Varieties and Genuses

Black,White and Green Peppercorns;Piper

Other spices of different genera that are sold as peppers include Pink pepper, Schinus molle, Guinea pepper (Xylopia aethiopica), Szechuan pepper (Zanthoxylum piperitum), and melegueta pepper (Aframomum melegueta)

Plant Description

Black Pepper is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae. There are 3 important varieties of the Pepper plant which should be discussed. The 1st variety being the Black Peppercorns are a cooked and dried, unripe fruit of the plant. The White peppercorns are a dried, ripe, fruit seeds of the tree and the green peppercorns are quite perishable and can be kept in a freezer. Its again a dried, unripe fruit of the tree. Its extensively cultivated in the tropical regions.

• Leaves
  Its broad shiny green leaves are alternately arranged.
• Flowers
  The small flowers are in dense slender spikes of about 50 blossoms each.
• Fruits
  They become yellowish red at maturity and bear a single seed. Their odour is penetrating and aromatic; the taste is hot, biting, and very pungent.
• Height on Maturit
  The black pepper plant is a woody climber and may reach heights of 10 metres (33 feet) by means of its aerial roots.

Habitat

TPepper plants grow easily in the shade and require little maintenance until harvest, so they are frequently cultivated for supplemental income on even small farms.

• ClimateThe plant requires a long rainy season, fairly high temperatures and partial shade for best growth.
• Soil
  The soil needs to have a good structure and water-holding capacity. The pH should be 5,5-6,0. A high humus content favours the plant growth. The drainage must be good enough to prevent root rot.

Usefulness of the plant

Medicinal uses

• Prevents Cancer: The Piperine in black pepper is twice as potent when combined with turmeric. The spice also has Vitamin C, Vitamin A, flavonoids, carotenes and other anti-oxidants that help remove harmful free radicals and protect the body from cancers and other life threatening diseases. The best way to eat pepper to harness maximum benefits is to eat freshly ground pepper and not cook it along with food.
• Stimulates digestion: is an extremely potent spice which helps in quick digestion and addresses digestive problems. Again, the Piperine in black pepper eases digestion and stimulates the stomach, which then secretes more hydrochloric acid that helps to digest proteins in food.A bit of pepper in food will actually help you to digest it faster.
• Relieves cold and cough: Black pepper is antibacterial in nature, and therefore helps to cure cold and cough. A teaspoon of honey with freshly crushed pepper does the trick. It also helps to alleviate chest congestion, often caused due to pollution, flu, or a viral infection. You can add it to hot water and eucalyptus oil and take steam.Black pepper is rich in Vitamin C hence also works as a good antibiotic.
• Supports weight loss: You might not want to believe this, but black pepper is brilliant when it comes to extracting nutrients from food. And it's outermost layer contains phytonutrients, which helps to break down fat cells, and also increases metabolism. If you eat fresh pepper, and begin to perspire, that's the pepper helping your body to get rid of excess water and toxins. One needs to control consumption - a pinch with your food (one meal) is enough.
• Improves skin: Crushed pepper is considered as one of the best skin curing ingredients and natural exfoliators nature has provided us.Mixing it with a dash of honey, curd, or fresh cream to it enhances glow on the face,enables blood circulation, and provides the skin with more oxygen. Black pepper is known to help in the cure of Vitiligo, a condition where the skin loses pigmentation and creates white patches.
• Treats depression:It's said that the piperine in black pepper helps to deal with depression. It stimulates the brain and helps it to function properly by activating it.
  
  From a culinary point of view, Black Pepper provides manganese, iron and vitamin K, and is a good source of dietary fibre. Black pepper’s uses are almost endless but some traditional suggestions include coating meats with crushed peppercorns; adding pepper to warm beverages such as chai tea; sprinkling on freshly cut fruit for a spicy kick; and grinding pepper into a bowl of olive oil with balsamic vinegar to create a dipping sauce for bread and vegetables.
  
  Whole peppercorns ensure that you are getting only pepper – not a blend of pepper and other spices. White peppercorns are used mostly in Chinese cuisine and in mashed potatoes in the Western countries.

Chemical isolated from the plant

One of the major compounds present in the plant is Piperine. Other major compounds present in the plant which is responsible for its colour, odour and aroma is lignans, alkanoids, flavonoids, aromatic compounds and amides. It also consists of essential oils such as sabinene, liene, pinanool, phellandrene and limonene. Piperine and Chavicine imparts pungency to the Black Pepper.

Cultivation

The Black Pepper plant will not grow where the temperature drops below 12 °C. A moderate winter climate is essential as it cannot withstand frost.The Pepper plant needs about 2000 mm rainfall. Propagation is usually by stem cuttings, which are set out near a tree or a pole that will serve as a support. Pepper plants are sometimes interspersed in tea or coffee plantations. They begin bearing in 2 to 5 years and may produce for as long as 40 years.

• Sowing Method
  The propagation of the land is usually by means of cuttings. One or two-leaf cuttings are taken only from secondary runners during September. Cuttings are rooted in mistbeds and transplanted into the land after 9 months.
• Irrigation
  Overhead irrigation is preferred to flood irrigation. The most effective irrigation system consists of permanent plastic microjets. The rainfall must be supplemented by irrigation to about 2 000 mm/year.
• Manure
  Pepper plants react very well to organic fertilisation. Cow manure can, therefore, be used at about 5 kg/plant/year. If cow manure is applied or if the soil pH is slightly high (6,5), ammonium sulphate can be used as nitrogen source. Plants only respond well to nitrogen when the soil has a high level of potassium. Magnesium is applied in the form of magnesium sulphate. If the soil is too acid 500 to 1000 g dolomitic lime can be applied every 2 years.
• Weed control and Pest Management
  Pepper plants are pruned to get stronger plants;- reduce wild growth of the runners-;keep the plants at a certain height; stimulate the growth of lateral fruit-bearing branches.
  
  Pepper is subject to root damage caused by several plant parasitic nematodes.(roundworm or threadworm).The most important of these are the burrowing nematode (Radopholus similis), the root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne sp.), the spiral nematode (Helicotylenchus sp.), the ring and the dagger nematode. Nematode control should start in the nursery and cuttings should only be rooted and transplanted into nematode-free soil. The main problem with the cultivation of Phytophthora. Phytophthora is a soil fungus which flourishes in wet and poorly-drained soils. Affected plants usually die off within 10 days.
• Harvest Management
  After flowering, it takes about 9 months before the ripe berries can be picked. They ripen over a period of 2 to 3 months. The berries are green at first, then turns yellow followed by red when fully riped. The berries are harvested every 7 to 14 days. The first commercial yield from cuttings is harvested from the third year and the maximum yield from the seventh year.
• Yield Per Hectare
  The average yield per acre is 8 -10 tonnes of green turmeric.

Commercial Benefits

Black and White Pepper is used majorly in South Indian cuisines. Incidentally Vietnam is the largest grower and exporter of pepper. India, Brazil, and Indonesia follow suit. Black pepper, while used in cooking and garnishing in cuisines the world over along with innumerable health benefits as we witnessed, today.