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Water and Irrigation

Field preparation and sowing

Time of sowing and transplanting depends upon temperature, rainfall, varieties and availability of irrigation facilities. Generally, chilli is raised by transplanting but in some cases direct seeding is also practices for production of dry ripe chilli. In Sikkim, raised beds are prepared by making a pit of 0.5 ft at a spacing of one meter for cherry cherry pepper.

Soil :

Sandy loam soils with good fertility status and moderate pH should be preferred. The plant is highly susceptible to oxygen deficiency in the soil. In ill-drained soils, plants shed leaves and turn sickly. 

Nursery beds should be made near partially shaded areas. The nursery is raised on a high, well-drained bed as stagnation of water hampers the crop. The area is ploughed 3-4 times to have a fine tilth.

Nursery raising :

Flat bed sowing of nursery is common in chili. To get early crop the nursery should be raised in polyhouse in root trainer. Under polyhouse and root trainer, seedlings become ready after 45 days of seed sowing. Whereas in flat bed it takes more than two months in winter season. 

Time of sowing :
For the main crop, the seed is sown in nursery from Feb to Mar. The seedlings are transplanted in the main field from middle of Mar to middle of Apr. The transplanting of the crop is done in the second half of February or first half of March depending upon the weather. 

Seed rate :
For nursery-raising, 1 ½ to 2 kilograms of good quality seeds is enough for 250 square metres that will provide sufficient seedlings for transplanting one hectare. Seeds taken from healthy, well-matured fruits selected for the purpose are mixed with ashes and sown evenly in well-manured nursery-beds. 

Seed Treatment :
The use of bio-fertilizer is recommended in chilli. Azospirillium is more effective. It can be applied as a seed treatment, seedling treatment and as direct application through soil. For treating seeds 200g of Azosspirillium should be mixed with 200ml of boiled and cooled rice water. About 500g seeds can be soaked in it and dried in shade for 30 minutes before sowing. For seedling treatment, slurry can be prepared by dissolving 40 g of Azospirillium in a 2 litres of water. The roots should be dipped in the slurry for 15 minutes before transplanting. For soil application Azospirillium @ 2.0 kg/ha should be mixed with 20kg of farmyard manure or compost. 

Method of Sowing :
Before sowing seeds should be soaked in water then the seeds should be rubbed thoroughly with hand in water. The practice of line-sowing helps in locating weeds and removing them in early stages. The distance between lines should be 4-5 cm. The seeds should be covered with thin layer of well-rotted manure or sand. 

Mulching with paddy straw soon after sowing conserves moisture. The mud should be removed as soon as the seeds start germinating. The seedlings are irrigated every day and manured either with Ammonium Sulphate or with some oilcake. Heavy watering should be avoided in the nursery. 

Transplanting of seedlings :
The main field is ploughed and harrowed 3 or 4 times, followed by the same number of plunking in order to produce fine tilth. About 100 cartloads of farmyard manure or compost per hectare is applied at the last ploughing. If the manure is not properly rotten, the crop suffers from termites. Therefore, it is advisable to apply manure to the preceding crop. Some farmers also do sheep penning and pen, in addition to the application of manures. Green–manuring is recommended for the areas of assured rainfall and also for the irrigated crop. 

In some areas of Sikkim where monsoon is early it can be transplanted from March to July. The spacing should be kept 1m X 1m for cherry pepper.

The seedlings are ready for transplanting. They are generally transplanted on a cloudy evening preceding rain, or when it is actually drizzling. A shower at or after transplanting helps the seedlings to take a quick foothold; in the absence of it, a light watering is given.