Where is the origin of the cayenne pepper? What are its cultivation techniques?

Cayenne pepper, also known as San Ying pepper or Tian Ying pepper, is currently a pepper variety that is relatively resistant to storage and transport, has a wide range of uses, and is suitable for large-scale production, with good cultivation prospects. So where is the origin of the cayenne pepper? What are its cultivation techniques?

1. Where is the origin of the cayenne pepper?

1. Cultivation regions of the cayenne pepper

Judging from the current cultivation status of the cayenne pepper in our country, the main production areas of the cayenne pepper are distributed in Henan, Hebei, Guizhou, Shanxi, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Tianjin, Anhui, Shandong, Inner Mongolia, Sichuan, Hunan and other places.

Among them, Hebei has the largest cultivation area, and the main production areas are Jizhou City, Zaoqiang County, Gucheng County, and Jing County in Hengshui City; Wangdu County in Baoding City; Jize County and Yongnian County in Handan City; and Pingxiang County in Xingtai City and other areas.

2. Cultivated varieties of the cayenne pepper

The cultivated varieties in the above-mentioned main cayenne pepper cultivation areas are divided into the San Ying pepper and Bullet Head series.

The San Ying pepper series varieties mainly include Japanese San Ying pepper, Yuxuan San Ying pepper, Dajiao San Ying pepper, New Generation San Ying pepper, Qixing pepper, Shaoyang cayenne pepper, Tianyu No. 2, Tianyu No. 3, Lvbao Tianxian, and Shengni Cayenne pepper, etc.

The Bullet Head series varieties mainly include tall clustered Bullet Head, short clustered Bullet Head, etc.

2. What are the cultivation techniques for the cayenne pepper?

1. Seed treatment before sowing

First, attention should be paid to selecting varieties with strong disease resistance and stress resistance that are suitable for local cultivation; after all, only by adapting to local conditions can the cultivation benefits be maximized.

Before sowing, the cayenne pepper seeds need to be treated, mainly including sunning the seeds and soaking the seeds.

(1) Sunning the seeds

Choose a sunny day a few days before sowing, from about 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., spread the seeds on a reed mat, winnowing basket or other item in a ventilated place and sun them for about 2 days. Be careful not to directly place the cayenne pepper seeds on cement ground to dry them.

(2) Soaking the seeds

Put the already sunned seeds in a gauze bag and place them in 55°C warm water, stirring for 15 to 20 minutes. After removing them, soak the seeds in potassium permanganate or copper sulfate, then rinse with clean water 4 to 5 times, then place them in water below 30°C and soak for 8 to 10 h. After removing them, dry them slightly and they are ready for sowing.

Cayenne pepper is generally sown in spring, from late February to early March each year. The cayenne pepper has low soil requirements for the cultivation area and no strict restrictions. Sandy soil, silt soil and loam soil can all be used for cultivation; just be careful to keep away from saline-alkali land.

2. Transplanting and field management

Transplanting is usually carried out when the temperature is close to 20 to 30°C and suitable for the growth of the cayenne pepper. After transplanting, attention should be paid to doing a good job in field management.

(1) Watering

Water appropriately before the flood season and after transplanting, following the principle of not watering unless there is drought and watering immediately when there is drought. The amount of watering should not be too much, and note that during high temperature and drought, do not water at noon.

(2) Fertilizing

Fertilizing is mainly topdressing for plots with poor growth performance or insufficient base fertilizer, with topdressing applied in stages in combination with rainy periods and watering periods to improve fertilizer use efficiency.

(3) Weeding

After the seedlings recover, and after rain and watering, carry out intertillage, which helps reduce weeds and promote crop growth.

(4) Pest and disease control

For the cayenne pepper, the focus of pest and disease control is damping-off disease, anthracnose, viral disease, cotton bollworm and yellow tea mite, etc. Low-toxicity and high-efficiency pesticides can be selected for control.

Warm reminder: Cayenne pepper should be harvested in time. If there are many green peppers at harvest, ethephon can be sprayed 7 to 10 days before harvest to promote reddening. After harvest, dry and air-dry them for preservation. Dried cayenne pepper also has very good market prospects. At present, among the national dried pepper cultivation area, cayenne pepper has already jumped to first place.