Efficient Open-Field Cultivation Techniques for Line Chili Peppers: Selecting and Breeding Good Seed Is Key

Chili pepper varieties can be divided into line chili, facing-heaven chili, millet chili and so on. Among them, line chili has a strong spicy flavor, strong adaptability and simple cultivation management. Line chili has a long growth cycle and can be harvested in multiple batches, so scientific and reasonable management can greatly improve cultivation efficiency. Let us learn about efficient open-field cultivation techniques for line chili peppers together.

1. Select good varieties

At present, the most widely planted line chili variety is 8819 line chili. Its main characteristics are: plant height about 75cm, short and compact plant shape, strong growth vigor, dichotomous branching, with 3-5 basal lateral branches. The fruits are clustered, long finger-shaped, deep red, glossy, about 15cm long, suitable for making dried chili, with a finished product rate of about 85%. The dried chili has a bright red color, finely wrinkled fruit surface, moderate spiciness and good marketability. It is medium-early maturing, with a growth period of about 180d (days). It has strong disease resistance and strong resistance to senescence and rot drop. It has good high-yield, stable-yield and multi-processing characteristics, generally producing more than 300kg of dried chili per 667m2.

2. Raising seedlings

Hot-water seed soaking. Hot-water seed soaking is a simple and easy seed disinfection method. It can kill pathogens attached to the seed surface and some pathogens lurking inside the seeds.

Low temperature. Variable-temperature germination promotion: after hot-water seed soaking, wash the seeds with clean water and spread them evenly on a clean, moist pure cotton towel, then roll it up layer by layer from one end, place it in a culture container or an open plastic bag, and keep it in a 20-23 degrees C incubator or on a radiator, uncovering it once a day for ventilation. After 84 hours, 80% have broken white, and sowing can begin. This germination method takes a long time, but the sprouts produced are strong, and it is especially suitable for raising seedlings in winter or early spring. After sowing, seedlings emerge quickly and neatly; emergence is 12 days faster than with germination in a constant-temperature incubator above 25 degrees C, and the emergence rate is 35% higher.

Emergence management. Fertilizer and water management: after the two cotyledons unfold, a 0.3% urea solution can be sprayed on the seedling trays when replenishing water to promote seedling growth. Pest and disease control: mix 1500 times 60% Baitai with 8000 times 70% Aimeile in water and spray the seedling trays to control seedling-stage diseases and pests such as aphids and planthoppers. Temperature management: generally before sprouting, 28 degrees C-30 degrees C during the day and 20 degrees C-25 degrees C at night; after 60% sprouting, lower the temperature slightly to 24 degrees C-28 degrees C during the day and 17 degrees C-18 degrees C at night, not lower than 12 degrees C. If the temperature is too low, the speed of emergence is affected, and young seedlings are prone to root rot and damping-off. Seedling age control: local farmers are accustomed to transplanting at the “topped flower” stage, when the seedlings have 9-11 leaves. Experiments show that this is a poor habit; chili peppers transplanted at this time find it very difficult for the first fruit to set, causing excessive vegetative growth and internode elongation. Transplanting should be moved earlier to when the first fruit is budding, when the seedlings generally have 78 leaves. After such seedlings are transplanted, they bush out earlier and can bloom successively after bushing out, and the plants have sufficient nutrition, which is beneficial to the development of early fruits and makes it less likely to form deformed fruits.

3. Close planting of line chili

For sun-dried chili, the harvest period is concentrated and sowing is relatively late; the key to increasing yield is increasing density, usually using hole planting, with 3000 holes per mu and 2-3 plants per hole.

Field transplanting should preferably use plastic film: make beds, apply fertilizer and cover with film. First, open fertilizer trenches 15cm deep at a spacing of 1.3-1.5m: apply heavy base fertilizer in the trenches, that is, 1500-4000kg of farmyard manure per mu (as much as can be fixed) and 2/3 of 50kg compound fertilizer; then pile and scrape the soil on both sides toward the fertilizer trench to form the bed, and spread the remaining 1/3 of the compound fertilizer on the bed surface; after mixing the surface fertilizer with the soil using a hoe, cover with film, press the edges and set the seedlings. Black film and dual-color composite film give better results; use a new method for setting seedlings: adjust the specification to two rows per bed with single-plant planting, 17cm from the trench edge, with a plant spacing of about 30cm, and about 3000 plants per mu. The seedling age should preferably be 5-6 leaves, ensuring that after the seedlings recover, buds and fruits set at the branching point of 7-8 leaves. When planting seedlings, use a bamboo or wooden stick to poke holes through the film into the soil according to the specification, straighten the seedlings and place them into the holes, then take fine soil to naturally fill the soil holes, pour half a ladle of root-setting water, and then cover the film holes with fine soil. Remember not to press the fine soil in the holes tightly against the seedlings by hand, otherwise it will cause stiff seedlings; the film holes at the roots must be fully covered with fine soil to prevent the seedlings from being burned to death on sunny days.

4. Management during the fruiting period

When entering the vigorous growth period (after the appearance of 45 branches), pay attention to proper ventilation, cooling and dehumidification to prevent excessive vegetative growth and avoid flower and fruit drop. Water frequently in small amounts and keep the soil alternately dry and moist. Pruning is most critical for this type of variety. First, promptly cut back side branches; if side branches are not cut back, the branches can extend to 1.5m, with tips as thin as a ballpoint pen refill, and there is no yield to speak of. Second, cultivate middle and lower side branches; this type of variety can form flower buds as soon as branches emerge, so pay attention to cultivating middle and lower side branches so that the whole plant remains within a certain space and achieves upper-lower ventilation, light penetration and strength. Third, the pruning time should be around 10 a.m., so that the wounds caused by removing side branches can heal in time and prevent pathogen invasion.

5. Harvesting line chili

Generally harvested all at once, or green peppers, dark red peppers or red peppers can be harvested in stages in a timely manner according to market demand to reduce nutrient consumption, with 250-350kg of sun-dried finished product per mu.