Cultivation - Life Cycle of Capsicum
Description:
Hi, welcome to Tutorialspoint. In this tutorial, we will learn about the cultivation process of Capsicum crop. Capsicum has different names in different languages. In Hindi, it is called Shimla Mirch. The botanical name of Capsicum is Capsicum Annuum. It belongs to the family Solanaceae.
Capsicum is used as a vegetable and also to add spice to your food. It can be used to make sauces and pickles. Colored capsicum is also known as Bell Pepper or Sweet Pepper.
Capsicum plants grow to a height of 2 to 4 feet. Basically, Capsicum is a cool season crop. The cultivation of capsicum crop requires warm and humid climate. The crop grows well in sub-tropical regions and the ideal temperature range for Capsicum crop cultivation is between 25oc to 30oc.
Let us now see the stages involved in the cultivation process of the Capsicum crop −
- Land preparation
- Drip irrigation and mulching sheet arrangement
- Seed sowing and raising nursery
- Transplantation
- Weeding and intercultural operations
- Pest and disease management
- Flowering and fruit formation
- Harvesting
Let us now see how to prepare land for the cultivation of Capsicum crop.
Land Preparation
Well-drained loamy soils rich in organic matter with pH range 6.5-7.5 are best suitable for the cultivation of Capsicum crop.
The soil should be plowed to attain a reasonable depth of 10-20 cms with varying clod sizes. The land is prepared by giving 2-3 ploughings and clod crushing after each ploughing. Disc plough / chisel plough can be used for ploughing.
100-150 quintals of Compost or FYM should be spread and mixed well in the soil. Apply 2 kg/ha of Azospirillum and 2 kg/ha of Phosphobacteria by mixing with 20 kg of FYM. The land is levelled by using clod crusher after each fertilizer application for proper incorporation of fertilizer.
Making of beds to a height of 30 cm facilitates healthy environment for the growth of the crop. This is followed by leveling the beds with manual planking.
Land preparation is now complete. We will now understand the arrangement of drip irrigation and mulching sheet in the prepared field.
Mulching sheet and drip irrigation arrangement
The arrangement of a mulching sheet is very important because it is impermeable to water. Mulching sheet prevents the direct evaporation of moisture from the soil and thus limits the water losses and conserves moisture. Mulch facilitates the placement of fertilizers and reduces the loss of plant nutrient through leaching. Mulches can also provide a barrier to soil pathogen and prevent the germination of annual weeds from receiving light.
Drip irrigation is a form of irrigation that saves water and fertilizer by allowing water to drip slowly to the roots of plants, either onto the soil surface or directly into the root zone, through a network of valves, pipes, tubing, and emitters. Overhead irrigation wets the plants but produces runoff. In contrast, drip irrigation is a controlled irrigation method. It works by exposing the roots to a direct supply of water. Drip irrigation system release water in a slow and steady fashion and a controlled amount of water is supplied to plants at regular intervals.
Let us now see how the seeds are sown and the nursery is raised in the cultivation process of capsicum crop.
Seed sowing and raising nursery
Sterilized coco peat is mixed with neem cake and Phosphobacteria; this mixture is used to fill the pro trays. Sow the treated seed in pro trays @ 1 seed per cell. The seed rate required per 1 hectare is 1 kg. The suitable months for seed sowing is June and July.
The seeds are to be covered with coco peat and the trays are to be kept one above the other. This is followed by covering the trays with polythene sheet until the germination starts. The pro trays with the germinated seedlings are placed separately on the raised beds inside the shade net after 5 days of sowing. Water with hose pipe or rose can everyday until the seeds germinate.
At 25 days’ age, seedlings are ready for transplantation. Let us now learn how to transplant seedlings to the nursery.
Transplantation
Seedlings can be transplanted by hand or machine into moist well-prepared soil. Make sure that the roots emerging from the seedlings are covered with soil. Irrigate the plants immediately after transplanting; this makes the soil around the plant firm.
The spacing required for varieties is 60 x 45 cm and for hybrids, the spacing is 75 x 60 cm. Proper spacing reduces competition between the plants and produces better yield.
Let us allow the crop to grow by providing irrigation. This is followed by intercultural operations in the field.
Weeding and intercultural operations
The growth rate of weeds is very high; weeds normally have high photosynthetic efficiency. Weeds adversely affect the crop production; they reduce yield, quality and marketability of vegetables.
The cost of cultivation increases with weed infestation, as control measures require labour, material, equipment and management.
Some weeds provide hiding place for insect-pests and act as host plants for various pathogens. They block the drainage and impede the flow of water in irrigation channels.
Deep ploughing, digging and removal of rhizomes and perennial weeds is necessary.
Periodical harrowing reduce weeds.
For transplanted crops at 25-30 days after transplanting respectively one intercultivation with blade harrow followed by line weeding within the rows is necessary. Subsequent intercultures at 10-12 days intervals should be given until the land is completely covered by the crop.
If the crop is transplanted on ridges, it requires weeding at intervals of 3-4 days. It is preferable to use a hand hoe for weeding.
Pest and disease management
The major pests that attack the capsicum crop are Fruit Borers, Thrips, Aphids, and Yellow Muranai Mite.
Damping off, Leaf spot, Powdery mildew, Die-back, Fruit rot and Anthracnose are diseases thatattck the capsicum crop.
- To control Fruit borers, spray pesticide Fipronil.
- To control Thrips, spray insecticide Dimethoate.
- To control Aphids, spray pesticide Imidacloprid.
- To control Yellow Muranai Mite, spray insecticide Quinalphos.
- To control Damping off, spray Copper Oxychloride.
- To control Leaf spot, spray Mancozeb.
- To control Powdery mildew, spray Wettable Sulphur.
- To control Die-back and Fruit Rot, spray Copper Oxychloride.
- To control Anthracnose, spray Mancozeb.
Flowering and fruit formation
As the capsicum plants mature, they start flowering. You can notice the flowers appearing on plants. This is the first sign that shows full-grown capsicums are soon to come. All that stands between flowers and fresh Capsicum pods is pollination. Pollination is taken care of naturally by bees and other insects.
A large number of capsicum plants are a result of self-pollinated flowers. Capsicum plants usually produce an abundance of flowers – more than they need or can actually sustain if all the flowers turned fruits.
From sowing, Capsicum plants vary from about 90 to 120 days to fruit being ready. If you are using the unripe (green) fruit, this range will be reduced. Once Capsicum fruits grow in size and color, the fruits are ready for harvesting.
Harvesting and yield
Harvesting of capsicum is done at green, breaker and colored (red/ yellow etc.) stages. It depends upon the purpose for which it is grown and the distance to the ultimate market. In India, fruits are harvested at breaker stage for long distance markets. For local market, it is better to harvest at the colored stage. Breaker stage is where 10% of the fruit surface is colored and where more than 90% of the fruit surface is colored, it is considered as the colored stage.
Harvesting starts after 60 to 75 days of transplanting & should be done with the help of sharp knife. It is very important to harvest at the proper stage of maturity; careful and minimal handling of the produce will help in maintaining better fruit quality and reduce storage losses. Harvesting is generally done during morning and evening hours. Avoid harvesting immediately after fogging to keep the diseases and pests at bay and to maintain better quality of fruits. Generally, the yield of capsicum is 8 to 10 kg/m2. Harvesting of capsicum is done by skilled workers in green house. The fruits are kept in plastic containers and sent to the packaging hall.
The average yield is 15 tonnes/ha in 150-160 days.