department of Horticulture and the Agricultural
University

provides the needed Technical Services. ICAR , National Horticulture Board &
NHM

provides incentives for adoption of New Technologies.

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State Dept. of Marketing provides the Marketing facilities. Quality Assessment
is

through AGMark by the Directorate of Marketing & Inspection , Govt. of India.

Seed Supplies are mostly through private seed industry.

15. TRADE JUNCTION

 Liberalisation and globalization have made global

consumer requirements of concern to the producer,
supplier.
 Online interface makes the best of available services
to be accessed anywhere at all times, anywhere
 Multilingual ability transcends barriers of region,
country and enables commerce across the globe.
 Facilitates the meeting of
o Producers
o Suppliers
o Service providers etc.

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