Chilli

Description.

The native land of Chilli is considered to be Mexico with secondary origin in Gautemala.Chilli is an annual sub herb belonging to the family Solanaceae. It is also called as hot pepper, red pepper, cayenne pepper, capsicum, etc. Most of the cultivated varieties in India belongs to the species Capsicum annum. Chilli of commerce is the dried pod.
India is the only country rich in many varieties of chillies with different quality factors. Chilli is the universal spice of India. It is grown in almost all the states in India.
Chilli has two important commercial qualities. If some varieties are famous for red colour because of the pigment casanthin, others are known for biting pungency attributed by capsaicin. Chilli imparts pungency and colour to the dishes. It is an important ingredient in day to day curries, pickles and chutnies. It is also a rich source of Vitamin A, C and E and assists in digestion. It also prevents heart diseases by dilating blood vessels.

Crop Management
Chilli requires warm and humid climate for its best growth and dry weather during the maturation of fruits. It grows in wide range of altitudes ranging from sea level upto nearly 2100 m above MSL. It is generally a cold weather crop but can be grown throughout the year under irrigation. Black soils which retain moisture for long periods are suitable for rainfed crop whereas well drained chalka soils and sandy loams are good under irrigated condition.
Chilli is propagted by seeds. Direct sowing is recommended for rainfed crop under retentive black soils. For direct sown crop, the seeds are drilled by the end of July of first week of August. Seed rate is 6.25 kg per hectare. After 30-40 days of sowing, thinning and gap filling is done on a cloudy day. Plant to plat distance of 15 cm is maintained in the rows which are 56 cm apart.
For transplanted crop, seedling are grown in raised beds and 40-45 days old seedlings are used for transplantation. For cold weather crop, transplanting is do