Korean Chilies to substitute the Import ban?

Representative sample from the 11 varieties

Chilies constitute the daily dietary item of the Bhutanese. In fact, the Bhutanese obsession with chilies is deeply ingrained in our culture and the trend is likely to be the same for the years to come. Almost every Bhutanese is fond of eating chilies, and hence there is a huge market within for internal consumption, if not for export. However, with the import ban imposed on chilies by the government in July 2016 (Kuensel report July 24, 2016 & The Bhutanese News July 23, 2016), there was a huge outcry on the shortage as well as on the affordability of chilies produced within.

The MoAF in an effort to bridge the gap after its conscious decision on the import ban started the Mass Winter Chili Production Program in the Southern belts in the fall of 2017. Simultaneously, the ministry also imported Eleven varieties of Korean chilies which are known for its cold tolerance. The seeds were distributed in May with an instruction to test it at various locations in the country for its production potential as well as for cold tolerance.

The 11 varieties of chillies viz. Jinheung, Suwon, Boseong, Geongochu, Hadong, Youngyol, Gangeung, Mungyeong, Gimhae, Sange and Gwanju were sown on 4th May, 2017 in raised beds protected under  poly-tunnels. The germination percentage was very poor and reports from other research centers across the country confirmed the same. The seedlings attained transplanting stage in 48 days after sowing and were transplanted in raised beds of 6 sq.m. The seedlings were transplanted at a spacing of 45cmx40cm (row-row & plant-plant).

Field view of the trial site

Korean chili seeds

 
In addition, the trial site was mixed with the recommended dose of FYM before planting and a handful of vermi-compost placed near the root zone of the seedlings at the time of transplanting. The total plant population per plot was 30 and the trial with 11 treatments(varieties) and 3 replications accommodated a total of 990 plants. Intercultural operations like manuring, irrigation, weeding and hoeing, and mulching were done as and when required.

In fact, mulching with chopped Artemisia leaves provided multiple benefits and resulted in robust growth of the plants. Fruits attained maturity five months  after sowing and the first picking of the matured fruits was done on 4th October 2017. A sampling population of 10 plants from each plot was randomly selected for measuring the yield parameters. The subsequent harvest could not be done as the fruits succumbed to frost injury.  This totally nullified the claim that the varieties are cold tolerant.

The yield data obtained from the first harvest was analyzed using Analysis of Variance with SPSS statistical software.

Result & Discussion

The result presented is not representative of the actual yield data as only one time harvest was done. The complete yield data could not be obtained as the plants couldn't tolerate frost damage. However, one-way anova of the yield parameters yielded result of statistical significance as reflected in the Table 1.

                                    Table 1: Anova of the yield parameters

		df	Mean Square	Sig.
Total Fruit Weight (g)	Between Groups	10	33247.389	.000**
Individual Fruit Wt. (g)	Between Groups	10	88.714	.021*
Diameter (mm)	Between Groups	10	517.449	.000**
Length (cm)	Between Groups	10	9.310	.002*

                 **:Highly significant; *: Significant

The multiple comparison using Post Hoc Test showed significant difference between some varieties on the total weight of the fruits harvested. In fact, the variety Suwon exhibited difference of statistical significance in the total fruit weight with all the other 10 varieties as indicated in Table 2.

Tukey HSD                                     Multiple Comparison

Dependent variable	Variety 1	Variety 2	Sig. at 95% confidence level
Total Fruit weight (g)	Boseong	Geongochu	.029
	Gimhae	Suwon	.000
	Suwon	Boseong	.032
		Gimhae	.000
		Hadong	.004
		Youngwol	.036
		Jinheung	.006
		Sange	.000
		Mungyeong	.000
		Gwanju	.000
		Gangueng	.000
		Geongochu	.000
	Youngwol	Geongochu	.026

Boseong                                                Hadong                                                                Gimhae        

Suwon                                                                Jinheung                                                                Youngwol                 

Sange                                                            Mungyeong                                                          Gwanju                     

Gangeung                                                                                   Geongochu                           

Conclusion

The overall performance of the plants was good with prolific bearing. There wasn't any major incidence of pests and diseases. In general, all the yield attributes were promising and the analysis indicated difference in the yield of statistical significance . However, all the varieties failed to exhibit cold tolerance. This was also attributed to the late receipt of seeds and accordingly delayed nursery raising.


The major limiting factor that contributed to the discontinuation of the trial and or further cultivation was its slightly metallic taste. The organoleptic test confirmed non-palatability to the Bhutanese taste buds. Everyone who tasted it had nothing good to say about the chilies; be it texture, taste, degree of hotness, shape, etc.  Moreover, none of the Eleven varieties exhibited varying traits in contradiction to our initial hypothesis of  having a pool of Korean chilies with varying characteristics and taste. Rather, all were similar in their structures and taste too. In addition, the comparatively thick rind that rendered the fruits harder was another drawback that rid Korean Chilies a fate in the Bhutanese soils.

Recommendation:

The best strategy in this regard would be to conserve, promote and make the best use of our own available traditional varieties possessing the most desirable traits, with high degree of  compatibility to Bhutanese taste buds. We have many popular indigenous varieties like Urka bangla, Nubi Ema, Begup Ema, Pakshikha Ema, Khasadrapchu ema, etc. each with their own typical trait. This will also save cost on procuring new germplasm from places elsewhere.

Designating certain areas for the conservation and production of the specific types of chilies would not only help in conserving the existing germplasm but also maintain purity of the gene pool. If the farmers of such designated areas are incentivized through some means, this would assure greater continuity of the rich germplasm we have in store.