PROTECTED CULTIVATION OF

CAPSICUM
V. NARENDHIRAN, M.Sc., (Hort.) – PSMA
DEPARTMENT OF HORTICULTURE,
FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE,
ANNAMALAI UNIVERSITY,
ANNAMALAI NAGAR- 608 002.
Introduction

• Capsicum (Capsicum annuum var. grossum) also known as bell

pepper or sweet pepper , leading vegetable grown in green houses

• It is rich in vitamin A, C and minerals

• Gaining popularity in peri-urban production systems because of easy

access to urban markets

• Yield gap between (field 20-40 t/ha) and (greenhouse 100-120 t/ha)

• Superior quality, substantial reduction in the use of pesticides and

eco- friendly proposition

• Mainly grown in HP, UP, MH, KA and hilly regions of TN

Climate

• Capsicum is a cool season crop and day temperature less

than 30°C is favourable

• Higher temperature results in rapid plant growth and affects

fruit set

• Ideal temperature for flowering is 26-28°C day and 16-18°C

night

• Shading is required during summer to avoid temperature

build up in the greenhouses and moderately high RH
(50-60%) is preferred
Soil

• Red or sandy loam soil

• Soil with pH of 5.5-6.8 is ideal

• High acidic soil reclaimed by using lime

• Capsicum has bidirectional root system, so soil

should be loose
Hybrids

• Hybrids with indeterminate growth habit, as

these hybrids
grow to a height of 2 m and above

• Commercial hybrids with a yield potential up to

100t/ha
and more are suitable for greenhouse cultivation.

• Capsicum fruits with Green, Yellow, Red, Orange

and
recently Black colours are in great demand in urban
markets
SELECTION OF VARIETIES

• Thick fleshed best for roasting and cooking,

• thinner - suitable for eating as raw.
•Four lobbed peppers with square shapes are more
suitable
• Green and violet are the strongest in flavour
•Yellow, red and orange coloured are milder and
sweeter.
•Nun-3020 (Yellow), Nun-3019 (Red), Bharat,
Mahabharat (both red), Golden Summer (yellow),
Bomby (red), Orobellee (yellow), Indira (red), Heera
(red) and Tanvi etc.
IIHR, Bangalore
• Indeterminate plant habit
• Thick fleshed, 2-3 lobed conical fruits
• Average fruit weight 50-80 g
• Yield potential -16 t/ha
• Duration -150 days.
• Suitable for long distance transport
Indo American Hybrid Seeds
Mahabharat
• 3-4 lobed, blocky dark green fruits
• Good shelf life
• High yielding
INDIRA
• Fruit is dark green, thick-walled and glossy
• Average weight 170 g (12 x 10 cm)
• Having 3 - 4 lobes
• Longer shelf life
• Ideal for long distance transportation
• High export potential
OROBELLE
• Fruits are blocky, almost square (10 x 9 cm) with a
medium-thick wall.
• Average fruit weight is 150 g
• Suitable for green house cultivation
Nursery
• Pro-trays (98 cells) are filled with growing medium
and tapped gently to fill the cells properly
• Shallow depressions of about 5mm depth are made in
each cell
• Commercial cocopeat having enough moisture is
used, no irrigation is required till seeds germinate
• Filled trays are staked one above the other and
covered with a plastic sheet to create warmth and
humidity require for germination
• Seedlings are raised in seedling trays placed inside a
net house or polyhouse
Growing beds
• Digging loosens the soil, then clods are broken and
soil is brought to fine tilth
• Beds of 100 cm width and 15 cm height are prepared
leaving 50 cm working space between the beds
• Well decomposed organic manure, at the rate of one
bamboo basket per square meter of the bed is added,
mixed thoroughly and the beds are levelled
• In heavy soils mixing sand up to 25% is required to
provide aeration at the root zone
Disinfecting the growing beds
• Beds are drenched using 4% formaldehyde (4 lit/m2)
of the bed and covered with polyethylene sheet
• Care should be taken to wear mask, gloves and apron
to avoid direct contact with formaldehyde fumes
• Four days after formaldehyde treatment, the
polyethylene cover removed, the beds are raked
repeatedly every day
Application of neem cake and Trichoderma
• Neem cake is slightly watered to moisten and kept for two
days, and then it is mixed with Trichoderma formulation at
the rate of 1 kg/100kg neem cake
• Mixture is closed with plastic sheet and turned thoroughly
on alternate days
• After 15 days, the neem cake + Trichoderma formulation
will be ready for application
• Neem cake plus Trichoderma formulation is applied before
planting but after formaldehyde fumes are exhausted
completely @ of 200 g/ m2
Fertilizer application
• Commercial fertilizers supplying 50:50:50 N:P2O5 :K2O
kg/ha, are applied to the growing beds
• Two furrows are opened in the growing beds and
fertilizer mixture is applied in the furrows and furrows are
closed
Laying of drip line
• Place one inline drip lateral at the centre of the bed
• Inline lateral having an emitting point for every 30
cm interval with discharge of 2 L/hr.
• Run drip system with water to check each emitting
points for uniform discharge of water
Mulching
• 100 micron thick polyethylene mulch film of 1.2 m
width is used to cover the planting bed
• Holes of 5 cm diameter are made on the mulch film
as per recommended spacing (45 x 30 cm)
• The planting beds are covered with the mulch by
securing the edges of the sheet firmly in the soil
SPACING
Seedlings are planted in paired rows in one meter
wide beds with spacing of 45 x 30 cm.
Transplanting
• Seedlings of 30-35 days old, vigorous and uniform
sized are selected
• Early morning hours or preferably in the evening
• Capsicum seedlings are planted in the holes made in
the polyethylene mulch film so that the seedlings do not
touch the film
• Watering the beds is done daily with a rose can till
the seedlings get established well
• Drenching with 0.3% COC if mortality of the
seedlings is noticed
Irrigation
• Drip irrigation starts 10 days after transplanting
• Drip irrigation is given daily to supply 2-3 litres of
water per square meter per day depending on local
weather condition
• Capsicum extract 70-80% of water used from a depth of
0-30 cm
• Bell pepper requires 110 cm of water (Hedge, 1993)
Fertigation
• Water soluble fertilizers supplying 19% each of N, P2O5
andK2O is used at the rate of 2.25 g/m2 for every
fertigation, given twice a week
• Capsicum crop is sprayed with micronutrient
formulation (3g/l) 2-3 times once in 30 days starting from
60 days after transplanting
• Capsicum is found to be susceptible to calcium deficiency
• The crop is fertigated 2-3 times with CaNO3 once in 15
days if calcium deficiency is noticed
 The total dose of 150 kg each of N: P2O5 : K2O
per hectare using water-soluble fertilizers is
given through fertigation for entire crop growth
period, twice a week, starting from third week
after transplanting
Pruning
• Capsicum plants are pruned to retain four stems.
• Pruning is done at weekly interval starting from 15 to
20 days after transplanting. From 4th month onwards
once in 10 days.
• Plants show dichotomous branching.
• The tip of the plant splits into two at 5th or 6th node on
15 to 20 days after transplanting (DAT). These two
branches again split into two giving rise to four branches
by 25 to 30 DAT
Pruning
• At every node the tip splits into two giving rise to
one strong branch and one weak branch
• Only these four main branches are maintained till
the end of the crop.
• All the flowers that appear till one month after
transplanting are removed.
• Only one fruit per node is allowed to develop.
Training
• The plants are trained along a plastic twine. Each
branch should have a separate plastic twine to train
along.
• The plastic twines are tied to the GI wire grid
provided at 2.5 to 3.0 meter height and then to the base
of the plant.
• Tying plants to the plastic twine starts from 6th week
after planting at 20 days interval.
HARVESTING
• 60 days after transplanting – green
• 80 to 90 - yellow and red fruited hybrids.
• continues up to 170 to 180 days at 10 days
interval in green
• up to 240 to 270 days
• Mature green
• Yellow when it is 75% yellow
• Red when it is 100% red
Yield
•100 to 120 t/ha
•10 to 12 kg / m2, 2.25 to 2.70 kg / plant
•Average individual fruit weight 180 g in initial
harvests, 100 g in last harvests.
Packing
•Packed in card board boxes/trays using paper shreds
as the padding material.
Post harvest handling and storage
•Shrink wrapping each fruit and storing at 7 to 80C-
storability up to 45 to 60 days.
 Diseases of capsicum under protected condition and their
management
Powdery mildew: Laveillula taurica Whitish patches appear on the
leaves, stem and rarely on fruit. Karathane (0.1%) Calixin (0.1%)
Sulfex (0.3%)

Bacterial diseases :
a) Soft rot (Erwinia carotovora)
b) b) Bacterial spot (Xanthomonas versicatoria)
Which causes a soft slimy rot, Later one forms a raised rough
pimply area on the fruit, On the leaves, the spot is first raised and
wart like, and becomes necrotic spots with dark margins. The
affected leaves turn yellow and drop. *Hot water treatments, clean
cultivation *Streptomycin spray
Viral diseases
a)Leaf curl virus
b) CMV Yellowing, curling, mottling of leaves and ultimately death
of plant is seen. Clean cultivation, vector control, etc…

Fusarium wilt Fusarium oxysporum Yellowing of leaves, Wilting, coller

rot, death of root COC drench, Carbendizim, Dithane M-45