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Chili

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 253

Chapter 18
Chili
Manas Kumar Pandit
Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, India

Ritoban Pandit
Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University, India

Sanjay Bairagi
Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, India

Abstract
Chili is a unique and popular spice in the majority of the countries of the world and is well known
forits hot, pungent flavor. Capsaicin is the bio-active compound that binds to pain receptors and
causes anintense burning sensation. Capsanthin, a powerful antioxidant, is responsible for the red
color of ripefruits. Chili has its origin in Central America extending further south. This crop is of
high commercial importance and huge genetic diversity exists. A systematic description of the crop
with respect to itsorigin, distribution, botanical description, standard crop husbandry, and
protection cum management of biotic stresses is given.

Introduction

Common hot chili (Capsicum annuum L., Solanaceae, 2n=2x=24) is one of the vegetables orspices
known and used all over the world for its green fruits and pungency. Popularly called “capsicum”, it is
actually a non-pungent sweet pepper or Simla Mirch with a blocky fruit shape. The word capsicum
has been derived from the Greek word Kapsimo meaning ‘to burn’. Capsaicin (C18H27NO3) is
responsible for the pungency in chili, it is a condensation product of 3-hydroxy-4 ethoxybenzylamine
and decylenic acid. The red color of chili is due to the presence of Capsanthin, which is actually a
mixture of estersof capsanthin, capsorubin, zeaxanthin, cryptoxanthin and other carotenoids
(Sambamurty and Subrah-manyam, 1989). The chili fruit contains an essential oil Oleoresin that is
used in pharmaceutical, food,and beverage industries for the preparation of value-added products.
 
Chili

Vernacular Names of Chili

Bengali & Oriya – Lanka/ Lanka morich, Kannad-Mensana Kaya, Tamil- Mirapakaya, Punjabi &
Hindi- Lalmirch,Gujarati- Marcha, Malayalam- Mulaku, Portuguese: Pimento, Spanish: Chile
dulce; pimiento; pimiento morron,Myanmar: Ngayok, Netherlands: SpaansePeper, Sweden:
Spansk Peppar

Origin and Spread

Chilies have been reported to be in use since the infancy of agriculture. It is one of the oldest domesticated
crops in the Western Hemisphere. Long before the arrival of Columbus in Americas, the local people
already used peppers as food, as war artifacts and in religious rituals (Chiouet et al., 2014).
Paleo-archeological findings suggest the antiquity of different chili peppers is 7000BC from caves
excavated in Mexico and ancient burial grounds in Peru. Chilies originated in Mesoamerica, spreading
from Central America to further South, and this is accepted as the primary center of origin for chili. The
cultivated species C. annuum had been domesticated in the Tehuacan valley of Mexico during 5000
BC (Ettenberg, 2019), and it is now stated that the secondary centre is Guatemala. The globular,
pea-sized fruits of the Wild Chili pepper (C. annuum var. glabriusculum), also called the “Mother Chili”
theancestor of domesticated C. annuum, are consumed and dispersed by frugivorous birds. The
species spreads by seed and it has been transported through human and animal consumption as well as
economic tradefor hundreds of years (Basu and De, 2003).
Christopher Columbus brought chilies to Europe in 1493. In India, it was introduced by the Portu-
guese in the seventeenth century. Major chili growing states in India are Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka,
Maharashtra, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal and Rajasthan which accounts for
more than 80% of the total area and production of the country. The North-Eastern states are bio-diversity
hotspots for myriad variants of this crop. Chilies from India are exported mainly to Sri Lanka, USA,
UK, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Singapore and Germany.

Biosystematics and Floral Biology

• Domain: Eukaryota

• Kingdom: Plantae

• Phylum: Spermatophyta

• Subphylum: Angiospermae

• Clade: Eudicots

• Class: Dicotyledonae

• Order: Solanales

• Family: Solanaceae

• Genus: Capsicum
• Species: annuum

There have been debates among taxonomists about the classification and species of chili since a long
time ago, but presently about twenty-five to thirty wild and five domesticated species are recognized
and accepted (Normah et al, 2013, Dewitt and Bosland, 1996; Arimbooret et al., 2014).

Chili

Table 1. Five species under cultivation

Species Conspicuous characters Remarks

Anther blue with white corolla, calyx Major species grew on a large scale. Pungency is milder,
distinctly ridged with inconspicuous small but vitamin C content is more than that in frutescens. It
Capsicum annuum var. annuum
teeth, solitary flowering or sometimes includes bell peppers, wax, cayenne, jalapeños, chiltepin,
may bear 2-3 flowers and all forms of New Mexico chile.
Corolla white with yellow, green, tan or
Capsicum baccatum var. Cultivation is restricted to central and south America. the
brown spots, calyx teeth present, anther
pendulum South American aji peppers.
yellow, flower/node1-2
Both anther and corolla are purple, calyx
Cultivation is restricted to central and south America.
Capsicum pubescens teeth absent; flowering may be solitary or
The common one is rocoto peppers
2-3 per node. Seed color dark and rough
Corolla dull white or milky-greenish, Widespread within Latin America. In India found in
Capsicum chinense calyx teeth absent, flower/node 2-3, seeds Kerala and north-eastern States. The types in it are Naga,
yellow and smooth habanero, Datil and Scotch bonnet
Most of the small, highly pungent chilies (hot pepper)
Corolla yellowish-white, sometimes belong to this species, namely malagueta, tabasco and
yellowish blue or milky-greenish, anther Thai peppers, piri and Malawian Kambuzi. It has a
Capsicum frutescens
blue, calyx teeth absent, flower/node 2-3, longer growing period than annuum.In India, this hot
seeds yellow and smooth pepper is grown in coastal Kerala, Andhra Pradesh,
Karnataka, Maharashtra and north-eastern states.

In C. annuum, there is the huge multiplicity of types; but no satisfactory classification of the vari-
ants is available. Recently Zhigila et al. (2014)provided a grouping on the basis of fruit morphology as
described below.

• Abbreviatum; fruits ovate, wrinkled, 2-5 cm long. Also called wrinkled pepper;
• Acuminatum; fruits slender, curved, up to 11 cm long, mild to extremely pungent. Also called
chili;
• Cerasiforme; fruits globose with firm flesh, up to 2.5 cm in diameter, mild to pungent, red, yellow
or purple. Also called cherry pepper or bird’s eye pepper;
• Conoides; fruits subconical, up to 3 cm long, very pungent. Also called cone pepper;
• Fasciculatum; fruits clustered, erect, up to 7.5 cm long, very pungent. Also called cluster pepper;
• Grossum: fruits large with basal depression, inflamed, red, orange, yellow, or purple, flesh thick
and mild. Also called sweet pepper or paprika;
• Longum; fruits drooping, up to 30 cm long, mild or pungent, red, yellow or whitish. Also called
long pepper.

C. annuum crosses both ways freely with C. chinense but with frutescens it crosses only as the male
parent. The species name annuum suggests that it is of annual growth habit; sometimes, semi-perennial
types are also found. Many of the wild relatives are perennial in nature. It is a hardy herb with erect
growth and a strong taproot system; leaves are simple, variable in size, with flowers solitary, and the
fruit is an indehiscent many-seeded berry. Anthesis takes place during the early morning at around 5 am,
and the stigma remains receptive one day prior to anthesis to two days after anthesis. Pollens are best
viable on the day of anthesis. Its fruit varies in size from 2-20 cm in length, from thin long to conical
and thick fleshed blocky shapes.

255
 
Chili

Importance

§ Fruits are used as vegetables, spices, and pickles.

§ They are used in culinary dishes for adding flavor, color, and pungency.
§ Dry chilies are used to manufacture curry powder, curry paste and preparing sauces, soups, salads
pickles etc.
§ Capsaicin is mainly present in the placenta of the central spongy tissue of fruits and also in seeds &
ovary. It has good medicinal values, export potentialities and has physiological action potential to
be used in many pharmaceutical preparations and ointments for cold, sore throat, asthma, chest
congestion, headaches, arthritis etc.
§ Chilies are rich in vitamin A, C and E.
§ Capsanthin is responsible for red color in chili; it is a strong antioxidant and may fight cancer.

Varieties

§ NP 46 A (IARI): Suitable for green chili production, tolerant to thrips.

§ PusaJwala (IARI): Suitable for green chili production, pungency is high, fairly tolerant to thrips and
aphids.
§ Bhaskar(X 235)(Agricultural Research Station,Lam,Guntur, Andhra Pradesh): Suitable for green chili
production, flowers with yellow anthers, pungency is high, tolerant to thrips and mites, suitable
for preparation of sauce.
§ Andhra Jyoti(G 5)(Agricultural Research Station, Lam, Guntur, A.P.): Suitable for salad purpose,
cherry type fruits.
§ Bhagyalaxmi(G 4) (Agricultural Research Station, Lam, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh): Suitable for export
as dry chilies, fairly tolerant to disease and pests.
§ Punjab Lal (PAU, Ludhiana): Rich is capsaicin, suitable for export as dry chili, and for preparation
of sauce, resistant to TMV, CMV and leaf curl viruses.
§ Pusa Sadabahar (IARI): Resistant to TMV, CMV and leaf curl viruses.
§ Pant C1 (GBPUAT, Pantnagar): Tolerant to chili viruses, erect fruit bearing.
§ Pant C2 (GBPUAT Pantnagar): Tolerant to chili viruses, pendant fruit bearing.
§ Suryamukhi and Bullet are two well-known landraces of West Bengal.
§ Bird’s eye chili: Mainly grown in the North-Eastern Indian states of Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland
etc.; very pungent (50 - 100 thousand Scoville Heat Units), perennial in growth habit, also
found in Ethiopia.
§ Bhutjolokia (Ghost Chili): An interspecific hybrid between Capsicum chinense and C. frutescens. and
is cultivated in Nepal as well as the Northeast Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam,
Nagaland and Manipur. Extremely pungent (about 1million SHU); Bhutjolokia produces capsaicin
in vesicles found in both the placenta around the seeds and throughout the fruit, rather than just
the placenta(Bosland et al, 2015)

256

Chili

Crop Improvement

Chili is diploid and basically self-pollinated. It has a huge genetic diversity that allows newer gene re-
arrangements. The simplest and oldest breeding technique is mass selection, which is used to improve
landraces and multiple traits. Other methods are pure line selection, pedigree method, single seed descent,
backcrossing (used particularly for traits controlled by one or few genes), heterosis breeding, haploid
diploidization and mutation.

Figure 1. Breeding goals in chili

(Source: Padilha and Barbieri, 2016)
The choice of the best method or combination of them depends mainly on the type of inheritance
(monogenic, oligogenic, or polygenic) from traits to be improved (Lee et al., 2013). Use of molecular
techniques and marker-assisted selection to improve fruit size, fruit production, pungency, abiotic stress
tolerance, nutritional content, and disease resistance are presently done. Complete genome sequencing
of chili is in need to cater the growing demand and volume of the commercial market worldwide.

Climate

Chili is a day-neutral crop making it fit for cultivating through the year in tropical and subtropical climates
but it cannot withstand long frost. A temperature range of 15 -350 C is optimum for a satisfactory crop
growth rate and yield. A little milder of a climate is required for sweet pepper. In chili, a soil temperature
of 100 C or less, retards plant growth. Low temperature during fruit ripening delays color development.
Temperatures beyond 400C results in a poor fruit set and in a severe flower and fruit drop. Chili requires
600-1200 mm rainfall. With chili an erratic temperature regime, insufficient water supply, excessive
rainfall, and dry winds, particularly during the flowering stage, can cause bud, blossom and fruit drops,
defoliation, and rotting of the plants.

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Chili

Soil

Crops can grow in a wide range of soil, but well-aerated and well-drained loam soil rich in organic matter
is found to be best, and the crop performs best at a soil pH of about 6.5. Vegetative growth and yields
are higher in heavy textured soil, but the quality of fruits is better in lighter soil.

Nursery Management

About 1-2 kg of seeds of open-pollinated or improved cultivars and 250-400g of F1hybrids, depending
on the variety, are required to raise seedlings for one hectare of land. In sunny situations, 10-15 nursery
beds of 3-4m x1 m or of convenient size are sufficient to obtain 50000-60000 seedlings for one hectare
(Deshpande, 2001). Before sowing, nursery soil should be drenched with Formalin solution (1 part of
Formaldehyde in 40 parts of water) or with Captan 0.3% (@ 5 litre solution/m2). After drenching, the
soil it should be covered with a polythene sheet for 48 hours. Sowing is done 7 days after the polythene
sheet and 7-8 kg of FYM or cow dung manure, 100 g superphosphate, and 50 g of Muriate of potash/m2
area is applied to the seedbed before the sowing of seed. It is better to cover seed beds with dry grasses/
straw to ensure better germination. Light watering with rose can be done in the morning and evening
according to the necessity. A temporary thatch made with a transparent polythene sheet at 3-3.5 feet high
from the ground level is provided over the seedbed to protect it from direct sun, heavy rain, frost etc.

Transplanting

Prepare the land to a fine tilth, and seedlings are transplanted when they are 4-8 weeks old according
to the season of sowing. Usual spacing in northern India is 45 cm and in south India 55 cm from row to
row and plant to plant. It is better to transplant the seedlings during the evening and harden the seedlings
by withholding irrigation one week before the transplanting operation.

Sowing Seasons

It is mainly grown during Kharif season (June-October) for dry red chilies and in other seasons for
green chilies. South and central India: middle of May –mid July, Gangetic valley –June, Punjab and
Rajasthan: April –May, West Bengal: May-June, Mid Sept-Mid November, Hilly areas: March –April,
Under north India conditions sowing is done in June, transplanting in end of July, crops starts bearing
by end of September, fruits start ripening by October, and this will give a continuous supply of fruits
for three to four months.

Nutrient Management

For sowing one hectare of land, apply 20 ton FYM, 80 kg N, 60 kg P2O5 and 60 kg K2O. Organic ma-
nure along with P2O5, K2O, and one-third of the N should be mixed in the soil during land preparation.
Remaining N is applied in two equal splits dose about 5 – 6 and 8 – 10 weeks after transplanting.

258

Chili

Water Management

In India, major areas under chili cultivation are rainfed. Irrigation depends on the season and soil type.
Standard practice for irrigating chili is at an interval of 5-6 days in summer and 9-10 days in winter.
Chili cannot withstand water stagnation and excess moisture. Maintenance of uniform soil moisture and
proper drainage are required to prevent blossom and fruit drop. Water optimum moisture level should
be maintained at the time of flowering, fruit set, and fruit development.

Cropping System

Garlic, soybean, and coriander as intercrops of chili in regions with black soil in southern parts of India
are popular. Intercropping of groundnut and chili (3: 1) can give the maximum net return. Okra has
been found to be the best intercrop for chili under semi-dry conditions. Incidence of thrips, mites, and
nematodes is less if rotation with sorghum, maize, pulse, or groundnut is done. Through rotation with
cereals and pulses, the incidence of fruit rot, bacterial disease, and mosaic are minimized in chili.

Use of Plant Growth Regulators

Unfavourable climatic conditions lead to poor fruit set and fruit drop in chili. Application of Planofix @
10 ppm increased the number of branches. Branch number of chili is also increased with the application
of CCC (500- 2000 ppm) and Ethrel (300-500 ppm). Fruit set in chili can be improved by the application
of growth regulators like GA (10-100 ppm), NAA (20-200), and CCC (1000pm). Plant growth-promoting
rhizobacteria (PGPR isolates)in chili rhizosphere can augment different direct plant growth promotion
activities like ammonia production, phosphate solubilization, siderophore production, IAA production
and indirect activities such as hydrocyanic acid (HCN) production, antagonistic effect on plant pathogenic
bacteria (Pseudomonas, Xanthomonas) and Fusarium fungus (Datta et al, 2010).

Weed Management

Weed intensity is higher in Kharif season than in rabi or summer seasons. Two to three hand weed-
ings are essential after transplanting. Herbicides like Triburalin and EPTC are generally applied as the
pre-sowing soil incorporation. Diphenamid is extensively used as a pre-emergence herbicide. Pre-plant
incorporation (10 DBT) of EPTC @ 3.75 kg/ha followed by application of either Nitrofen-1 @2kg a.i.
/ha or Alachlor @ 2.5 kg a.i. /ha effectively controls Cyperus rotundas and annual weeds in chili crop.

Harvesting

Chilis, when used for vegetable purposes, are harvested when they are full-grown and still green, for
pickles they are picked either green or ripe, and when used for drying are picked red or yellow when
fully ripe. Qualities of green chili fruits are judged by size, color, and plumpness of the fruit. Normally
green chilies are picked at frequent intervals, normally twice in a week.

259
 
Chili

Yield

Green chili: 7-10 t/ha for OP varieties and 12-15 t/ha for F1hybrids. Dry chili: 0.5-1.0 t/ha 2(rainfed
crop), 1.5-2.5 t/ha (irrigated crop).The yield of fresh green chilies is 3-4 times higher than fresh red
ripe chilies and 6-10 times than dry Chilies, depending on quantity of seeds, pericarp, and inner wall
thickness of the fruit(Deshpande,2001).

Post-harvest Handling

Damage and disease affected chilies are shorted out from the harvested lots, and as soon as possible,
they are sent to the local market in gunny bags or in baskets. For dry red chilies fruits are harvested
when they fully ripen and partially withered in the plant for better pungency and color retention. Keep
harvested produce in heaps in shades for 2-3 days for uniform color development. Subsequently, fruits
are dried in the sun by spreading them on cemented floor or on clean dry mats. Moisture in dried pods
should be less than 10% to avoid microbial activity. Complete drying requires 15-20 days in sunlight.
In the drier, they are kept at 550C for 2-3 days only. Later they are packed in gunny bags and sent to the
local market. Modes of transport are head loads, carts, and trucks.

Storage

At room temperature, green chilies can be stored for 2-3 days. In cold storage they can be stored for 40
days at 00 C and 85-98% relative humidity. Dry chilies are stored in cool dry place, ensuring protection
from dampness. They should preferably be exposed to sun periodically.

Seed Production

Basically chili is self-pollinated, but a good amount of outcrossing has been reported. That’s why it is
often a cross-pollinated crop and requires 200 and 400 m of isolation distance for certified and foundation
seed production, respectively. Three rouging is required to remove off-types done before flowering, during
flowering, and at pod maturity, respectively, on the basis of morphological, floral, and pod characters.
Normal crop husbandry, along with plant protection measures, have to be followed.

Plant Protection
Insects - Pests of Chili

Thrips (Scirtothrips dorsalis)

Thrips are common in almost all chili growing areas. It is a polyphagus pest. Besides chili, it also infests
brinjal, mango, cotton, groundnut, citrus, castor, bottlegourd, guava, tea, sunflower and grapevine. It is
more common on unirrigated chili crops than irrigated ones. A female adult inserts 40-48 white, minute
eggs into veins. Both nymphs and adults lacerate the leaf tissues and suck the oozing sap, sometimes
even the buds and flowers are attacked. Generally, they attack tender leaves and growing shoots. Rarely
the older leaves are attacked. The insect is also responsible for transmitting a virus, causing leaf curl
disease of chilies. The ETL level is three nymphs or adults per leaf.

Chili

• The infested leaves curl upward, crumble and shed.

• Infested buds turn brittle with petiole becoming brown and drop down.
• Affected fruits show light brown scars. Pest infestation is severe in dry weather. The damage
ranges from 30-50%. In case of severe infestation, there is malformation of leaves, buds & fruits,
which may damage half the crop. The attacked plants are stunted & may finally dry up.
• There are about 25 generations in a year with several overlapping generations. Reproduction in
thrips is generally sexual, and parthenogenesis is also present. The adults are slender, yellowish-
brown in color, having apically fringed pointed wings. They measure about 1 mm in length. The
females possess long, narrow wings with the fore margin fringed with long hairs. The nymphs
resemble the adults in shape & color but are wingless & smaller in size. There are three develop-
mental stages viz. eggs, nymphs, and adults are found in its life cycle.

Management

• Seed treatment with Imidacloprid @ 3 -5 g/kg of seed.

Chili Mites (Polyphagotarsonemus latus)

A minor pest emerged as a major pest in the recent past. The infestation starts in the nursery after 40
days of germination. Severe infestation is seen in the transplanted crops 2-3 months old. The tiny white
transparent mites are found in large numbers on the undersurface of leaves under fine webs. Both nymphs
and adults suck sap and devitalize the plant causing ‘Murda’ disease of chilies. Infestation results in:

• Downward curling of leaves.

• The affected leaves are becoming inverted boat-shaped.
• The leaves are rolling down along the margin with elongation of petioles.
• Affected leaves are turning dark green in certain cases.
• Younger leaves at the tip of branch clustering.

Management

• Foliar spraying of Dicofol 5ml/l or wettable sulphur 3g/l.

• Synthetic Pyrethroids were not used.

• If both thrips and mites are noticed, spraying Phosalone 3ml/l or Diafenthiuron 1.5 g /l or
Chlorfenapyr 2 ml/l.

Chili Aphids (Aphis gossypii, Myzus persicae)

They are polyphagous pests. Cloudy weather is very favorable for the multiplication of aphids. Heavy
rains cause a reduction in their population. Adults are found in large numbers on the undersurface of
leaves and growing shoots of plants. Both nymphs and adults suck sap and also excrete honeydew on
which black sooty mold develops affecting photosynthetic activity thus causing:

261
 
Chili

• Retardation in growth and fruiting capacity of the plant.

• Sooty mold

Management

Foliar spray with methyl demeton 1 ml/l or acephate 1.5 g/l is effective.

Chili Pod Borers (Spodoptera litura, S. exigua, Helicoverpa armigera, Utetheisa

pulchella)

Feeding by S. litura, S. exigua leads to irregular holes in the leaves and fruits. Affected pods turn
whitishand dry up. In fruits, seeds are also eaten. Attack of H.armigera leads to round hole on fruits.
In addition to these borers, sometimes U. pulchella also feeds on the pericarp leaving the seed
intact. Ladder like marks are seen on chili pod due to U. pulchella.

Management

1. Deep summer ploughing.

2. Monitoring with pheromone traps @ 10/ha.
3. Raising trap crops like castor for S. litura and marigold for H.armigera.
4. Spraying with SNPV/HaNPV at 250 LE/acre in the evening.
5. Spraying Novuluron 1.0 ml/l or Diflubenzuron 1.0 g/l controls just hatched larvae.
6. Foliar spraying of Thiodicarb 1.0 g/l or Acephate 1.5 g/l or Chlorpyriphos 2.5 ml/l or Spinosad
0.3ml/l or Qquinalphos 2 ml/l.
7. Poison baiting with rice bran 5 kg + Chlorpyriphos 500 ml or Carbaryl 500g + jaggery 500g with
water in the form of small balls in the evening hours.

Root Grub (Holotrichia consanguinea)

It damages plants by eating the stem and roots. It initially survives on weed plants soon after planting
chili and it attacks plants, which results in wilting and drying.

Management

• Application of well rotten Farm Yard Manure (FYM) will help in the prevention of root grubs
• Application of Carbofuram 3% granules @ 33 Kg per hectare or 10 kg Phorate 10% granules per
hectare

262

Chili

Chili Blossom Midge (Asphondylia capsici)

This fly is a dark reddish-brown mosquito-like midge that lays eggs in flower buds. The maggot is tiny
pale, orange colored, and feeds on the floral parts leading to poor development of fruits. The ovary is
distorted into gall like the structure of varied shape.

Management

Foliar spray with Triazophos 2 ml/l or Carbosulfan 2 ml/l followed by Chlorpyriphos 2.0 ml/L one week
later, is found effective.

Stem Borer

Insects bore and enter into the main stem at 5-6 cm above ground level. Incidence of this pest is mainly
during the early stages of the flowering stage. Due to stem damage, plant growth will be restricted, and
plants will start slowly wilting. Damage by this insect leads to an inadequate supply of food and water,
which results in the death of the plants.

Management

• Changing crop patterns, like not growing chili after brinjal, will help to some extent in prevention.

• Destroying the infected plants.

• Application of Choloropiriphos 2.5 ml or Thiodicarb 1 g by mixing in 1 litre of water.

Chili Whitefly (Bemisia tabaci)

Apart from chilies, this insect also feeds on cotton, cabbage, cauliflower, sarson, toria, melon, potato,
brinjal, okra & some weeds. This pest is distributed throughout the northern & western regions of the
Indian sub-continent & is also a very serious pest of American cotton, particularly in dry areas. It acts
as a vector of various viral diseases including cotton leaf curl, tobacco leaf curl, vein clearing mosaic
disease of okra & leaf curl of sesame.
Life-history: 3 developmental stages viz. are egg, nymph, and adult in its lifecycle. The total life
cycle is completed in 14-22 days & almost 11 generations are completed in a year. In the winged stage,
they are 1-1.5 mm long & their yellowish bodies are lightly dusted with a white waxy powder. They
have 2 pairs of pure white wings & have prominent long hind wings.
Damage: The damage is caused by both the nymphs & adults by sucking the sap from the leaves.
Insects exude honeydew, which attracts sooty mold. Therefore, in severe infestation, the plants not only
become weak, but the mold interferes with the normal photosynthesis resulting in poor growth & yield.
The ETL level is 20 nymphs or 8-10 adults/leaf or leaf stickiness due to the deposition of honeydew by
insects in 50% of plants.
Management: Any one of the following insecticides can be used in 250 litres of water per ha. 750
ml of Formothion 25EC, or Oxydemeton methyl 25EC, 625 ml of Dimethoate 30EC, 100 ml of Imida-
cloprid 200SL,50 g of Acetamiprid 20SP, 100 g of Thiamethoxam 25WG.

263
 
Chili

Diseases of Chili

Damping-off (Pythium aphanidermatum)

Damping-off is a disease of nursery beds and young seedlings resulting in very high seedling mortality,
reduced seed germination, and poor stand of seedlings. Infected areas turn brown and rot. Plants shrivel
and collapse as a result of the softening of tissues at the collar region.

Management

• Raising nursery in light soil with proper drainage

• Avoid excessive and frequent irrigation
• Rabbing – burning farm trash on the surface of the beds
• Sowing seed on raised beds of 6-8” high (15cm)
• Using the optimum seed rate of 650 g/cent
• Seed treatment with Thiram or Captan @ 2-3 g/kg.
• Soil drenching with Bordeaux mixture 1% or Copper oxychloride 0.3% or Metalaxyl (Ridomil)
0.2%
• Biocontrol with Trichoderma viride and T. harzianum
• Raising modern nurseries in pore-trays under controlled conditions in polyhouses

Die-back and Fruit Rot (Colletotrichum capsici)

This disease is commonly known as Anthracnose and is more prevalent in the southern part of India, it is
severe in Guntur and Krishna districts and some other states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Assam. The
insect attacks young tender branches and flowers, resulting in flower drop. Branches start drying from
the tips. Black spots appear on ripened fruits and lead to rotting of fruits. The pathogen is seed-borne.
Predisposing factors - Relative humidity-95-100%, temperature-28-320 C.
The pathogen shows two different types of symptoms at two different parts of the host.

A. Fruit Rot stage: At the end and beginning of October, ripening fruits(turning red) show symptoms
of small, dark, circular lesions. These lesions start to elongate along the axis, becoming sunken and
elliptical in shape, which in the later stage diffuses. The central area turns black or straw-colored.
Numerous fruiting bodies (Acervulli) in the form of black spots develop on the discolored
areas arranged in concentric rings. One can see hyphae at the places on the lower surface of
the fruitskin, in a cut-opened fruit. Seeds turn rusty in appearance as the seeds are covered with
hyphae ofthe pathogen.
B. Die-back stage: Prolonged deposition of dew on the leaves results in the occurrence of symp-

toms. Tender twigs and branches show necrosis beginning at the tip and advancing towards the
base. Affected branches are water-soaked which later turns greyish-white. Finally, the twigs and
branches wither.

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Management

• Seed treatment with Captan or Thiram 3-4g/kg

• Collect seeds only form fruits without infection

• Avoid intercropping with susceptible turmeric cultivars

• Collect and destroy all infected plant parts

• Removal and destruction of Solanaceous weed hosts and infected plant debris

• Spray three times with Captan 1.5% or Mancozeb@0.25% just before flowering, at fruit formation

stage and 15 days after the second spray
• 3-4 sprays of Blitox-50(0.5-1% concentration) and four sprays of Zineb(0.25% concentration) are

effective in controlling both the stages of the disease.

Bacterial Leaf Spot (Xanthomoas campestris pv. vesicatoria)

Leaves, fruits, and stems are affected, Lesions on the leaf begin as circular, water-soaked spots. Spots
become necrotic with a brown center with chlorotic borders. Enlarged spots may develop straw colored
centers. Lesions are slightly raised on the lower leaf surface, severely spotted leaves turn yellow and drop,
raised brown lesions appear on fruits, and narrow, elongated lesions or streaks may develop on stems.

Management

• Seeds should be collected from healthy fruits

• Seed treatment with Copper oxychloride 2g/kg seed

• Field sanitation by removal and destruction of infected plant debris

• Add 1g Streptocycline or 2g Plantomycin to 10 litres of water and mix 3g of Copper oxychloride

per litre of water and spray twice at 10 days interval

Cercospora Leaf Spot (Cercospora capsici)

Circular spots with brown margins and grey centre appear on leaves. The spots enlarge and coalesce
with others and the central portion of the spot becomes white and the leaves turn yellow and defoliate.
Sometimes central portions of spot drops off. Spots also appear on stems and twigs as dark brown, ir-
regular lesions with whitish centers. In severe cases die-back of twigs occur.

Management

• Seed treatment with Carbendazim @ 2g/Kg seed

• Spray Carbendazim 0.1% or Difolaton 0.15% @ 15 days interval

Choanephora Wet Rot (Choanephora cucurbitarum)

Plants from seedling to the early flowering stage are susceptible. Being a weak parasite, the fungus
colonizes dead or dying tissues before it actively invades living tissues. Fruit infection is observed pre-
dominantly around calyx. Infected young fruits may abort.

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Management

• Adopt recommended spacing to maintain adequate air circulation

• Field sanitation by destroying infected debris
• Select the seeds from healthy fruits and treat the seed with Captan or Thiram 3g/kg seed
• Spray Mancozeb 0.25% or Copper oxychloride 0.3%
Spray wettable Sulphur 0.3% or Dinocap or Carbendazim or Tridemorph 0.1%.

Dry Root Rot (Sclerotium species / Fusarium species)

Plants get infected by the fungus in the soil and dries

Management

• Crop rotation practices

• Application of Copper oxychloride at the plant base by mixing 3 g of Copper oxychloride in 1
litre water
• Application of 2 Kg of Trichoderma formulation in 90 Kg FYM and 10 Kg Neem seed powder

Powdery Mildew - (Leveillula taurica)

The disease is usually seen from December to February in cool and dry weather with high relative humidity.
A white powdery coating is seen on the lower surface of the leaf and occasionally yellow patches are
seen on the upper surface. In case of severe infection, shedding of leaves occur.Sometimes
powdery growth is also seen on branches and young fruits which do not grow further anddrop-down
prematurely.

Management

Spraying of wettable Sulphur 0.3% or Dinocap or Carbendazim or Tridemorph 0.1%.

Viral Diseases

Leaf Curl (Gemini Virus)

It is transmitted by whiteflies. High humidity and rainy climatic conditions are favorable for whiteflies
and help in the severe spread of the virus. Young leaves become small with upward curling. Leaves turn
pale green and intermodal distance also decreases. Leaf curl virus symptoms resemble micronutrient
deficiency symptoms. Whereas deficient plants can be observed in groups, virus-infected plants can
spread all over the field here and there.

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Cucumber Mosaic Virus

It is transmitted by aphids. The virus restricts the plant growth and black sooty mold can be observed on
leaves and pods. The decrease in chlorophyll content of leaves leads to mosaic symptoms. Downward
curling along the midribs is seen. Pods may be small or distorted. High humidity or persistent dew is
conducive to the development of the disease.

Peanut bud Necrosis Virus

Virus develops on weeds, which grow on bunds like Parthenium, Abutilon Indicum, and are
transmitted
by thrips. The prolonged dry period after rains increases thrips incidences. Black spots occur on the
stem and leaves that gradually transform into stripes. Necrotic spots occur on leaves resulting in leaves
falling off.

Conclusion

Chili is not a staple food for millions but it can add taste and flavor to a bland meal. This is possibly
the most prime cause of its rapid spread over the globe more so than potatoes or tomatoes. It is rich in
loads of minerals and antioxidants, which can help the nutritional augmentation of marginal people.
A consortium of growers, exporters, policy makers, and other stake holders are needed to ponder over
and plan the improvement of the crop and enhancement of the quality of the spice. Market intelligence,
supply chain management, and organic production standards have to be framed for better export trade.

Reference

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