By Umar Nsubuga
Chilli/hot pepper is a fast-growing crop which takes about three months to mature.
Henry Sekyewa, an agronomist tips farmers on how to plant the crop.
- Till up land meant for planting and make 2cm deep holes in a row
- Scatter in animal manure in each hole and then mix
- Transplant your seedlings into the holes, and then gently cover them with soil
- Water and spray with a mixture of fungicide and pesticide
- Weed the field at an interval of 2 weeks
- Spraying in intervals of 2 weeks must also be adopted before harvesting
- At 12 weeks after planting you can go ahead and harvest your first fruits
Profitability
In a year, an acre alone produces an average of 500kg of fruit and a kilogramme range between sh13,000 and sh16,000 depending on its demand on the market.
Growth
Joseph Bukenya, a chilli grower says the crop takes an average of six months to reach maturity and fruits can be harvested for five years if the plants are not subjected to drought and waterlogging.
“In cases of drought, the plants are forced to lose their flowers and buds hence leading to little or no fruit yields. Irrigation is advised,” he explains.
During harvest, he says one hectare can produce up to six tonnes of fruits depending on the season. Lesser amounts are expected during the dry season.
Growth requirements
Sekyewa says chilli should be planted in soils well aerated with good water-holding capacities preferably sandy loams.These permeate adequate root growth to support the plant and equally supply water, oxygen and other nutrients to the plant.
“Temperatures should be between 20-35 degrees centigrade. Temperatures below 10 degrees centigrade and above 40 degrees centigrade lead to stunted growth, and even frequent light irrigation,” he says.
Stages of growth
- Establishment, this takes about two weeks and water levels should be decreased as this will cause the roots to grow deeper in search for water.
- Vegetative growth, this is when the first flowers and fruits appear and the amount of water should be doubled.
- Fruit set, growth and water usage are highest at this stage.
- Ripening and harvesting, water usage decreases and there are heavy loads of fruit on the plant.
Pests and diseases
- Bacterial spot, blight, phytophthora root rot, gray leaf spot
- Insects, nematodes, fungal-viral and bacterial pathogens
“During plant growth, it is important to spray the plants with both fungicides and insecticides to kill larvae that later turn to caterpillars which is laid by butterflies beneath leaves,” says Sekyewa.
Harvesting
According to Bukenya in the first season of harvest, yield is not as much as the next seasons.
“When they reach maturity, the crop turns green in colour and this gradually changes when the colour starts to break in. When they are fully ripe, they have a full colour-red, yellow, red and orange depending on the species,” he explains.
He adds that the fruits are handpicked from the plants and can be harvested in either the green stage or the ripe stage. They should be pulled upwards in opposition to the direction in which they bend down from the branch.
He says they should not be stored with fruits that produce ethylene such as bananas and the storage temperatures should be below 20 degrees centigrade.
For commercial use, he says that the fruits can be left to dry from the plant or picked and sun-dried. They can also be put on a string and left to dry.
