Importance

Grown for chilly fruit

• Important spice used mostly in cooking of all vegetables, pulses and other salty preparations
• Pungency is due to the ‘oleoresin capsaicin’, a volatile alkaloid
• Acidity is due to a crystaline acrid substance, ‘capsaicin’
• Capsaicin is found more in small chilies compared to larger one
• 100 g of edible portion contains 92.4g water,
• 2g protein, 29 calories energy, 11 mg calcium, 870 IU vitamin A, 175 mg ascorbic acid, 0.06 thiamine, 0.03 mg riboflavin and 0.55 mg niacin.

Climate and soil

• Warm season crop for hill region and can be cultivated up to the altitude of 2000m and winter crop for terai
• Susceptible to frost
• A temperature range of 20-25°C is ideal
• Do not tolerate excessive moisture and may lead to flower and fruit drop
• Fruiting is restricted above 34°C
• Plants at 10 to 15.6°C at the time of anthesis set 99.3 % of the flowers, but all fruits develop parthenocarpically
• Soil: Wide range (Sandy loam to heavy clay), pH 6.0-7.0