Growing Food: A Guide to Food Production

GROWTH CONDITIONS

Growth period: 60–90 days to the first harvest, then harvested at 1–2 week
intervals for 3–5 months. In the tropics and subtropics Capsicum peppers can
survive as perennials for a few years. The fruit should be cut off, not broken, leaving
about 2.5 cm of stem.
Temperature: slightly hardier than tomatoes, but still killed by frost. 19C
minimum at flowering.
Rainfall: 600–1000 mm/a. Heavy rainfall or water-logging causes poor fruit-set,
and rotten fruit. Keep the fruits dry if possible, and any irrigation system should only
apply water at the soil level, on to the roots and not on to the fruit or plant.
Altitude: from sea-level to about 1800 m.

Diseases: the two virus diseases, Mosaic and Leaf Curl, are the most serious. Loss
of yield can also be caused by Fruit Rot, Powdery Mildew, Bacterial Wilt and
Anthracnose. To avoid Anthracnose, peppers should be grown far away from beans;
if peppers do become diseased they become rotten and should be destroyed.

YIELD
The fruits of pepper can be either eaten fresh, or sun-dried for 3–15 days.
Typical yields of dried fruit, from plants grown in a pure stand, are:

UTILISATION

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depending on how hot, or “pungent”, they are. Although they have low

nutritional value, apart from Vitamins A and C, they are valuable in making

staple foods such as sorghum more palatable to eat. Tepin Pepper C.annuum v.

aviculare tiny round fruit, is the hot one! (though some say the Red and

LIMITATIONS

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to rot.

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275–825 kg/ha rainfed, 1680–2750 kg/ha irrigated. {45 kg of fresh fruit = approx.
10–12 kg of dried fruit.}

Peppers are normally used as some kind of spice, but in different ways

Orange Habanero Peppers are hotter...).

Capsaicin improves digestion, helps heal stomach ulcers and is an antiseptic,

used on some sticking plasters.

Extracts from certain Capsicums known as oleoresins are used to flavour ginger-

beer and other drinks. These are also used in some aerosols to deter muggers.

Extracts from Capsicum frutescens (the Chillies or Bird Chillies) are used in

medicines, both internal and external.

Cayenne pepper is used in some poultry food.

Peppers are killed by frost and are susceptible to Botrytis and other moulds.

Too much rain causes poor fruit set and rotten fruit.

Water-logged soil, even briefly, causes leaves to fall, low fruit set and the fruits

GROWING FOOD – THE FOOD PRODUCTION HANDBOOK

Pests: Thrips transmit virus diseases, and Cutworms attack seedlings.

The tap root is easily broken or damaged during transplanting.

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