By Vincent Kipyegon
Capsicum, popularly known as pilipili hoho, is a short term vegetable crop mainly used to add spicy flavours and essential nutrients to meals. Capsicum provides essential health benefits and diet to the body. It keeps the heart healthy, it is rich in vitamin B6 which is important for formation of red blood cells thus reducing heart diseases. It is low in fat thus improves metabolism and aids in weight loss. Additionally, capsicum lowers the risk of cancer through its rich antioxidant content.
Capsicums are categorized into various categories based on their vibrant colours. Green capsicum is a widely grown and consumed variety in Kenya. Other varieties include: yellow, red, purple and white capsicum. The green variety is mostly grown outdoors while the others are grown in green house as they require optimum temperature to develop and change colour.
Conditions for growing capsicum
Soils:
Capsicum requires well drained deep loam soil rich in organic matter with an ideal soil pH between 5.2 and 7. This provides the conditions necessary for the crop to thrive.
Climate:
Capsicums thrive well in temperature between 15oC-37oC. Temperatures below 12o C can lead to blight attack on capsicum leaves while high temperatures might lead to pre-mature growth of capsicum fruits.
Moderate annual rainfall between 700mm-1200mm is suitable for capsicum production. Irrigation is required where rainfall is below 700mm. Too much rainfall can smother the capsicum roots as well as cause rotting of capsicum fruits during maturity stage.
It is therefore advisable to grow capsicum preferably during short rain seasons; April-June and August-December. Moderate sunshine is vital for the growth and development of capsicum plant leaves and fruiting.
Nursery formation
Capsicum seeds can be grown in two ways:
1.) The first method is using seed trays filled with coco peat in a green house. Coco peat is made of coco pith that is produced from the husk that grows around the hard coconut and is rich in phosphorus. Seed trays ensure the maximum growth of seedlings and eradicates the risk of soil borne diseases and pest attacks on the seedlings.
2.) The second method is using a nursery seedbed which should be close to the farm to avoid shock to the seedlings during transplanting.
The nursery is created by digging up soil lumps into uniform texture. One week before planting, mix the soil well with decomposed compost manure or slurry. Raise the bed slightly above the ground level to protect seeds from surface runoff and rain splashes.
Make 2 cm furrows 15cm apart. Mix the soil with seed then insert them into furrows. Then water and mulch the surface with dry grass.
Germination occurs after 7-10 days. Once the seeds have germinated, remove the mulch and install a raised overhead shade for the seedbed. Irrigation is carried out regularly up to the fourth week after which it is reduced gradually for the remaining time; this prepares the seedling for adaptations on field conditions. Weeding should also be done regularly by hand. After six weeks, the seedlings will be ready for transplanting.
Transplanting capsicum seedlings
Land preparation should begin one month before transplanting, plough the land deeply. Harrow the field twice to loosen the soil and break large soil lumps. Apply the decomposed compost manure or slurry on the field, 15 tons per acre. Dispatch the manure into the soil by use of hand hoe. Ensure the farm is level and the soil surface is smooth. Irrigate the land if it fails to rain the day before transplanting.
Trans-planting should be carried out early in the morning or late in the evening to ensure proper nursery-field transition of seedlings. Water the nursery 2 hours before transplanting to ease the pulling of seedlings.
Dig holes 4cm deep and 45cm apart in a row by 60cm apart between rows. Holes are dug with a hand hoe or drilled using sharp stick ideally with a depth of 0.6 inches. Place the seedling in the hole and cover gently with soil. Irrigate the field immediately after trans-planting.
Fertilization should be done 10 days after planting, apply the first foliar feed fertilizer followed by a series of top dressing using organic foliar feeds every 14 days . Flowering occurs during the 3rd and 4th week. The fruits start maturing between 75 th and 90th days.
NB: It is important to undertake soil test before transplanting in order to determine the nutrients on the soil.
Field management
- Weeding
Weeding should be carried out at least twice depending on rainfall and the fertility of the filed. This should be done using hand hoe. When the plants are 2 months on the farm, the weed should be uprooted by hand to avoid exposing the capsicum roots.
- Irrigation
Irrigation must be done the next day after transplanting if it does not rain. It should continue regularly until harvest period except in periods where there is rainfall. The capsicum field should always remain moist as capsicum thrives well in aerated soil.
Fertigation, a process of applying soluble based fertilizers to plant via irrigation, should be done on 14 days basis. This leads to a better yield of capsicum fruits sizes.
- Unearthing
Unearthing is done during weeding. It involves loosening and surrounding the soil around the capsicum plant. This ensures that surface rain water does not clog around the roots. Unearthing should be done gently to avoid disturbing and exposing the roots.
When the plant develops fruits, the soil should be leveled to avoid fruits coming into contact with capsicum fruit which may lead to rotting.
Pest and disease management
The diseases that may affect capsicum plants include powdery mildew, downy mildew, blight and fruit rot. They can be managed through crop rotation, proper farm hygiene practice, regular irrigation and best agronomic practices. Decayed fruits are removed from the farm during irrigation.
The pests that may attack the capsicum include the cutworms, aphids, thrips, spider mites, broad mites and termites. They can be controlled by 1.) use of copper based organic fungicides from the agrovet, 2.) neem and garlic extracts can be used against downy mildew and powdery mildew by spraying on attacked plant.
Foliar fertilizer is applied to the crop 10 days after transplanting and applied continuously at intervals – preferably 2 weeks – until the harvest is completed. These fertilizers add nutrients to crops at all stages of growth giving optimum fruit yield as well as controlling pests and diseases.
Harvesting
Capsicum is ready for harvest 3 months after transplanting. Ripe capsicum fruit produces a pungent smell. Green capsicum remains green while other varieties turn to their respective colours. The fruit is harvested by plucking gently by hand from the main stem. Capsicum fruits can be harvested for up to 6 months on a weekly interval. Curing is done by removing wounded and decayed fruits from the farm.
Capsicum is a perishable crop thus harvesting relies heavily on orders from the market. Harvesting should be carried out early in the morning on the day of transport to the market so as to keep it as fresh as possible. During this period, the crop should produce between 4 to 6 tonnes of capsicum fruits on a 0.25 acre farm.
Post-harvest handling
The capsicum fruit is then cleaned by rinsing with clean water immediately after harvest. The fruits are then sorted according to size; large, medium and small then they are weighed and packed into 50kg bags ready for transport.
Marketing
Capsicum prices fluctuates depending on supply and market location in Kenya. The price ranges between Ksh35- Ksh60 per Kg and/or 3 capsicum fruits sell at Ksh20.
Conclusion
Growing capsicum can result in huge returns over less input; 50 grams of capsicum seed can produce between 4000 and 6000 seedlings which can produce 4 tonnes on a 0.25 acre farm. With a ready market, capsicum can provide huge yields with small input over a short period of time providing high returns on investment.