1. Seed soaking and germination

Choose a clean container of appropriate size, pour in warm water at 55~60°C, immerse the seeds in and stir continuously, remove the seeds in about 30 minutes, and drain off the excess water. Wrap several layers of wet towel or hemp cloth outside, and place it at 28~30℃ for germination. During the germination process, use tap water or well water to rinse 1~2 times a day, which can supplement water and oxygen required for germination, and can also play the role of temperature change treatment. After being placed at 28~30℃ for 2~3 days, the temperature can be appropriately lowered at night, and the temperature change treatment can be carried out, which can speed up the germination and make it neat. Depending on the variety, the germination speed is different. Generally, the germination time is 4 to 6 days, and the seeds can be sown when the germination rate reaches about 70%.

2. sowing

The sowing period should be based on the planting period, and the planting period minus the seedling age is the sowing period. Due to different cultivation methods, regions and seedling conditions, the length of seedlings varies greatly. The northern region uses greenhouses to raise seedlings, and the seedling age is generally 70 to 90 days. If you want to use a cold bed to raise seedlings, because of the low temperature in the early stage, the growth is slow, and the seedling age is longer. In the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, cold beds are often used to raise seedlings, and the seedling age is mostly 110 to 120 days. "Autumn and winter peppers" are planted in the open field in South China and other places. The seedlings are raised in the high temperature period from August to September, and the seedling age is 20 to 25 days.

In addition to the preparation of the seeding bed and related facilities before sowing, the preparation of the soil for sowing is also very important. It is required to have good water retention, air permeability, and no pathogenic bacteria, eggs, larvae, etc. In the case of planning to transplant and divide seedlings, it is not necessary to add too much chemical fertilizer, etc. The general method is to divide the non-vegetable garden soil and organic fertilizer equally, and the organic fertilizer should be crushed and sieved to prevent the damage to the root system of the seedling by the fertilizer block. If conditions permit, peat and vermiculite can be used to prepare bed soil in a ratio of 5:2. If the acidity is too strong, a small amount of lime can be added.

Before sowing, the bed surface should be flat, and the bottom water should be adequately irrigated. Generally, the soil layer with a thickness of 10 cm should be saturated to ensure the water demand of seedlings and seedlings, and prevent soil compaction caused by insufficient bottom water and repeated irrigation in the seedling stage. It is not advisable to sow seeds before the irrigation water has penetrated into the soil. Generally, after the water infiltrates, first sprinkle a thin layer of fine loam and then sow the seeds. The seeds should be sown evenly and not too densely. Generally, 2.5~3.0m2 can be sown per 50g of seeds. When the germination rate reaches about 95%, 5000~6500 plants can emerge. Immediately after sowing, cover the soil with 1cm thick fine soil, and the thickness of the soil cover should be uniform, which is conducive to the neat emergence of seedlings. Overly thin covering soil is not conducive to maintaining moisture, and at the same time, the seed coat is not easy to fall off if the resistance is not enough, causing seedlings to "wear caps" and affect the growth of seedlings. Overly thick soil will delay the emergence of seedlings. In the absence of heating equipment, in order to ensure proper ground temperature, sowing should be carried out on a sunny day with a cold tail and a warm head.

3. Management of nursery beds

Nursery bed temperature management is the key to cultivating strong seedlings. During the period of germination and emergence of seeds, a relatively high temperature should be maintained, so that the seedlings emerge neatly. The temperature during the day is about 30~35℃, and the temperature at night is 18~20℃. When the seedlings emerge and the cotyledons are unfolded, in order to prevent the seedlings from growing too large, the temperature should be appropriately lowered to 25-27°C during the day and 17-18°C at night to ensure that the cotyledons are hypertrophic and green, the petiole length is moderate, and the growth is robust. Such as sowing in the Yang Qi, the night temperature drops quickly, and the seedlings are not easy to grow leggy. If the daily temperature is lower than 15°C and the night temperature is lower than 5°C, pepper seedlings will stop growing in a short period of time, and dead seedlings will appear in a long time. 3 to 4 days before the seedlings are divided, the temperature should be lowered, and the air should be strengthened during the day. The daily temperature should be controlled at about 25 °C and the night temperature should be about 15 °C.

Pay attention to adjust the humidity of the nursery bed. There should be sufficient moisture in the seedbed, but not too wet. When raising seedlings in the Yang Qi or solar greenhouse, because the temperature is low and the evaporation is small, the bottom water before sowing is generally enough to maintain the water needs before the seedlings are divided. Cracks in the bed soil caused by compaction and filling of seedlings when they are unearthed. The covering soil should be selected when the temperature is high at noon on a sunny day, and the thickness of each covering soil should not be too thick. When raising seedlings in a heated greenhouse, due to the high temperature and large evaporation, in addition to maintaining soil moisture by covering with moist fine soil, if the bed soil is too dry, watering can also be appropriately used, but it should not be too large, because the ground temperature of the seedbed is low , If the humidity is too high, it is prone to seedling diseases, such as damping off, blight and so on. When the humidity of the seedbed is too high, dry fine soil or dry grass ash can be sprinkled to absorb moisture, and at the same time, ventilation can be strengthened to reduce soil moisture. When the air humidity is high, there are many condensation water droplets on the film. It should be ventilated and wiped dry in time to prevent water droplets from falling into the seedbed soil.

4. seedlings

(1) Split seedlings

The seedlings are usually divided before the seedlings have 2 leaves and 1 heart to 3 leaves and 1 heart. The seedlings are divided too early, and the seedlings are small and difficult to survive, but it should not be too late. It should be before the start of flower bud differentiation, otherwise it will easily affect the normality of flower buds. differentiation. In addition, if the seedlings are divided too late, the seedlings in the seeding bed are crowded, and the light is insufficient, which can easily lead to leggy growth and yellowing and shedding of cotyledons. Generally, early-maturing varieties should be earlier, and middle-late-maturing varieties may be slightly later. The day before the seedlings are divided, the seeding bed should be watered with "seedling water" to reduce root damage. Seedling should be selected in the morning on a sunny day with "cold tail and warm head". The row spacing is 8-10cm. In the south, there is one plant per hole, and in the north, there are two plants. The long seedling age should be thin, otherwise it can be dense, but it should not be too dense, otherwise it will not be easy to cultivate strong seedlings. When dividing seedlings, pay attention to the planting depth. Generally, it should be shallow and not deep, and it is advisable to expose the cotyledons to the bed surface.

The seedbed is divided into seedlings, and the seedlings can be planted first and then watered, and the amount of water should not be too large. Small ditches can also be opened according to the row spacing, watered with a small pot, and then the seedlings are sized according to the spacing between the holes, and the soil is sealed after the water seeps in. This method is beneficial to increase the ground temperature due to the small amount of watering, and is mostly used when raising seedlings in severe cold winter. . Nutrient soil (bowl) to divide seedlings, generally water first, after the water seeps in, put the seedlings into the seedling hole, then grab the soil to cover, and squeeze gently to make the root system closely connect with the soil. After the seedlings are divided, they are generally covered with a layer of sieved fine soil, with a thickness of no more than 0.5cm, in order to maintain moisture. When using Yang Qi to divide seedlings, it is necessary to pay attention to dividing the seedlings and covering them with plastic film to improve the effect of heat preservation and moisturizing, and avoid the harm of low temperature or strong wind.

(2) Post-seedling management

Temperature management: In order to promote root growth and slow down the seedlings within a week after the seedlings are divided, a higher temperature is generally required. The seedbed should be kept at 30~35℃ during the day, 18~20℃ at night, and 18~20℃ in the ground. After 7 days, the seedlings will start The roots will grow and the new leaves will grow. After that, in order to avoid the leggy growth of the seedlings, it is necessary to gradually strengthen the ventilation and appropriate cooling. The seedbed should be kept at 25~27℃ during the day and 16~18℃ at night. The seedling exercise should be carried out 7 to 15 days before the emergence of the seedlings, and the ventilation should be further strengthened, and the temperature should be gradually lowered. The temperature of the seedlings cultivated in the open field in spring should be low, and the cultivation in protected areas can be appropriately high.

Water management: The ground seedlings are used to divide the seedlings. After about 5 to 7 days, when the seedlings send out new roots and new leaves, water them once in time, and the amount of water should be small. After watering, cultivating should be carried out as soon as possible to facilitate temperature increase, ventilation, and moisture preservation, and create good conditions for cultivating strong seedlings. Generally, the ploughing depth is 4~5cm, and the cultivator should pay attention to ploughing thoroughly and evenly, so as not to damage the roots. To control leggy seedlings, watering is usually not carried out until just before emergence. However, if the soil has become dry in the middle and will affect the growth of the seedlings, it can also be watered with a small amount of water or sprayed with a watering can 15 to 20 days before the planting. Use nutritious earthwork (pot) to divide the seedlings. After the seedlings are divided, the principle of watering when it is dry should be mastered, and the temperature should not be controlled, and there is no need for cultivating. In addition, great attention should be paid to the prevention and control of damping-off, blight, aphids and yellow mites throughout the seedling stage. Before planting, a chemical control must be carried out according to the occurrence of pests and diseases.

(3) Raising and hoarding seedlings

For seedlings raised in ground seedbeds, 4 to 6 days before planting, the seedling water should be watered once, and 1kg of ammonium sulfate can be topdressed with water every 12m2, so as to accelerate the slowing of seedlings after planting. The next day, the seedlings were cut and piled up, and the seedlings with the soil lumps were neatly stacked on the spot. The gaps between the soil lumps were filled with fine soil, and the surrounding area was enclosed with wet soil. Hoarding the seedlings can restore the injured root system of the seedlings in a more suitable environment in the seedbed, improve the stress resistance of the seedlings, and accelerate the slowing of the seedlings after colonization. However, the time of hoarding seedlings should not be too long, otherwise the soil will be dry and hard, the roots will age, and the bottom leaves will turn yellow, which will not play the role of hoarding seedlings. When there are many scattered lumps, or when it is used for cultivation in protected areas, the time for hoarding seedlings should be short rather than long.

Nutrient earthwork is used to raise seedlings. When the seedlings have 2 to 4 true leaves or the seedlings are divided slowly, the seedlings are cut and moved, and the size of the seedlings is adjusted to eliminate the influence of local temperature differences on the seedlings and make the seedlings grow neatly and consistently. When moving seedlings, the earth should be neatly stacked, and the gaps of the earth should be filled with fine soil to facilitate heat preservation. Moving seedlings can not only adjust the position of the seedlings in the seedbed, but also expand the row spacing, avoid crowding of the seedlings, prolong the age of the seedlings, and ensure the root system of the seedlings. It grows and develops in the soil, and reduces the damage to the roots after planting, so as to speed up and slow down the seedlings after the planting. The nutrient soil (bowl) should be watered once 2 to 5 days before the planting, so that the mass will not be scattered during the planting and ensure the quality of the planting.

5. Colonization

The root system of pepper is weak, the soil is shallow, the growth period is long, and there are many fruits. Therefore, it is necessary to choose sandy loam soil with high and dry terrain, deep soil layer, good drainage, and medium or above fertility. In order to prevent pests and diseases, avoid continuous cropping with nightshade vegetables. The planting plots are deeply ploughed in autumn, and basal fertilizer is applied after thawing in spring. The base fertilizer can be composted with manure, straw and human manure. More than 5000kg of base fertilizer should be applied per mu. After laying basal fertilizer, plough and prepare the land for furrowing. Wide and narrow row ridges are often used for pepper cultivation. Dig the trenches in the east-west direction, with a distance of 80~100cm. After the ditch is opened, apply high-quality organic fertilizer in the ditch, 1000~1500kg per mu, and 30kg of superphosphate. Mix fertilizer with soil. The concentrated application of high-quality fertilizers in the furrow can promote the rapid growth of plants in the early stage.

When planting, the width of the border is 1m, two rows are planted in each furrow, the row spacing is 35~40cm, the hole spacing is 27~30cm, two plants per hole, 8000~9000 plants per mu. Wide and narrow row ridge planting is not only conducive to early ridge sealing of plants, but also conducive to ventilation and light transmission, and is also convenient for field operations.

The planting period of pepper varies with different climates in different places. The principle is to plant as soon as possible after the local late frost, and the soil temperature at a depth of 10cm can be stabilized at about 15 ℃. Timely and early planting can enable pepper plants to fully grow and develop before the arrival of the high temperature season, laying the foundation for flowering and fruit setting. If the planting is too late, the plant has not been sealed before the high temperature, resulting in high soil temperature, affecting root growth, weakening absorption capacity, and then plant physiological disorders, which can induce virus diseases, seriously affect yield, and even stop production.

6. Management after colonization

(1) Management after colonization and before the fruiting stage

This stage is dominated by vegetative growth. The root system of the newly planted seedlings is weak, and the outside temperature and ground temperature are low, so the amount of water for planting should not be too large, so as not to reduce the ground temperature and affect the slow seedling. After watering and planting water, cultivating and loosening the soil should be done in time to increase the ground temperature and promote root growth. After 8 to 10 days, water the second water again, and carry out deep cultivating, slightly shallow near the root, and deeper far from the plant to increase the permeability of the soil and increase the soil temperature. After the second water, the seedlings should be properly squatted. That is to properly control the water, promote the development of the root system in depth, and achieve deep roots and lush foliage. At this time, if there is too much water and fertilizer, it is easy to cause leggy plants and reduce fruit setting rate. The length of squatting seedlings depends on the local climatic conditions. When peppers enter the full blooming period, flowering and fruit setting are related to air humidity. When the relative air humidity reaches 75-80%, the fruit setting rate of peppers can reach 85%; when the air humidity drops to 22%, the fruit setting rate is only 0.78%. In the northern region, the average relative humidity of the air from May to June is generally between 50 and 58%, and it is lower than 40% in individual years, which has a great impact on pepper fruit setting. Therefore, the squat seedling period should not be too long. Timely watering not only increases the soil humidity, but also increases the air humidity in the field, which is conducive to flowering and fruit setting. When the first layer of fruit reaches the size of 2~3cm, the stems and leaves of the plant and the flowers and fruits grow at the same time. It is necessary to water and topdress in time, and apply 10~15kg of chemical fertilizer per mu. After fertilization, cultivating should be carried out in time to improve soil permeability and improve soil fertility.

(2) Management of the fruiting period

Entering the full fruit period, the plant grows tall, and the seedling and fruiting are carried out at the same time. In order to prevent premature senescence of plants, the lower fruits should be harvested in time, and watering and top dressing should be strengthened to keep the soil moist, so as to facilitate the continued growth of plants and flowering and fruit setting. In the rainy season, before the plants are closed, soil should be cultivated, that is, to prevent the lodging of the plants in the rainy season, and also to reduce the ground temperature around the root system, which is beneficial to the development of the root system. Combined with cultivating soil, high-quality organic fertilizers, such as cake fertilizer and hemp residue, can be topdressed. The peppers were planted in the furrows, the original furrows became ridges after the soil was cultivated, and the backs of the ridges became furrows. But the soil should not be too high, about 13cm is appropriate. When cultivating soil, it is necessary to prevent root damage, water in time after cultivating soil, promote seedling development, and strive to seal the ridges of plants before the arrival of high temperature. In the southern region, before the high temperature season comes, in order to protect the root system, a layer of straw or wheat husk is sprinkled on the border to reduce the ground temperature.

(3) High temperature and rainy season management

From late June to early September in the south, and from July to mid-August in the north, it is a hot, dry or rainy season. The light intensity is high, and the surface temperature often exceeds 38°C or even higher. Excessive surface temperature will inhibit the normal growth of the pepper root system. During this period, the soil should be kept moist, and the watering should be frequent and light to protect the pepper root system over summer, so that the plant growth can be restored after the high temperature, and the peak of secondary flowering and fruit setting will appear.

The root system of pepper is afraid of waterlogging and avoid waterlogging. In the rainy season, if the soil accumulates water for several hours, the root system of pepper will be suffocated, the plant will wilt, and dead seedlings will be formed. In the light, the absorption capacity of the root system is reduced, resulting in water imbalance, yellowing and shedding of leaves, resulting in fallen leaves, flowers and fruits. Therefore, before the rainy season, it is necessary to clear the drains so that the rainwater can be drained in time. Sudden rain on a sunny day, or rain after a long period of rain, can cause plants to wilt. Therefore, after the rain, water should be poured in time, and the water should be arranged with the water to reduce the soil temperature and prevent the root system from weakening. In the rainy season, soil nutrient leaching is more, and chemical fertilizer should be reapplied once in early and mid-July, with 20~25kg of ammonium sulfate per mu. The rainy season is hot and weeds are overgrown, so weeds should be removed in time.

(4) Management of slow seedling rejuvenation in the later stage of results

After the high temperature and rainy season, the temperature from August to September is cool and the sunshine is sufficient, which is suitable for the growth of peppers. It is the peak period of the second flowering and fruit setting of peppers. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen the management of water and fertilizer to promote new shoots, more fruits, and increase later yields. Topdressing can be alternated with watering. After pouring 1~2 times of clear water, topdress with 1 quick-acting chemical fertilizer, 10~15kg ammonium sulfate per mu. Water every 7-8 days. After September, when the weather turns cooler, you can chase thin water, and the watering interval should be extended in the future. The yield of well-grown plants after autumn can account for 30-40% of the total yield.

7. Harvest

Sweet peppers and mildly spicy peppers are generally eaten with green ripe fruits. 25 to 30 days after flowering, the fruit is fully grown, the green becomes darker, the texture is crisp and shiny, and it can be harvested. Peppers bloom and bear fruit one after another, so they need to be harvested in batches. The lower layer of fruit should be harvested as soon as possible to avoid excess seedlings and affect the development of the upper layer of fruit and the formation of yield. Dried peppers should be harvested after the fruit is completely red, and it takes about 60 days from flowering to physiological maturity.

(Note: This article is reproduced for reference only)