module x: soil moisture relationships and irrigation

Module X: Soil Moisture Relationships and Irrigation

Lesson 2: Irrigation in Chili Pepper Cultivation

After completing this lesson, you have learned to answer:

1. Why chili pepper yields are often low when grown under rainfed conditions?

2. How irrigation helps chili pepper crop?3. What is the advantage of pre-sowing irrigation in

chili pepper cultivation?4. Which are the critical stages for water requirement

in chili pepper plant growth?



After completing this lesson, you have learned to answer:

4. What symptoms help you to decide the irrigation requirement for chili pepper crop?

5. List the irrigation schedule for a ratoon chili pepper crop?

6. What contingency plan you will follow in the event of drought during the chili pepper crop growth?



Chili pepper is mainly grown under irrigated situation. Only about 8% of chili pepper area is rainfed.

Chili pepper crop is exposed to drought conditions very often during its growth and consequently the yields are lower than the potential yield.

So, if the farmers want higher chili pepper yields even during the rainy season, the answer is irrigation if water is available.


Lesson 2: Irrigation in Chili Pepper Cultivation How irrigation helps chili pepper crop?

• Allows efficient use of inputs

• Increases yield

• Improves quality of grain

• Improves reliability and reduces risk • Increases profitability



Adequate soil moisture at sowing assure uniform plant stand and contributes to early plant growth.

Pre-plant irrigation can supply this moisture when early rains do not fill the root zone prior to planting.

If the seedbed contains sufficient moisture for good germination and early plant growth but subsoil moisture is lacking, water may be supplied by irrigating the crop after emergence.



Allowing seed to remain in dry soil for several days may result in poor germination and seedling vigour.

So, irrigation prior to sowing is recommended if water is available.

Whether irrigating before or after planting, apply no more water than required to fill the effective root zone.

Encourage deep rooting by maintaining only moderate soil moisture levels during early vegetative growth.



Moderate plant moisture stress during early vegetative growth normally does not significantly limit grain yield.

However, adequate moisture must be available by the boot stage.

Irrigation at the flowering to fruits stages also has consistently maintained high yield potential.



Irrigation intervals and the amount of water to apply is determined by:

• rainfall • soil's water-holding characteristics • plant rooting depth and • other climatic conditions like air

temperature etc.



The visible signs for giving the irrigation to the crop or the moisture requirement of crop are: • drooping and withering of leaves during morning period, • leaves feel some what warm during noon instead of cool, and • cracking of the soil surface of the field.

Plan irrigations to provide adequate soil moisture during these high water requirement periods.


Lesson 2: Irrigation in Chili Pepper CultivationIrrigation for a ratoon crop

i. Irrigate immediately after harvest the main crop.

ii. Irrigation should not be delayed for more than 24 hours after cutting.

iii. Irrigate on 3rd or 4th day after cutting.

iv. Subsequently irrigate once in 7-10 days.

v. Stop irrigation on 70-80 days after ratooning.



Drought Contingency Plan For Rainy Season Crop

1. Early onset of monsoon followed by a long gap:

Repeated intercultivation operations for some moisture conservation like hoeing, weeding and mulching are suggested.

Under severe moisture stress, reduce the plant population by 2/3 by thinning for judicious use of moisture.



Drought Contingency Plan For rainy season 2. Delayed onset of monsoon:

Normal recommendation can be followed. In case there is delay in monsoon by 2-3 week, short duration cultivars such as CSH 6 and CSH 14 can be preferred.


Lesson 2: Irrigation in Chili Pepper CultivationSummary: Light Soils

Crop Stage Irrigations After sowing

Germination or establishment 1 1st day2 4th day

Regulate irrigation during vegetative phase 1 15th day

2 28th dayFlowering phase (copious irrigation) 1 40 th day

2 52nd day3 64th day

Maturity phase (control irrigation) 1 75th day

2 88th dayStop irrigation thereafter



Summary: Heavy Soils

Crop Stage Irrigations After sowing

Germination or establishment 1 1st day2 4th day

Regulate irrigation during vegetative phase 1 17th day

2 30th dayFlowering phase (copious irrigation) 1 45 th day

2 60th dayMaturity phase (control irrigation) 1 90th day

Stop irrigation thereafter



With this, the Lesson 2 on irrigation in chili pepper cultivation, and also this Module 10 concludes.

If you would like to check your understanding about soil moisture and irrigation in chili pepper cultivation, please click on the “Exercise” button given above.

Next, Module 11 provides information about harvesting and storing of chili pepper .

Click “Modules” button and select Module 11

module x: soil moisture relationships and irrigation

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