Poor farmers’ sweet pepperis productive

by Zac Sarian   –   Manila Bulletin

We visited the open house at the Allied Botanical Corporation’s experimental farm three days before it opened. We wanted to be the first to see what’s new in high-value vegetables and other crops.

We were not disappointed. We were particularly impressed by Clarabel, the new sweet pepper which farm manager Herlo Atole called the poor man’s sweet pepper.

Why poor man’s sweet pepper? Because it is a variety that even the poor farmer can afford to grow. It is very adaptable to lowland as well as highland conditions all over the country and can be grown even in the rainy season because it has high tolerance against soil-borne and foliage diseases compared to other varieties.

Clarabel is prolific but Herlo stresses that the plant has to be adequately nourished to achieve the variety’s yield potential. Right from the very start the plant should take off as robust as possible. The soil should have good tilth and Clarabel has to be fertilized adequately.

Aside from the usual NPK, the plants should be provided with enough calcium by dissolving 10 grams of calcium nitrate in a liter of water and drenching it on each plant. If the plants are given the right care, the first fruits are usually harvestable 90 days from transplanting.

Three big fruits are usually picked during the first picking. Two to three days later, about 8 to 10 fruits would also be ready for harvesting. The next harvesting will usually take place a week later. The fruits usually weigh 100 to 120 grams. They are thick-fleshed and crisp with very good shipping quality. According to Herlo, one can expect to harvest 10 times from each plant.

Herlo recommends planting the seedlings in double rows. In a bed that is one meter wide, two rows are planted 75 cm apart. Within the row, the plants are spaced 50 cm apart. Space between the double rows is also 75 centimeters.

Herlo observes that planting in double rows is advantageous but most farmers often prefer single rows. The farmers believe that they can plant more seedlings by following the single row system. That’s true, according to Herlo, but with double rows, there is more space for the farmer to move around while doing weeding, fertilizing and harvesting. That results in better quality fruits that fetch a higher price.

PANIGANG BEST – We were also impressed by the prolificacy of the Panigang Best finger pepper. The plant is not only  very prolific, the fruits also have very good shipping quality.

LEBANESE CUCUMBER – Another very interesting new variety is the Addison cucumber which is more popularly called Lebanese cucumber. This variety is unique in a number of ways. The fruits are extra-long, many of them measuring one foot long. The fruits are seedless, crisp and juicy, hence they are excellent for making cucumber juice. Of course, the fruits can also be prepared in various other preparations.

Another unique characteristic is that the Lebanese cucumber does not need any pollinator. It is what they call parthenocarpic. The female flowers appear in practically every node and they don’t need the bees and other insects to pollinate them.

One high-value crop that also attracted us was the Golden Lady watermelon which has a bright yellow rind and crimson red flesh that is sweet and juicy. Two other varieties are also showcased in the farm. One is the Yellissimo which has green rind with deep yellow flesh. And the third watermelon is called Mellow Yellow which is not seedy and the plant is resistant to leaf diseases.