🌶Chilli and Capsicum — India's Spiciest Solanaceous Crops

In the sun-baked fields of Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, rows of bright red chillies dry on tarpaulins under the open sky. It takes 3-10 days of sun-drying to reduce moisture from 80% to just 10%, and the ratio of green to dry chilli is 10:1 — meaning 10 kg of fresh green chillies yield only 1 kg of dried chillies. This simple fact explains why dried chilli commands a premium price. Andhra Pradesh is the pioneer in chilli production, and India itself accounts for 45% of the world’s chilli cultivation area, making it the undisputed global leader.

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Botanical Identity

Chilli vs Capsicum — Same Species, Different Heat

Both chilli and capsicum (bell pepper / sweet pepper / Shimla Mirch) belong to the same species (Capsicum annuum), but they differ fundamentally in pungency. Chilli is hot due to high capsaicin content, while capsicum is mild and sweet with negligible capsaicin.

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India’s Position in Global Chilli Trade

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Flower Biology and Species Identification

• Anthesis (flower opening) occurs at 5 am.
• Pusa Sadabahar (a variety of C. frutescens) is perennial in nature, unlike most annual chilli varieties.

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Capsaicin — The Heat Factor

About 90% of capsaicin is concentrated in the placenta — the central tissue connecting seeds with the pericarp. This is why removing the seeds and inner white membrane significantly reduces the heat of a chilli.

Composition of Dry Chilli

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Cultivation Practices

Seed Rate and Transplanting

• Seedlings are raised in a nursery and transplanted after 45 days.
• 7 g of good quality seed provides about 100 plants.
• Capsicum requires 15 irrigations during its growth cycle.

Managing Fruit Drop and Quality

• NAA (Planofix) @ 10 ppm and Triacontanol control fruit drop by preventing abscission layer formation.
• Calcium nitrate @ 1 litre/ha or broadcasting 25 kg/ha prevents fruit rot by strengthening cell walls.
• Long dry periods cause flower shedding and fruit fall due to moisture stress.
• Excess nitrogen + water stress causes blossom end rot in capsicum (impaired calcium uptake).
• Green to dry chilli ratio: 10:1. Sun drying takes 3-10 days (moisture reduced from 80% to 10%).

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Capsicum (Bell Pepper) Varieties

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Chilli Varieties

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Major Pests

Thrips — Most Important Pest of Chilli

• Scientific Name: Scirtothrips dorsalis
• Damage: Lacerate tissue and feed on sap, causing leaf curling, silvering, and upward cupping of leaves
• Key role: Vector for chilli leaf curl virus

Whitefly

• Scientific Name: Bemisia tabaci
• Key role: Vector for chilli mosaic virus

Management of Thrips and Whiteflies

Both can be controlled by systemic insecticides:

• Acephate @ 1.0 ml/litre of water
• Thiamethoxam @ 0.4 ml/litre spray
• Imidacloprid @ 0.5 ml/litre + Streptocycline @ 0.1 g/litre

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Major Disease

Anthracnose / Die-back

• Cause: Colletotrichum capsici (fungus)
• Symptoms: Dark, sunken lesions on fruits; die-back of shoots from tip downward
• Rains during Dec-Nov favour powdery mildew incidence

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Summary Table — Quick Exam Revision

Chilli & Capsicum Quick Revision Table

Fact	Answer
Botanical name	Capsicum annuum
Family	Solanaceae
Origin	Mexico
Pungent principle	Capsaicin (90% in placenta)
Richest vegetable source of	Vitamin C
India’s share of world chilli area	45%
Leading Indian state	Andhra Pradesh
Green to dry ratio	10:1
Drying duration	3-10 days (80% to 10% moisture)
Chilli seed rate	1.0-1.5 kg/ha
Capsicum hybrid seed rate	250 g/ha
Transplanting age	45 days
Anthesis time	5 am
Major pest	Thrips (Scirtothrips dorsalis)
Leaf curl vector	Thrips
Mosaic virus vector	Whitefly (Bemisia tabaci)
Fruit drop control	NAA @ 10 ppm
Fruit rot prevention	Calcium nitrate
First public capsicum F1	Pusa Meghdoot
GMS-based chilli hybrid	CH-1 (PAU Ludhiana)
Perennial chilli	Pusa Sadabahar (C. frutescens)
Colour extraction variety	Punjab Lal
Off-season capsicum state	Himachal Pradesh

Summary Cheat Sheet