Pepper
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Introduction
Pepper (Piper nigrum)
Family - Piperaceae
Pepper, popularly known as the "King of spices" is one of the earliest spices known to man and is today the largest commodity in the international spice
trade. It is the 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. In Sri Lanka, pepper is cultivated over an area of 32 800 ha mostly in the Districts of Matale, Kandy, Kegalle, Kurunegala and Nuwara Eliya.
It can be grown both in monoculture or as mixed crop in the coconut and tea plantations using live and dead standards as support. It is an ideal crop for
home gardens where it can be trained on the existing tree species as well.
Cultivation
Agronomic Requirements for cultivation
It 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 with
prolonged drought may be avoided unless there is facility for irrigation. It is also essential that there should be sufficient rainfall during the flowering season to
ensure maximum pollination. Being a crop of the humid tropics, its growth and yield performances 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. Sheltered valleys and leeward slopes are,
therefore, the best situations for growing pepper in the mid and up country areas. Pepper grows best in well drained loamy soils rich in organic matter and
having a minimum depth of 60cm. If the level of organic matter is low, it should be built up by the addition of farm yard manure, compost and green manure, etc.
Soils liable to be waterlogged are unsuitable.
Recommended Varieties
High yielding Ten local pepper selections have been identified with other characteristics such as high pungency, bold berries, continuous bearing habit
and resistance to pest and diseases, etc. These selections are now 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 Gliricidia is 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 be
planted at 2.5m spacing (both within the row and between rows) in triangular system, between every two rows. With tea, pepper may be trained on Gliricidia
shade trees. Most tree species generally grown in the home gardens can also be used as support trees for pepper.
Maintenance
It is required to train 3 – 4 orthotropic shoots over the support to get a more productive columnar shape canopy with a substantial number of plagiotropic
branches. 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 pruned
regularly 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 pepper products called
Black 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.
- Mould berries : 1% Maximum for Grade I Special and Grade I,
2% Maximum for Grade FAQ.
- 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.
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