Growing chilli
Capsicum annuum · also called Mirch, Marchwangun (Kashmiri)A warm season fruit vegetable and spice, raised in a nursery and transplanted. It needs sun and warmth, and frost kills it.
Arid west: Rajasthan, Kutch, north Gujarat
At a glance
Chilli in the Arid west
Across India
When to sow it
Twelve growing regions, January to December. Your region comes first.
Wait until December
The next sowing here is December.
- Sow
- Nursery
- Transplant
- Under cover
- Today
- Not suited here
Compare all 12 regionsShow fewer regions
See the dates as a table
| Region | Sow | Nursery | Transplant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arid west | DecemberMay to June | FebruaryJune to July | ||
| Temperate Himalaya | March to MayApril | April to JuneApril to May | ||
| Cold desert | Not suited here | |||
| Sub-tropical foothills | NovemberFebruary to MarchMay to JuneMarch to AprilApril to May | JanuaryMarch to AprilJune to JulyApril to MayMay to June | ||
| North-west plains | End of October to mid-NovemberUnder cover: Third week of NovemberUnder cover: First week of February | February to MarchMid-FebruaryEnd of April | ||
| Gangetic plains | DecemberMay to June | FebruaryJune to July | ||
| North-east hills and valleys | December to January | |||
| Central plateau | June to JulyOctober to NovemberJanuary to February | |||
| Deccan plateau | End of JuneOctober to NovemberJanuary to February | |||
| South interior | January to FebruaryJune to JulySeptember to October | |||
| West coast | May to JuneSeptember to October | |||
| East coast | January to FebruaryJune to JulySeptember to October | |||
From seed to harvest
One season, day by day
Days from sowing
Before sowing
Field preparation
Vermicompost
4 t per acre
Work it in about a week before transplanting.
Transplanting
Neem cake
100 kg per acre
Apply at transplanting against nematodes and borers.
Day 0
Sow
Day 150 to 210
Last picking
No published guide covers this for the Arid west, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
Before sowing
Vermicompost
4 t per acre · Work it in about a week before transplanting. · Field preparation
Neem cake5
100 kg per acre · Apply at transplanting against nematodes and borers. · Transplanting
Day 0
Sow
Day 7 to 14
Seeds come up1,2Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.
Day 28 to 42
Day 150 to 210
Last pickingNo published guide covers this for the Arid west, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
Water right after transplanting and then every 4 to 6 days in hot, dry weather; drip with a straw mulch saves water. Never let the soil dry out at flowering and fruit set.No published guide covers this for the Arid west, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
What it needs
Soil, sun and warmth
Soil pH1
6.5 to 7.5
Almost any well drained soil, from sandy loam to heavy clay rich in organic matter. It tolerates some salinity but not waterlogging.
SunlightNo published guide covers this for the Arid west, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
At least 6 hours a day
Full sun.
Temperature2,1
Grows best at 20 to 33 °C
Frost: none tolerated.
Monthly temperatures for the Arid west aren't in the library yet.
Water and feeding
WateringNo published guide covers this for the Arid west, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
Water right after transplanting and then every 4 to 6 days in hot, dry weather; drip with a straw mulch saves water. Never let the soil dry out at flowering and fruit set.
Weeding5
Keep the field weed free for the first 30 days, with two hand weedings after transplanting. Keep the nursery weed free by hand.
| When | What | How much | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| Field preparation | Vermicompost | 4 t per acre | Work it in about a week before transplanting. |
| Transplanting | Neem cake | 100 kg per acre | Apply at transplanting against nematodes and borers. |
Varieties and yield
200 to 300 quintals a hectare
Yields vary with the plot, the seed and the season.
Good neighbours5
Pests and diseases5
Organic and cultural controls only.
Thrips
Signs
Tiny insects rasp and suck the leaves, which curl upwards.
What to do
- Sprinkle water over nursery seedlings to slow their build-up.
- Apply neem cake to the beds in two splits, at planting and 30 days after transplanting.
- Conserve predatory mites and flower bugs.
Prevention
- Grow a barrier of Sesbania grandiflora as an intercrop.
- Do not grow chilli mixed with onion: thrips attack both.
Yellow mite and other mites
Signs
Leaves curl downwards, turn narrow, brittle and pale.
What to do
- Where mites are few, spray neem seed powder extract 4% every 10 days.
- Conserve predatory mites, predatory bugs and spiders.
Prevention
- Border the chilli with two rows of maize.
Fruit borer (Helicoverpa armigera)
Signs
Caterpillars bore into the fruits, which fall or rot.
What to do
- Plant one row of 45 day old African marigold for every 18 rows of chilli as a trap crop and pick the larvae off its flowers.
- Put up pheromone traps to watch moth numbers and change the lures every 2 to 3 weeks.
- Put up bird perches for drongos and mynahs.
- Release the egg parasitoid Trichogramma from the start of flowering.
Prevention
- Rotate chilli with a cereal, a cucurbit or a cabbage family crop.
- Grow basil (Ocimum) as a repellent plant.
Tobacco caterpillar (Spodoptera litura)
Signs
Groups of young caterpillars scrape the leaves; older ones eat leaves and fruits.
What to do
- Grow castor along the border as a trap crop and destroy the egg masses and young caterpillars on it.
- Set up a light trap and pheromone traps for the moths.
- Spray neem seed kernel extract 5% against eggs and first stage caterpillars.
Prevention
- Plough deep in summer to expose resting stages in the soil.
- Keep the field clean.
Damping off
Signs
Seedlings rot at the base and fall over in the nursery.
What to do
- Avoid overwatering and badly drained nursery spots.
Prevention
- Raise seedlings on raised beds more than 15 cm high, or in plug trays.
- Solarise the nursery soil under clear polythene for three weeks before sowing.
Die back and fruit rot (Colletotrichum capsici)
Signs
Twigs dry back from the tip; ripening fruits show sunken dark spots.
What to do
- Remove affected plants early.
Prevention
- Use clean seed from healthy plants.
- Keep water from standing in the nursery and the field.
- Clear infected plant debris and solanaceous weeds nearby.
Leaf curl and mosaic (viruses)
Signs
Leaves curl, crinkle or show mottling; plants stay stunted and drop flowers.
What to do
- Pull out and destroy infected plants early.
Prevention
- Cover the seed bed with nylon net.
- Grow four rows of maize or sorghum as a border to hold back the aphids and whiteflies that carry the viruses.
- Control perennial weeds that host the viruses.
Seed and the season's end
Saving seed1,4
Chilli often crosses: keep at least 400 m between two varieties, including sweet pepper.
When the seed is ready
Remove off types before flowering, at full bloom and just before picking. Keep only true to type plants and pick their red ripe fruits.
Cleaning the seed
Dry the red fruits in the sun and take the seed out by hand.
After the last pickingNo published guide covers this for the Arid west, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
After the last picking, pull out the plants and compost the healthy ones; remove any with virus or wilt from the field. Follow with a cereal, a pulse or a cabbage family crop.
Clear and destroy the residues of a crop that had mealybugs.
Rotation
Rotate with a cereal, a cucurbit or a cabbage family crop; where wilt is common, keep tomato family crops off the field.
Sources
Where this comes from
Our team has checked this guide against the sources at the end of the page.Reviewed by our team on 13 November 2026.
These published guides are the sources. Where none of them covers a detail for this region, the page shows an AI suggestion and labels it.
- Production Technology of Vegetables and Flowers (VSF-231), Part I: Vegetable production (Chilli and bell pepper)CSK Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalaya, Palampur (Department of Vegetable Science and Floriculture)Read the source
- AESA based IPM package No. 24: Chillies and capsicumNational Institute of Plant Health Management and Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage, Government of IndiaRead the source
- Horticulture: Vegetables: Chilli (soil, season, seed rate, seed treatment; varieties)TNAU Agritech Portal, Tamil Nadu Agricultural UniversityRead the source
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