Black Pepper Production Guide

Black Pepper (Piper Nigrum Linn) is a viny perrenial plant producing berry-like and aromatic
pungent fruits. It is locally known as pamienta or paminta which belongs to Family Piperaceae.
Leaves are thick, green with ovate shape. Flowers are white and minute which produce fruits borne
on short, hanging spikes 4 t0 12 cm. long. Berry-like fruits are green when unripe and become red
at maturity.

Dried ripe berries become black and wrinkled constituting black pepper. Black pepper yield both
black and white pepper. Black pepper is made by drying ripe or unripe fruits under the sun; white
pepper by soaking, treating and removing outer skin of berry before drying.

Peppercorn is marketed whole or ground. Black pepper is used as a seasoning in food preparation
to enhance food acceptability. Essential oils cleoresions extracted from black pepper are used in the
preparation of piperazine elixir, a drug formulation for removal of round-worms in intestinal tract of
human beings.

Varieties of black pepper are classified according to their respective source of origin, most common
are Batangas, Laguna, Quezon, Davao, Zamboanga or Basilan black pepper.

SOIL AND CLIMATE

Black pepper grows in almost all types of soil. However, it thrives well in loose, well-drained soil. It
is best suited under humid climate with rainfall of 100 to 250 cm and in an elevation of 350 meters
above sea level.

CULTURE

Seedbedding

Propagation of black pepper cuttings is prepared in seedbeds like vegetable crops. Till soil with
garden hoe and reduce soil to very fine tilt. As soil is pulverized, add fine river sand to make bed
more porous. Incorporate compost to make it more fertile. Drench seedbed with Captan spray
solution at a concentration of 5 level tablespoonfuls Captan per gallon of water. Apply solution at
the rate of one petroleum canful per 5 square meters of bed.

Propagation

Black pepper is propagated by sowing seed, marcotting and by stem cutting. Of the three methods,
stem cutting is generally employed using both terminal stem and lateral branches. Select planting
materials from high yielding hermaphrodite mother plant. Divide stem into cuttings each with 3-5
internodes and cuttings are rooted in sandy seedbed under shade. Insert cutting at 45degree angle
15 centimeters apart each way. When cutting has developed 4-7 new leaves, then it is ready for
transplanting in the field.

In marcotting method, secure black pepper branches on 1/2 inch wide bamboo pegs and cut each
of them at fourth node from top of cacao or mabolo leaf filled with clean garden soil or moist
sphagnum moss. If plastic sheet is available, cut into, convenient pieces and use for enclosing soil
or moss and tie both ends with string or vegetable tying material. In 3-4 weeks, each marcot can be
separated from mother plant and set in the field.
Land Preparation

For backyard planting select well-drained area and divide into equal areas of 2 x 2 square meter
lots. To each corner of these lots, dig holes 60 cm sq about 40 cm deep, separate topsoil from
subsoil. At center of hole, plant kakawate post 4 cm in diameter and 2 meters long for pepper
vines to climb on as they grow. Fill up holes with 50-50 mixture of compost and topsoil. For large
scale planting whether in cultivated or newly opened land, choose rolling area to have good
drainage For newly opened area, other crops may be planted first for at least 3 years to free it from
decaying tree stumps which may be sources of diseases. After 3 years, prepare land as backyard
planting.

TRANSPLANTING

Transplant black pepper at the start of rainy season, 800 cm apart from the post with seedlings
opposite each other. Around 3,200 seedlings are needed per hectare. It starts to bear fruits three
years after planting. Open space can be utilized for planting short-lived catch crops such as
snapbeans, ginger, hot and sweet pepper at a distance of one meter away from black pepper
rows.>

MANAGEMENT

Black pepper needs weeding, mulching and pruning. When seedling reaches one or two feet high,
nip off the top growing vine to induce more branching. Prune old and unproductive branches and
crowding laterals.

Farmers engaged in black pepper farming do not usually use extensive commercial fertilizers, but
to ensure abundant harvest, apply the following rates:

Plant Age Rate

6 months old 100 grams of 14-14-14**

1 year 220 grams of 14-14-14

2 years 500-700 grams of 14-14-14

*Add compost to each hill every 2 to 3 months.

**The Three Main Nutrients That Are in the Bag

A fertilizer has three numbers printed on the package that state the percentage (by weight) of the
three main plant nutrientsnitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), and potassium (K). For example, you
might see a bag labeled 4-7-6. The first number (4), refers to nitrogen, the second number (7),
refers to phosphorous, and the third number (6), refers to potassium. Common fertilizer formulas
you may see sold for vegetables are 4-6-6, 10-10-10, or 14-14-14. Often they are listed in a section
called Guaranteed Analysis, which is required by law to list each and every nutrient in the
package and the percentage of each. Just remember NPK, which stands for nitrogen (N),
phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). The formula represents the ratio of these three ingredients
always in that order.
Nitrogen (N) fuels new growth. All vegetables and herbs need some nitrogen. Some, like corn, need
more, while others, like sweet peas, need very little.
Phosphorous (P) promotes root development, which helps strengthen plants. It also
increases blooms. This is a very important nutrient, especially as plants start out.
 Potassium (K) is essential to many plant functions and their overall health. It also helps
plants withstand stressful weather and defend against diseases.
Calcium (Ca) improves general plant vigor and promotes growth of young roots and shoots.
Magnesium (Mg) helps regulate the uptake of other plant foods and aids in seed-making. It is
also important to the dark green color of plants.
Sulfur (S) helps foliage maintain a dark green color while encouraging vigorous plant growth.
Minor, or trace, elements are nutrients used by plants in very small amounts but that are still
essential to plant health. Iron (Fe) is the one you will commonly see added to fertilizer because it is
often lacking in poor soils; it aids in the conversion of sunlight to energy and helps plant foliage
maintain a dark green color. Manganese, boron, zinc, copper, and molybdenum are sometimes
present in fertilizer, too. Chlorine and cobalt are also needed for plant growth but are rarely added
to fertilizer.
Organic fertilizers usually have low numbers, such as 4-7-6, but they often contain plenty of
other nutrients, and they support the health of soil microbes and other components of the soil food
web.
!! High-nitrogen sources such as alfalfa, cottonseed meal, feather meal, chicken manure,
and other hot agricultural by-products can injure plants if they come into direct contact with their
roots.

CONTROL OF PESTS AND DISEASES

Common pests are leafhoppers, root grubs, and African snails. Control leafhoppers by spraying with
either Sevin or Malathion at the rate of one level tablespoonful per gallon of water. Drench hill with
Aldrin spray at a concentration of on tablespoonful per gallon of water to control grubs. Collect
snails and use them as fertilizer or poison with baits obtained at BPI.

Black pepper, when properly planted, is not prone to any seriouse diseases outbreak.

HARVESTING

Peppercorn (berry-like fruit) matures in 5 to 6 months. The whole spike is ready for picking when:
peppercorn in a spike turns cherry-red
peppercorn turns from dark green to shiny yellowish green
peppercorn has brownish cotyledon when pinched.

Harvest during sunny days. Open basket or sack used as container is tied to the waist of harvester.
He twirls the spike with one hand while he holds the peduncle with the other hand.

DRYING

There are two ways of drying black pepper to yield two types of black pepper: the black peppercorn
and the white pepper. Black peppercorn is black pepper dried under the sun or solar radiation to 12
% moisture content. Spread peppercorn on mat and remove spike, then peppercorn is winnowed,
cleaned and stored in sacks. To produce white pepper, remove ripe berries from spikes, place in
bags and soak in running water 1 to 2 weeks to soften skin. Remove skin by hands or by treading
on berries with the feet. Wash and dry immediately smooth, white kernels.

Source

Read more at BusinessDiary.com.ph: http://businessdiary.com.ph/2614/black-pepper-production-

guide/#ixzz4TtL9WCDI
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_pepper#Black_pepper

The pepper plant is a perennial woody vine growing up to 4 metres (13 ft) in height on supporting
trees, poles, or trellises. It is a spreading vine, rooting readily where trailing stems touch the
ground. The leaves are alternate, entire, 5 to 10 centimetres (2.0 to 3.9 in) long and 3 to 6
centimetres (1.2 to 2.4 in) across. The flowers are small, produced on pendulous spikes 4 to 8
centimetres (1.6 to 3.1 in) long at the leaf nodes, the spikes lengthening up to 7 to 15 centimetres
(2.8 to 5.9 in) as the fruit matures.[11] The fruit of the black pepper is called a drupe and when
dried is known as a peppercorn.

Pepper can be grown in soil that is neither too dry nor susceptible to flooding, moist, well-drained
and rich in organic matter (the vines do not do too well over an altitude of 900 m (3,000 ft) above
sea level). The plants are propagated by cuttings about 40 to 50 centimetres (16 to 20 in) long, tied
up to neighbouring trees or climbing frames at distances of about 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) apart; trees
with rough bark are favoured over those with smooth bark, as the pepper plants climb rough bark
more readily. Competing plants are cleared away, leaving only sufficient trees to provide shade and
permit free ventilation. The roots are covered in leaf mulch and manure, and the shoots are
trimmed twice a year. On dry soils the young plants require watering every other day during the
dry season for the first three years. The plants bear fruit from the fourth or fifth year, and typically
continue to bear fruit for seven years. The cuttings are usually cultivars, selected both for yield and
quality of fruit.

A single stem will bear 20 to 30 fruiting spikes. The harvest begins as soon as one or two fruits at
the base of the spikes begin to turn red, and before the fruit is fully mature, and still hard; if
allowed to ripen completely, the fruit lose pungency, and ultimately fall off and are lost. The spikes
are collected and spread out to dry in the sun, then the peppercorns are stripped off the spikes.