Planting technology and management of high-yield pepper

Chili pepper is a vegetable that is in high demand all year round and is widely grown in all parts of our country. Its growing period is usually between 60 and 100 days, but it may vary depending on the sowing time and climatic conditions. Let’s learn about the planting techniques and management of high-yield peppers.

1. Land preparation and basal fertilizer application

Choose fields with good drainage and convenient irrigation to plant peppers, avoid continuous planting with Solanaceae crops such as eggplant, tomato, potato, tobacco, etc., and plow the land to a depth of 15 cm. Before planting, the land should be prepared and ridges should be formed. The ridge width should be kept at 1.3 to 1.7 meters, and 2 to 3 rows should be planted in each ridge. While making ridges, apply 5 tons of decomposed manure, 15 kg of superphosphate and 25 kg of wood ash per mu as base fertilizer to ensure that the ridges and furrows are connected for subsequent irrigation and drainage.

2. Reasonable planting

In mid-to-early May, when the soil temperature continues to be above 15 degrees, the pepper seedlings have grown 6 to 8 true leaves and the first flower buds appear, select healthy pepper seedlings with thick internodes, well-developed taproots, thick and bright green leaves, and many new white roots for transplanting and planting.

For varieties such as "Qiemen Pepper" and "Lantern Pepper" which have compact plant shapes and weak branching abilities, they can be planted densely. Generally, four rows can be planted in a 5 to 6-foot wide bed, with a row spacing of 1 to 1.2 feet and a plant spacing of 7 to 8 inches, with about 5,000 plants per acre. For "sheep horn pepper" with tall plants and strong branching ability, the planting should be appropriately sparse. Generally, the row spacing is 1.5 feet, the plant spacing is 1 foot, and there are about 4,000 plants per acre. In high temperature seasons, increasing ground shade can help reduce temperatures and retain moisture, reduce flower and fruit drop, alleviate diseases, and have a good effect on preventing premature aging of plants, helping to increase mid- and late-stage yields.

3. Water and fertilizer management

(1) Reasonable irrigation

Peppers do not require much water. Excessive irrigation may lead to root rot, pests and diseases, and falling flowers and fruits. Insufficient irrigation will affect the root system's absorption of water and fertilizer, affecting the development of flowers and fruits and the quality of the fruit. Therefore, water should be managed properly to keep soil moisture at 60%-80%. Water the seedlings 3 to 5 days after transplanting, and irrigate at the beginning of flowering and after fruit setting, avoiding flooding or large-scale irrigation at one time. Daily irrigation is recommended to be carried out in the morning on sunny days.

(2) Scientific fertilization

Peppers have a long harvest period and require a lot of nutrients, especially nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers. Nutrient supply affects flower bud differentiation and fruit quality, as well as the plant's disease resistance. During the flowering period, 45% compound fertilizer should be applied at about 30 kg/mu, and the soil should be covered after fertilization. Avoid fertilizing before rain to avoid burning the seedlings. During the fruiting period, foliar topdressing can be carried out by spraying 0.3% to 0.5% potassium dihydrogen phosphate + fluid calcium + 5000 times diluted Aiduoshou. During this period , plant growth regulators can be used to promote flower bud differentiation and increase yield.

4. Pest and disease control

The main diseases and pests of pepper include bacterial wilt, blight, powdery mildew, root rot, tea yellow mites, damping-off, sudden wilt, anthracnose , brown spot, gray mold, tobacco budworm, cotton bollworm, aphids, etc. The prevention and control methods for different diseases are different.

Disease: Use fungicides such as carbendazim, zinc oxide, and thiophanate-methyl, or biological agents such as Bacillus subtilis and trichlorfon for prevention and control.

Anthracnose: In the initial stage, spray methyl tolbutrin, mancozeb, thiophanate-methyl and anthrax-foam once every 7 to 10 days, for a total of 2 to 3 times.

Damping-off disease: Remove diseased seedlings promptly and spread quicklime and wood ash on the seedbed; when the seedlings die or rot, use pesticides such as chlorothalonil, alum, and chlorpyrifos to prevent and control them.

Root rot: Disinfect the soil, dip the roots of the pepper seedlings in the medicine before transplanting. After the disease occurs, irrigate the roots with 300-400 times diluted methylsulfonyl·thiram wettable powder or 800-1000 times diluted carbendazim·thiram wettable powder.

Damping-off disease and bacterial wilt: Mix seeds and dip roots with Acyr-1·D-1·Pyraclostrobin. Spray with pyraclostrobin suspension in the early stage of the disease.

Brown spot disease: Use pesticides such as fenpropimorph, propiconazole, tebuconazole, flusilazole, myclobutanil, and cyproconazole for prevention and control.

Powdery mildew: In the early stage, use benzoyl-pyraclostrobin, benzoyl-pyraclostrobin, difenoconazole or methyl-thiophanate spray.

Gray mold: Spray pesticides such as chlorpyrifos, carbendazim, pyrimethanil, and prochloraz.

Viral disease: Treat seeds with trisodium phosphate or potassium permanganate solution, and use virus-killing agent or plant disease-killing agent to prevent the disease in the early stages.

Aphids: Use sprays such as cypermethrin, imidacloprid, and trichlorfon for control.

Tea yellow mites and spider mites: Use sprays such as avermectin, cypermethrin, clofentezin, amitraz, propargyl, bromocriptine, and triazotin for control.

Cotton bollworm: Use Bacillus thuringiensis, cotton bollworm nuclear polyhedrosis virus preparations or azadirachtin for biological control, or use insect growth regulators, avermectin and other pesticide sprays for control.

Tobacco budworm: Use Bacillus thuringiensis or polyhedrosis virus insecticides or emamectin benzoate and tebufenozide for control.

5. Harvest at the right time

Usually the fruits can be harvested 2 to 3 weeks after the flowers fade when they are fully expanded and green in color. They can also be picked when they turn yellow or red and mature. Try to pick the fruits in multiple times, picking them together with the fruit stalks, leaving more fruits on the plant, which will help increase the yield.

The above are the methods and precautions for growing peppers. When you encounter problems, you can refer to the above knowledge and take timely measures. If you have other questions, you can also leave a message.