Green Pepper
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.0 Background of the Study
Sweet Peppers (Capsicum annuum L.), also called bell peppers, green pepper, or Pimento, belong to the family Solanaceae (Olarewaju and Showemino, 2006; Kabura, 2008).
It is a warm season annual crop when grown in temperate regions. However, it is actually a herbaceous perennial when cultivated in tropical areas, such as its native Latin America. Bell peppers are considered “sweet” since they lack the pungent chemical (capsaicin) present in hot peppers. It is an important vegetable crop all over the world (Peet, 2006) which ranks third in the world vegetable cycle after tomato and onions (Akin Fasoye, 2006). It is estimated that more than 7.5million acres of Capsicum are grown around the world (Peet, 2003) mostly in the tropics and subtropics (Aliyu, 2000) such as Malaysia, East Africa, Central and West Africa, Carribeans and Philippines.
The crop is believed to have originated from the southern tropical America’s probably in Mexico where its domestication occurred around 2000BC. In Nigeria green pepper has been grown for many years by peasant farmers in the northern part of the country (Olarewaju and Showemino, 2003). Nigeria is the fifth in the world pepper production (USDA, 2001) with over 630,000metric tonnes (Muhamman and Auwalu, 2009).
Green Pepper thrives best in warm climate, where frost is not a problem during the growing seasons. In general, it requires temperatures ranging from 25-35°C (Olalla and Valero, 1994). Peppers thrive in a wide range of soil types, but good drainage is essential. The soil should be worked over to break up large clods and any hardpan that prevents good drainage. A soil pH of 5.5 –7.0 is desirable. Green peppers are less sweet and slightly bitter than yellow, orange, purple or red peppers. The taste of ripe peppers can also vary with growing conditions and post-harvest storage treatment. Green pepper is widely grown in the northern parts of Nigeria as a result of its uses
INTRODUCTION
1.0 Background of the Study
Sweet Peppers (Capsicum annuum L.), also called bell peppers, green pepper, or Pimento, belong to the family Solanaceae (Olarewaju and Showemino, 2006; Kabura, 2008).
It is a warm season annual crop when grown in temperate regions. However, it is actually a herbaceous perennial when cultivated in tropical areas, such as its native Latin America. Bell peppers are considered “sweet” since they lack the pungent chemical (capsaicin) present in hot peppers. It is an important vegetable crop all over the world (Peet, 2006) which ranks third in the world vegetable cycle after tomato and onions (Akin Fasoye, 2006). It is estimated that more than 7.5million acres of Capsicum are grown around the world (Peet, 2003) mostly in the tropics and subtropics (Aliyu, 2000) such as Malaysia, East Africa, Central and West Africa, Carribeans and Philippines.
The crop is believed to have originated from the southern tropical America’s probably in Mexico where its domestication occurred around 2000BC. In Nigeria green pepper has been grown for many years by peasant farmers in the northern part of the country (Olarewaju and Showemino, 2003). Nigeria is the fifth in the world pepper production (USDA, 2001) with over 630,000metric tonnes (Muhamman and Auwalu, 2009).
Green Pepper thrives best in warm climate, where frost is not a problem during the growing seasons. In general, it requires temperatures ranging from 25-35°C (Olalla and Valero, 1994). Peppers thrive in a wide range of soil types, but good drainage is essential. The soil should be worked over to break up large clods and any hardpan that prevents good drainage. A soil pH of 5.5 –7.0 is desirable. Green peppers are less sweet and slightly bitter than yellow, orange, purple or red peppers. The taste of ripe peppers can also vary with growing conditions and post-harvest storage treatment. Green pepper is widely grown in the northern parts of Nigeria as a result of its uses