Detailed Explanation of Key Technical Points for Open-Field Pepper Cultivation

I think everyone is very familiar with peppers; basically every household adds some pepper when cooking every day. The demand for peppers in our country's market is very large. Generally, the price of peppers in the market is not very expensive, but in some places peppers sell for more than 100 yuan per jin, so the market prospects and profits of peppers are very considerable.

Open-Field Pepper Cultivation Techniques

1. Land preparation and fertilization. The soil for planting peppers requires good tilth, convenient drainage and irrigation, and flat terrain; they cannot be cultivated on saline-alkali or low-lying land. For open-field cultivation, sufficient base fertilizer must be applied. 10 days before transplanting, apply 5000 kg to 7500 kg of high-quality farmyard manure, 75 kg to 100 kg of superphosphate, and 50 kg of ammonium bicarbonate per mu as base fertilizer. 2/3 is used for surface spreading, with plowing to a depth of 20 cm to 25 cm; 1/3 of the base fertilizer is applied in concentrated furrows. Build ridges at a ridge spacing of 80 cm, with a ridge height of 15 cm and a ridge surface width of 50 cm.

2. Transplanting. Pepper seedlings should be transplanted on cloudy days or after 3:00 p.m. on sunny days. Water thoroughly 1 day before lifting the seedlings. When lifting the seedlings, carry as much of the original root soil as possible, and take care not to damage the seedling leaves and roots during transport; try not to plant wilted seedlings. Peppers should not be planted too deep; the standard is level with the cotyledon node. Generally, 3000 plants are planted per mu, and after planting, cover with soil and water immediately.

3. Field management. After peppers are transplanted, the main tasks are loosening the soil and preserving moisture, promoting root development, and promoting flowering and fruiting. 5 days to 7 days after transplanting, apply 1 light application of fertilizer water; after the soil surface turns white, hoe deeply to 7 cm to raise soil temperature. Seedlings should be subjected to controlled growth to promote root development and prevent excessive above-ground growth.

After 20 days, as temperatures rise, the plants grow rapidly and produce many short branches; at this time, water and fertilizer should be supplemented. Apply 15 kg of urea, 20 kg of diammonium phosphate, and 50 kg of cake fertilizer per mu, then water with a large amount of water. On rainy days, drain accumulated water promptly and keep soil moisture uniform. During the flowering period, fertilizer and water should be appropriately controlled; as long as the soil remains moist, that is sufficient, to prevent excessive plant growth and flower and fruit drop. After entering the full fruiting period, the focus of management is strengthening the plants and promoting fruit set. Remove the first pepper promptly to prevent fruit drop from weakening growth. Fertilize in combination with watering, applying 20 kg of phosphate fertilizer and 5 kg of urea per mu.

4. Pest and disease control

1. Disease control. Common diseases in pepper field production include pepper phytophthora blight, root rot, bacterial wilt, and viral disease.

① Agricultural control. Advocate ridge cultivation, choose plots with convenient drainage and irrigation for planting, cultivate strong seedlings, plant at a reasonable density, and drain promptly after heavy rain.

② Seed disinfection. Soak seeds in 1% copper sulfate solution for 5 minutes.

③ Foliar spraying and root drenching. After transplanting, spray plants and the ground with 50% early frost copper wettable powder at 500 times dilution or 70% fosetyl-aluminum (DTM) wettable powder at 500 times dilution, and other such chemicals. In addition, in hot seasons, before irrigation, scatter 3 kg of 96% copper sulfate per mu, then irrigate, which can effectively control pepper phytophthora blight. Use 50% carbendazim wettable powder at 600 times dilution, or 40% sulfur-multicide suspension concentrate at 600 times dilution; at the early stage of disease, drench the roots once every 10 days or so, for 2 to 3 consecutive treatments, which can control pepper root rot. Use 72% agricultural streptomycin wettable powder at 30000 times dilution or 77% Kocide wettable powder at 500 times dilution, spraying once every 7 days for 3 to 4 consecutive treatments, which can control pepper bacterial wilt. Use 20% virus A wettable powder at 500 times dilution or 1.5% zhibingling emulsifiable concentrate at 1000 times dilution, spraying once every 10 days for 3 to 4 consecutive sprayings, which can control viral disease.

2. Insect pest control. The main insect pests of peppers are aphids, tea yellow mites, and others.

① Control of aphids. You can choose 10% imidacloprid, or 50% pirimicarb emulsifiable concentrate at 4000 times dilution for spray control.

② Control of tea yellow mites. You can use 45% sulfur suspension at 300 times dilution, or 73% propargite emulsifiable concentrate at 1000 times dilution, 20% pyridaben emulsifiable concentrate at 1000 times dilution, 40% dimethoate emulsifiable concentrate at 1000 times dilution, and others, spraying once every 10 days to 14 days on the undersides of leaves, tender stems, flower buds, and young fruit.

5. Timely harvesting

Peppers can bear fruit continuously and be harvested multiple times. Generally, green fruit can be harvested 20 days to 25 days after the flowers fade.

How to choose pepper varieties when growing peppers  

Pepper cultivation is relatively common across both northern and southern parts of our country. In recent years, the conventional varieties and first-generation hybrids promoted and used in production number one to two hundred. Choosing a suitable variety is very important for producers; it can not only reduce production costs, but also make it easier to seize the market and obtain higher economic returns.  

1. When choosing varieties, fully consider the eating habits of the consumer group: different regions have different requirements for pepper fruit shape, degree of pungency, fruit color, flesh thickness, and so on. For example, Heilongjiang, Changchun, Datong, and other places prefer large-fruited sweet peppers, and northerners seem to have this habit, but in recent years slightly mildly pungent pointed peppers have become increasingly accepted by northerners.  

2. Correctly regard the yield performance of varieties: the yield performance of peppers directly affects producers' income. In the era of agricultural product shortages, producers especially valued the yield performance of varieties. Once agricultural products are basically sufficient, consumers increasingly focus on the commercial quality of peppers. Therefore, when choosing varieties, producers must first pay attention to their quality, and then look at their yield performance. That is, they should follow the trend and transform pepper production from a "yield-benefit type" to a "quality-benefit type."  

3. Pay special attention to the disease resistance of varieties: in specialized production and protected cultivation, continuous cropping is unavoidable, and pepper diseases are becoming increasingly serious. Choosing varieties with good disease resistance can not only reduce production costs, but is also required for pollution-free production. Peppers have many diseases, such as Fusarium wilt, viral disease, bacterial wilt, phytophthora blight, soft rot, scab, sunscald, and others. So far, no single variety is resistant to multiple diseases at the same time.  

4. Pay attention to the heat tolerance and cold tolerance of varieties: practice shows that open-field pepper cultivation can achieve high yields only when two yield peaks appear. In various northern regions, open-field early spring crop and spring crop peppers generally begin harvesting from the Xiaoshu solar term, and form the first yield peak before the Dashu solar term. After the Bailu solar term, the second yield peak forms. However, from the Dashu solar term to the Liqiu solar term, because of heat and rain, plants often age, leaves drop, and flowers and fruit drop, so the second yield peak is not obvious. Only by choosing varieties with relatively strong heat tolerance, such as Zhongjiao No. 4, Zhongjiao No. 9, Qiemen, and others, can safe overwintering through summer be ensured and the second yield peak be achieved.  

5. Storability and transport tolerance of the fruit: at present, pepper production bases are established and specialized production is practiced. Some are transported south in hot summer, and some transported north in deep winter, all of which place relatively high demands on the transport tolerance and storage tolerance of varieties. In particular, late-autumn delayed peppers cultivated in plastic medium tunnels with two films and one straw mat covering usually need to be kept fresh on the vine for more than 2 months, so varieties with especially good storage tolerance must be chosen.

Overall Situation of International Pepper Market Demand  

Since the 1990s, with the acceleration of global economic integration, people's social contacts, economic exchanges, and cultural exchanges have become increasingly frequent. Food cultures and eating habits around the world have spread, penetrated, and blended through frequent interactions. In addition, as countries around the world continue to deepen their understanding of pepper products and the uses of peppers continue to expand, international pepper market demand has maintained strong growth momentum.  

International Pepper Trade Situation  

Data show that in 1988 the world's total pepper exports were 166600 t and total imports were 152000 t. In 2002, the world's total pepper exports reached 341800 t and total imports reached 379100 t, growing at annual rates of 4.9% and 6.3% respectively. This indicates that from the late 1980s to the early 21st century, world pepper trade showed a trend of large-scale imports and exports and accelerated development. In particular, the import and export trade growth of pepper products in Asia, the main production region, was especially prominent. From 1991 to 2003, its import volume and import value increased annually at rates of 5.1% and 6.4%, while export volume and export value increased at rates of 5.9% and 6.3%. At present, countries with large global pepper export volumes include China, India, Spain, Malaysia, Peru, Mexico, Zimbabwe, and others, while countries with large import volumes include the United States, Germany, and others. 

The market prospects for peppers are very good because their demand is very large, and basically everyone uses peppers when cooking every day. Moreover, the cost of growing peppers is very low, and according to surveys and research, international market demand for peppers is also relatively large. Therefore, do not underestimate this small pepper; it can likewise create great wealth.