Detailed Explanation of Key High-Yield Cultivation Techniques for Tianying No. 8 Pepper

Tianying pepper is a fresh-eating and processing dual-purpose variety originally introduced by Tianjin foreign trade from a Japanese cluster pepper variety, and developed through years of cultivation, domestication and artificial selection. Because the fruit has a high dry matter content and extremely strong pungency, it is mainly used for dried pepper production. In the 1980s to 1990s at the end of the last century, the dried peppers produced were mainly for export to Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asian countries, with only a small portion sold domestically to provinces that favor spicy peppers. Due to fluctuations in export volume between years, market prices were also unstable, seriously affecting Tianying pepper cultivation. Since the beginning of this century, consumer demand in various provinces and regions across the country has gradually increased, domestic sales have surpassed export sales, and the planting area has grown steadily. The planted varieties have also improved from the original pepper length of 3 cm to more than 5 cm, and the plant height has changed from the original short-stem type to the tall-stem type. Correspondingly, dried pepper yield has developed from the original 400 jin per 667 sq m to the current around 800 jin, and the planting benefits in various places are quite considerable. Pepper, originating from the tropical regions of Central and South America, belongs to the Solanaceae family and is a warm-loving vegetable. The suitable temperature for seed germination is 25-30 degrees, and the suitable temperature range for seedling growth is 20-28 degrees, with 25-30 degrees during the day and 15-18 degrees at night being preferable. During seedling growth, good light conditions are needed, with a light saturation point of 30000 lux and a light compensation point of 1500 lux. Pepper prefers fertile, loose, well-aerated substrate with a neutral to slightly acidic pH.

Tianying No. 8 pepper is a high-yield variety bred based on the combination of foreign trade export requirements and domestic market demand. It has strong growth vigor and a relatively compact plant type; flower clusters are borne at the tops of the main and lateral branches, and flowering and fruiting times are relatively concentrated; the peppers grow upward, with a pepper length of about 5 cm, shorter fruit stalks, dark red mature fruit, glossy fruit surface, no deformed fruit, thick flesh and extremely strong pungency. Its drought resistance, waterlogging tolerance and virus resistance are obviously superior to the control. After many years of planting in main production areas such as Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Shanxi, Beijing and Tianjin, its resistance to continuous cropping is outstanding. With early pruning cultivation techniques, dried pepper yield is about 700-800 jin, and under high water and fertilizer conditions there is a record of 1000 jin per mu.

I. Sowing and Seedling Raising 1. Seedling Preparation Select fertile soil rich in organic matter as the seedling bed nutrient base soil. Add 25 kg of decomposed chicken manure, 1 kg each of urea and potassium sulfate, 0.5 kg of diammonium phosphate, and 100 g of 50% carbendazim powder per cubic meter. Mix evenly with the seedling bed base soil, sieve, and make nutrient soil. Place it into the seedling bed. If using seedling trays, put the nutrient soil into the seedling trays for later use. 2. Seed Treatment Soak the seeds in warm water at 30-40 degrees for 4 hours, then disinfect in a 0.5% potassium permanganate solution for half an hour. Remove the seeds, rinse them clean with clear water, and air-dry the surface moisture of the seeds before sowing. 3. Sowing Sow in early to mid-March. Arrange the seedling bed area at 10 sq m of seedling bed per mu (667 sq m) of production field. About 15 g of seed is needed per sq m (150 g of seed per mu of production field). Before sowing, make the field into seedling beds 1-1.5 m wide (the bed width can be flexibly controlled according to the specific plot to facilitate seedling separation, weeding and other work), with unlimited length. Randomly dig cover soil from multiple points within and sieve it (moist soil below 5 cm from the surface and above 25 cm), level the bed surface horizontally, water thoroughly, and after there is no standing water on the bed surface, sow the treated seeds at the required sowing density. Then cover with about 1 cm thick sieved cover soil (in night-damp land or areas with low surface evaporation, the cover soil thickness can be halved). Spread 15 g of poison bait per sq m of bed surface to prevent underground pests. The poison bait is made by mixing 10 g of trichlorfon crystals with 300 g of water and spraying it onto 500 g of bran or soybean cake that has been fried until fragrant (a little lard can be added during frying to enhance the aroma). After the above is completed, cover with plastic film to retain moisture and increase temperature. Before emergence, the temperature in the bed should be changed slightly as needed. For seedling tray raising, after sowing, place the seedling trays directly in a greenhouse or small arched shed. Direct sowing in spring fields can begin around mid-April (3-5 days before the final frost). Draw furrows at a row spacing of 50 cm, sow in staggered holes at a plant spacing of 20-25 cm, with 2-3 seeds per hole (depending on fertility, keep 1-2 seedlings per hole), using about 1500 g of seed per mu. 4. Seedling Stage Management The reproductive growth tissue differentiation of Tianying No. 8 has already begun at the seedling stage. It is very important to provide suitable conditions for the growth and development of pepper seedlings during this period, especially in the seedling transplanting method, where the seedling stage environment is relatively small and artificial control is relatively easy. Before emergence, the temperature in the bed should be kept at 25-30 degrees during the day and 15-18 degrees at night; after emergence, ventilate appropriately and gradually lower the temperature in the shed, keeping it around 20 degrees during the day and not lower than 10 degrees at night, and spray with 700-fold thiophanate-methyl for disease prevention. At the cotyledon flattening stage, carry out the first thinning; at the 2-3 true leaf stage, carry out the second thinning, requiring 666-700 seedlings per sq m, while removing weeds. At the end of April and beginning of May, gradually ventilate to harden the seedlings and promote strong seedlings. Seven days before transplanting, remove the film to increase the intensity of seedling hardening. For direct-sown fields, thin the seedlings in stages after emergence. Thinning should not be too late, so as to avoid mutual influence among seedlings. Pull out weak and small seedlings and retain those with strong growth vigor.

II. Site Selection and Bed Making Tianying No. 8 had better not be continuously cropped. An appropriate previous crop should be selected, preferably field crops or onion, garlic, and legume vegetable crops. Do not plant in continuous cropping with millet, sweet potato, peanut, pepper, tomato, eggplant, potato, etc. The general rotation period is 2-3 years, and it can also be intercropped with watermelon (sweet melon). Transplanting fields should be given sufficient base fertilizer; high soil fertility is the guarantee for obtaining high yield. Generally, apply 5000 kg of decomposed farmyard manure, 500 kg of cottonseed cake fertilizer, 50 kg of superphosphate, and 10-15 kg of potassium sulfate per mu. When making beds, appropriately broadcast 10-15 kg of urea or 15 kg of diammonium phosphate under the ridges. Or directly apply 40 kg per mu of 17-17-17 compound fertilizer. Three to five days before transplanting, make large beds 2-4 m wide and of unlimited length according to the terrain, to facilitate irrigation or drainage. High-ridge cultivation should be adopted, requiring a ridge height of 15-20 cm.

III. Timely Transplanting When the average daily temperature steadily passes about 19 degrees in mid-to-late May and the 5 cm soil temperature reaches above 17 degrees, it is suitable for pepper root and stem-leaf growth. At this time, Tianying No. 8 pepper seedlings are 70-80 days old, about 18 cm tall, with a stem diameter of about 2.5-3.0 mm, a leaf area of 100 sq cm, 8 true leaves, and some plants have small flower buds. Water the seedling bed thoroughly 1-3 days before transplanting, and choose a windless cloudy day or afternoon for transplanting. The planting density should be determined according to the fertility level. For high-fertility and high-water plots, plant about 5000 holes, in staggered holes, with 2 plants per hole being suitable; for low-fertility and low-water plots, plant about 6500 holes, with single-plant staggered hole planting, row spacing 50-55 cm, and hole spacing depending on density. After planting, scatter 2.5 kg of poison bait per 667 sq m to control underground pests.