A Complete Guide to the Science of Cayenne Pepper Cultivation
Among chili peppers, the cayenne pepper is one of the most varied types. This pepper is famous for its pungency. People generally dry them to make dried chili peppers, which are then used to make chili oil or hot pot soup base. In addition, the price of cayenne peppers is relatively high, and they are cultivated in many parts of our country.
Scientific Cultivation Techniques for Cayenne Pepper
1. Sowing and seedling raising. Sowing early at the right time is one of the important measures for high yields of cayenne pepper; therefore, it is better to have seedlings waiting for the field than to have the field waiting for seedlings. The seedbed is 1 m wide and no more than 10 m long, with sides 20 cm high and an arched shed 0.5 m high. For every 1 mu of large-scale planting area, 8-10 sq m of seedbed is needed. For every 10 sq m of seedbed, apply 400 jin of high-quality decomposed manure, 1 jin of urea, and 0.2 jin of potassium dihydrogen phosphate, dig and turn them into the soil, then water thoroughly with bottom water. After the water seeps dry, use a small knife to score vertical and horizontal lines into square blocks of 1 cm each, and sow 2-3 seeds in each square. Before sowing, first disinfect the seedbed with a 50% carbendazim 800-1000 times solution. For each mu of transplanting land, sow 130-150 g of seed. Choose a windless sunny day at noon for sowing. The method is to water thoroughly on the neatly arranged bed surface, and sow once the water has seeped down, then cover the seeds with sifted fine soil to a thickness of 0.5 cm, not too thick or too thin. Immediately after sowing, cover with plastic film and seal the edges tightly with soil.
2. Seedbed management. In the early stage, maintain 20-28°C during the day and 15-18°C at night, and keep the seedbed soil temperature no lower than 18°C. In the later stage, maintain 1.5-20°C during the day and 5-10°C at night. If the temperature is too low, cover with straw curtains to keep warm and prevent cold; if too high, use the “ventilation” method to cool down. Adhere to the principle of gradual progress, and never suddenly remove the film or suddenly cover it. If bottom water was applied thoroughly, generally do not water; if watering is truly needed, do not water too much each time. In the later stage, spray 0.2% urea plus 0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate to promote seedling growth. Use fresh film. Be sure to remove the film during the day to let in light; on cloudy days, when the bed temperature is not lower than 16°C, also moderately remove the straw curtains or film for ventilation. Generally, one true leaf grows every 3-5 days. When 4-5 leaves have grown, keep one seedling per 3 cm square and pull out weeds in the seedbed. For damping-off, rhizoctonia rot, and anthracnose, use a 50% carbendazim 800-1000 times solution or a 75% chlorothalonil 600-800 times solution for control; for aphids, use a 2800 times solution of decis for control.
The Best Sowing Time for Cayenne Pepper
Generally around mid-March, choose consecutive sunny and windless days and sow in the morning. In North China, spring direct sowing is generally done around Grain Rain, choosing warm and sunny weather for sowing. The row spacing is about 40 cm, and the sowing depth is 2 cm. The sowing depth should be consistent and the seeds should be distributed evenly. Cover with soil above the sowing furrow and pay attention to preserving soil moisture.
Scientific Management of Fertilizer and Water to Improve Pepper Fruit Quality
In combination with watering to revive seedlings, apply seedling-promoting fertilizer early and lightly. For every 667 sq m, apply 10 kg of urea as topdressing, then carry out intertillage and seedling hardening. Cayenne pepper is grown for harvesting mature fruits; in addition to nitrogen fertilizer, topdressing should also emphasize the application of phosphorus and potassium fertilizers and micronutrient fertilizers. Special attention should be paid to foliar spraying of compound micronutrient fertilizers such as boron, manganese, and zinc, which can make leaves dark green and plants robust and prevent flower and fruit drop. For wheat intercropped peppers, after wheat harvest, promptly apply 40-50 kg of potassium sulfate compound fertilizer per 667 sq m. After the pepper fruits begin to turn red, control watering to promote fruit ripening. In case of heavy rain, control excessive growth; otherwise, the plants will remain green and grow wildly, reducing fruit quality.
Methods for Controlling Pests of Cayenne Pepper
1. Black cutworm. Control methods: trapping and killing. First, use black light traps to kill adults; second, use sugar-vinegar liquid to trap and kill adults. Mix 6 parts sugar, 3 parts vinegar, 1 part white liquor, and 1 part 90% trichlorfon evenly, or use pickle water plus an appropriate amount of pesticide, and set them out during the adult occurrence period; both have trapping and killing effects. Third, use grass piles to trap and kill larvae. Before transplanting peppers, choose weeds that cutworms like to eat, such as lamb's quarters, thistle, sowthistle, small bindweed, alfalfa, sweet wormwood, cogon grass, and chickweed, and pile them up to attract cutworm larvae, then either capture them manually or mix in chemicals to poison them. Chemical control. Cutworm larvae in the 1st-3rd instar have poor pesticide resistance and are exposed on host plants or on the ground, making this the suitable period for chemical control. You can use a 21% synergized cypermethrin and malathion emulsifiable concentrate 8000 times solution, 2.5% deltamethrin or 20% fenvalerate 3000 times solution, 10% bromine and malathion emulsifiable concentrate 2000 times solution, 90% trichlorfon 800 times solution, or 50% phoxim 800 times solution for spray control.
2. Tobacco budworm. Control methods: In main seed production areas, if tobacco budworm damage is severe year after year, trap crops can be planted nearby to attract overwintering-generation adults to lay eggs in concentrated areas, making them easier to eliminate. Promptly remove fruits that have been bored and eaten to prevent larvae from moving to other fruits and causing damage. Chemical control. Control the 1st generation larvae in early to mid-June, the 2nd and 3rd generation larvae from mid-July to mid-to-late August, and determine control of the 4th and 5th generation larvae in September and October according to insect population development and damage conditions. You can spray with 90% crystal trichlorfon 800 times solution, 10% permethrin 3000 times solution, 25% flucythrinate 4000 times solution, 20% fenvalerate 3000 times solution, or 2.5% decis 4000-6000 times solution.
The key points of cayenne pepper cultivation techniques lie in site selection and seedbed management. Do not choose low-lying areas for cultivation. Cayenne peppers cannot tolerate standing water; otherwise, the seedlings will develop root rot. The seedbed temperature must be well controlled, and sterilization and pest prevention should be carried out at the right time. Only with good later-stage management can cayenne peppers achieve high yields.