Chilies Cultivation

Chili (Capsicum annuum L.) belongs  of family Solanaceae is  a vegetable as well as spice crop of major economic value in Pakistan. Chili is is used in every day cooking   in curries, pickles and chatnies.. The pods of chilies are marketed both in green and red form.

Growing Conditions and Seasons

Chilies are a warm-climate crop; most Chili cultivars grow well in areas where the average temperature is 30°C for at least four to five months of the year. 

GRADING, PACKAGING AND STORAGE OF CHILLIE FRUIT AND SEED

¨  Total Species      :               35

¨  Cultivated           :               5

¨  Common species              C. annum var. grossum (Bell Pepper)

                                                                   C. annum var. accuminatum                                                                           (Hot Pepper)

                                                                    C. Frutescens

                                                                    C. Chinense

                                                                    C. Pendulum

                                                                    C. Pubesecenus

Origin and Spread

¨  Tropical America (> 2000 BC)

¨  Europe ( 16^th century)

¨  China (17^th century)

¨  India ( 18^th century)

Importance

¨  Pungency            Capsacim

¨  Red Color            37 pigments, more importanat capsanthin

¨  Oleoresin

¨  Vitamins              A, C, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin.

¨  Minerals              Fe, P and K

Medicinal Importance

¨  Good for health

¨  Improves the immunity

¨  Reduces the absorption of cholesterol

¨  Good for eyes and skin

¨  Tropical analgesic

Fruit Development

¨  Green fruits:      30-35 days after transplanting

¨  Seed Development:       14-21 days after anthesis.

¨  Red Fruits:          45-50 days after fruit setting

Harvesting

¨  Green Fruits:

¡  Immature

¡  Mature

¨  Fresh Red  Fruits:

¨  Method:              Mannual

Field Problems

¨  Heat Damage

¨  Water Loss

¨  Sun Scalding

¨  Diseases

¨  Damage due to Scuffing/Dragging

¨  Solution:

¡  Be placed in shade immediately after harvesting

¡  Selection of quality fruits .

¡  Rejection of undesirable fruits.

Maturity Indices for grading

¨  Mature Stage

¨  Uniform color

¨  Shape and Size

¨  Firmness

¨  Disease Free

Cooling and Storage

¨  Proper cooling and handling of peppers in the field before transportation  is very important for quality products.

¡  ¨  Temperature effect:                     

¡  > 30 ⁰C for 1-2 Hours will cause shrinkage, softening and  anthracnose rot .

¡  > 21 ⁰C accelerates fruit ripening and color change< 5 ⁰C causes softening, pitting and decay of fruit (Chilling  Injury).

Temperature	Relative Humidity	Storage Days	Physical Loss
0 o C	95-98%	40 days	4 % shrinkage of fruit
5-7.5 o C	-do-	21 days	-
28o C	60 %	14 days	-

                                                  ¡  < 5 ⁰C causes softening, pitting and decay of fruit (Chilling  Injury).

Annual export of red chilies from the country averaged about 4951 tons during the past 5 years. Pakistan exported whole dry and powder chilies to a quantum of 4558 tones, and earned rupees 588 million during 2009-10 -

 

Year	Quantity (tons)	Value (Million, Rs)	Price per kg (Rs)
2005/2006	7388	372	50.4
2006/2007	6357	417	65.6
2007/2008	2571	250	97.2
2008/2009	3883	450	115.9
2009/2010	4558	588	129.0
Average (2005-2010)	4951	415	91.6

Ethylene effect on quality

¨  Minute quantity increase the ripening rate i.e. red color development, 20 fold or more

¨  Never be stored/shipped with ethylene producing crops e.g., Apple, Peas and tomato.

¨  Two applications of 100 ppm solution with 3 days interval improves color of fresh red chilies

Effect of ethiphon on Quality

¨  Two applications of 100 ppm solution at one week interval accelerates red color development and improve market quality.

Cooling Methods

¨  Room cooling:

¨  Natural convection and radiation to remove heat that takes more than 12 hours

¨  Forced air cooling:

¨  Air cooler

¨  AC  (5 times more faster than room cooling)

QUALITY INDICES FOR STORAGE OF DRY CHILLIES

Red Color;                                           Capsanthin

Carotenoids contents;                   Capsaicin (Pungency element)

Unsaturated Fat in chili seed

Moisture contents

More than 9-10% moisture result quicker deterioration of red pigment due to oxidation of unsaturated fats

DRYING OF RED CHILLIES

METHOD                                                                                                 TIME REQUIRED

¨  Traditional drying                                                                                   21 days+                
¨  Solar drying by solar drier                                                                      15 days

¨  Fourtier system of wire- mesh tray                                                         14 days

¨  Mechanical drying by air blown dryers at 44-46 ^o c                              18 hours

SUN DRYING

PROCEDURE

Ø  Fresh fruits are heaped indoors for 2-3 days at 22-25 0C

Ø  Spread the heaped fruits in the sun on a concrete floor with frequent stirring

Ø  Cover with tarpaulin / Gunny bags at night to protect from dew.

DRAWBACKS

Ø  Contamination

Ø  Dew cause rottening and discoloration

Ø  Low market price

FOURTIER SYSTEM OF WIRE-MESH TRAYS

PROCEDURE

¨  Fresh red chillies are treated with dipsol emulsion for 5 minutes

¨  Spreading the material for drying on racks having multi-tier wire net trays

Advantages

¨  Color and marketability enhanced

¨  Protection against storage diseases i.e. Anthracnose fruit rot.

DIPSOL EMULSION

¨  Water based emulsion containing the following elements:

¡  Potassium Carbonate                     2.5%

¡  Groundnut oil                                    1%

¡  Gum acacia                                                         0.1%

¡  Butylated hydroxy anisol (BHA) 0.001%

Time of soaking : 5 minutes

¨  Packing   Removal of defective and decolorized fruits

¨  Gunny bags/ Jute bags

Storage Pests

¨  Spice beetle

¨  Cigarette beetle

¨  Rats

¨  Treatment:

¡  Augtoxin tablets

¡  Zinc baits

Storage diseases

¨  Anthracnose Rot (Fresh fruit)

¨  Aflotoxin (Red dried fruit)

¨  Treatment:

¡  Control moisture and temperature in the storage

Seed Extraction

¨  Manual

Drying, Crushing and  Winnowing

¨  Mechanical (Axial Flow Seed Extractor)

Seed Drying

¨  Thoroughly drying to moisture < 8%

¨  Drying method

¡  Drying on the floor in the sun

¡  Screen bottom trays in the sun  

Seed storage and Packing

¨  Ordinary storage conditions (Cool dark and dry place)

¡  Seed moisture (8% or less)

¨  Constant temperature from 2 -10 ⁰C in dry place

¡  Seed moisture  6% in sealed container

¨  Clearly labeled water tight plastic envelope