Important varieties in Vietnam include:

• Variety Vinh Linh: Leaves are medium-sized, slender, long, dark green. The tree grows well, the branches are wide, the flowers are medium, the big fruits are thick on the inflorescence. Suitable in most areas in Vietnam
• Variety Lada Belangtoeng: From Indonesia. Leaves are medium-large, slightly bulbous at the petiole, branches are strong, foliage wide, flower buds are relatively long, small fruits, sparsely, disadvantages: low productivity and less stable. Not popular in Vietnam
• Variety Tieu Se: Small leaf size, slightly wavy leaf, slightly oblong and dark green leaf, the short cluster of fruits, large fruit, and thick fruit set on the inflorescence. Pepper is grown in Loc Ninh, Ba Ria , Dak Lak
• Variety India: This variety has strong growth, medium leaves, clearly wavy leaf edges, gives fruit soon after planting, long inflorescence, large fruit. Pepper is grown in Ba Ria Vung Tau
• Variety Phu Quoc: From Campuchia. Similar in shape to Loc Ninh pepper. The disadvantage of the Variety is that it is susceptible to root diseases. Not popular in Vietnam. However, this variety has good quality
• Variety Buffalo: The leaves are large, dark green, round at the petioles like betel leaves. The wires and branches grow very well, the fruit bunches are long, but the seeds are sparse, and the yield is not high. Not popular in Vietnam

Sources for clean planting material in Vietnam include:

• Tissue culture at division of Biotechnology, Biochemistry & Post-harvest Studies, WASI
• Eakmat Coffee Research and Technology Transfer Center
• Daklak Seed Center
• Daknong Seed Center
• Southern Seed Corporation

You should try to adhere to the following guidelines when sourcing clean planting material:

• Choosing farm for stem cuttings: Select a farm with stem cuttings from 12-18 months old, that has the correct variety for the area, plants are in good health (uniformity reaches > 95%), plants are not infected with virus, or likely to die quickly
• Choosing farm for cuttings: Pepper plants should be more than 5 years old, with an average yield of 4kg/tree or more and have been stable for many years. Good growth, no virus disease, no symptoms of deformity on leaves, young shoots due to lack of nutrition
• Select pepper plants for cuttings: Select and mark the plants from which you will take cuttings and then proceed to cut. The cuttings must grow well, not be infected with viruses, quick disease, or slow disease
• For propagation: Cuttings should be taken from orthotropic (upright growing) or terminal shoots. Each cutting should have five nodes. The criteria for selecting a parent plant for the cuttings are:
  • The plant must be a recommended cultivar;
  • It must be heathy and vigorously growing;
  • It must be free from pests, diseases and nutritional disorders; and
  • The plant must be older than five years

The land for pepper cultivation should be cultivated to a depth of over 80cm, with a groundwater level of more than 2m deep. The deeper the groundwater, the more effective the conditions for pepper growth.

The mechanical components of the soil usually require a clay or sandy loam soil of light or medium level, rich in humus, with a pH of 5 - 5.5. The soil should be porous, have a high aeration and good drainage. You should avoid soil that waterlogs in the rainy season and only soil that retains moisture for pepper must be selected. The upper cultivation layer of the soil must be rich in organic matter and have a slope less than 25 degrees. This is because the roots of pepper plants absorb nutrients from the shallow surface.

You can create individual terraces for each vine, but you must ensure that the terraces slope inwards.

In addition, to the requirements for planting soil, you also need to refer to other growing conditions for pepper plants, including:

• Temperature conditions: Pepper plants live and grow in a temperate climate, an acceptable temperature range is from 20 to 30 degrees Celsius. The temperature should not be lower than 10 degrees Celsius, or higher than 40 degrees Celsius.
• Air humidity conditions:
  • 63% dry season
  • 98% rainy season
• Light conditions:
  • Young pepper plants like shade,
  • Flowering, and fruiting stages like light

Prepare a drainage ditch (sub-ditch). The trench size should be 30-40cm wide, 25-30cm deep. From 2-3 rows of pepper, dig a trench, the trenching position must be in the middle of the two rows of pepper, avoiding damage to the pepper roots.

Prepare a main ditch. This must be perpendicular to the drainage ditches and can be dug at the end of the garden or around the garden. The size of the ditch should be 50 - 60 cm wide and 50-60 cm deep. For pepper gardens with large length and low slope, in order to increase the drainage capacity of the garden, dig a ditch in the middle from 10 rows of pepper to dig a ditch in the middle perpendicular to the auxiliary ditches.

Wind barriers should block the main wind direction and should consist of double row planting. The distance between the 2 rows should be 2 meters, and the trees about 6 – 8 meters from the pepper plants.

The following tree varieties can be used for wind protection and shade:

• Windbreak: Cassia siamea, durian, avocado,
• General shade: durian, avocado
• Additional shade: River tamarind, Adenanthera pavonina

Locally available resource material and guides include:

You can replant immediately if the:

• total number of parasitic nematodes in the soil is less than 100 individuals / 100g of soil and if the total number of parasitic nematodes in the roots is less than 150 individuals / 5g of roots.
• total number of the density of Fusarium spp. and Rhizoctonia spp in soil is less than 103 cfu/g or the frequency of occurrence of Fusarium spp. and Rhizoctonia spp in roots is less than 20%. There should be no history of occurrence of Phytophthora spp.

Crop rotation is required if the:

• total number of parasitic nematodes in the soil is more than 100 individuals / 100g of soil or the total number of parasitic nematodes in the roots is over 150 individuals / 5g of roots.
• density of Fusarium spp. and Rhizoctonia spp in the soil is 103 cfu/g or more. Or if the frequency of occurrence of Fusarium spp. and Rhizoctonia spp in roots is over 20-30%. The presence of the fungus Phytophthora spp.

Plow the land twice at a depth of 40-45cm. Each time you should plough horizontally and vertically across the plot.

The use of live supports has several advantages for the Vietnamese farmer, including:

• Low investment cost.
• Regulating productivity: avoiding the phenomenon of fruiting every other year and long exploitation time.
• Regulating the microclimate: protecting the garden in drought or stormy weather
• Source of timber.
• Contribution to fixing nitrogen, branches and leaves can be used as green manure, or as fodder for livestock

In contrast, live supports can also have a few disadvantages, which you should take into consideration:

• It takes at least 1-2 years for a live pillar to qualify for a climbing pepper plant.
• Expensive pruning in the rainy season, some pests and diseases damage the tree.
• Ceiba pentandra cuttings only develop horizontal roots, no pile roots. Therefore, the ability to withstand storms is poor, especially the piers 6-8 m high, easily broken

Where possible, mixed species of trees should be used. This limits the risks of pests/disease spreading amongst the trees when peppercorn is at peak production.

Live supports should be planted well before planting pepper.

The distance between the live support and the pepper plant must be adequate to prevent root competition. The distance will depend on the type of live support and the type of pepper cutting used, approximately between 10 – 60 cm.

Cassia (Cassia siamea): these tall, large trees have a slightly rough bark suitable for creeping pepper roots. Using such supports, it is possible to plant with seedlings sown from seeds or planted with branches.

Long muc (Wrightia annamensis), the bark of this tree is slightly rough which supports attachment of the pepper. This plant can be planted with seedlings sown from seeds or with branches. The plant is slow to grow and difficult to prune.

Living pillars: Several different plants can be used as live pillars. Planting distance should be 2.5 x 2.5 m, giving a density of 1,600 pillars/ ha. If the living pillar is a black cycad, planting distance should be 3 x 3 m, giving a density of 1,100 pillars/ ha.

1. Dig 2 pits on both sides of the pillar, each pit to accommodate 1 pepper plant. The pits should be 50 cm long, 50cm wide and 50cm deep or 60cm long, 60cm wide and 50cm deep.

Pits should be dug and treated with an enriched topsoil mixture for at least 40 days before planting.

If the soil is infected: Before planting, treat the soil in the pit with Ethoprophos, a nematicide and soil-insecticide or Metalaxyl, a fungicide.
add guide for dose

After harvesting, you must limit water until the plants are fully differentiated.

• If it is too late, it will affect the growth and yield of pepper.
• If too early, the flowers will bloom unfocused, affecting the yield and the harvest later. It also increases the cost of watering.

Frequency of watering depends on the growth status of the plant, time of year and climatic conditions. For example:

• If the pepper gardens show signs of weakness (yellow leaves, wilting, etc) they need to be watered before harvesting; or
• In the long dry season years, it is necessary to water many times to ensure the growth of the plants.

For the first watering, ensure that the soil moisture content reaches 28-29%. Subsequent watering should be when the soil has reached a moisture content 1-2% higher than the first time.

Newly planted pepper must be watered evenly in the dry season until it rains.

Mature pepper trees are irrigated in the dry season when the trees are growing fruit and at the beginning of the rainy season when the temperature is high and the humidity is low. After harvesting, watering should be limited to promote differentiation.

Prevents invasion and growth of weeds.

Apply integrated weed management to limit the damage of weeds

Reduce the density of weeds to reduce the yield of pepper plants

Purpose of weed management

Help pepper plants grow and develop well, increase productivity, reduce costs.

Protect land resources, develop agriculture in a safe and sustainable manner.

Weed around the base of the pepper three times: (i) one month after the rainy season; (ii) in the middle of the rainy season; and (iii) one month before the end of the rainy season.

Weeding by machine: You can use a mower or wire to crush the grass. This method is less labour intensive.

You can place the lawn mower close to the ground or leave the grass stump 5-7 cm above the ground.

The cultivation of cover crops such as ghost peanut (Arachis pintoi), stylo grass (Stylosanthes guianensis), in addition to the effect of not have not weed, also allows for synthesizes of a significant amount of nitrogen for the soil. You can also periodically cut the stylo grass and use as fodder for buffaloes and cows.

Plow and harrow the soil thoroughly to bury the grass seeds deep into the soil.

Use organic manure, manure) rotten, no weed seeds.

Locally available resource material and guides include
1, 2, 3, 4,

Manure and green manure must be processed (composted) before being adding to the soil.

Organic fertilizer

• The effect of organic fertilizers
• Increase yield and plant life (provide nutrients for plants)
• Improve soil fertility
• Improves beneficial microorganisms in the soil
• Keep moist
• Limits soil erosion and washout
• Increase the efficiency of chemical fertilizersIncrease water use efficiency
• Stimulate rooting, restore pepper garden

Types of organic fertilizer

Green manure: includes the stems and leaves of plants such as weed anemones, windbreak tree remnants, legumes.

Sourced from organic materials, processed and fermented according to an industrial process with the participation of one or more strains of beneficial microorganisms.

Worm microbiological fertilizer.

Mineral organic fertilizer

A fertilizer that combines both organic and inorganic fertilizers

Application method: Dig a trench to a depth of 10-15 cm along the edge of the canopy. Apply the organic manure and fill the trench with soil. In the process of digging trenches, pay attention to limiting damage to the pepper roots.

Frequency of application: apply organic manure once a year, either at the beginning or the second half of the rainy season when the soil is sufficiently moist. Under some circumstances you may need to apply organic manure twice a year.

Inorganic fertilizers (mineral fertilizers, chemical fertilizers)

Nitrogen fertilizers: Urea, ammonium sulfate

Potassium fertilizer: Potassium chloride, Potassium sulfate

Fertilizer NPK, NPK+TE

Only add inorganic fertilizer when the soil is sufficiently moist.

The amount of inorganic fertilizer for pepper

Before planting: Phosphate fertilizer, manure

For Year 2 onwards: Fertilize 3-4 times.

Second application: 1/3 protein + 1/3 potassium, 3-4 weeks after the first time

Fourth application: The remaining amount of fertilizer applied at the end of the rainy season.

First application: 1/4 nitrogen + 1/4 potassium and all organic fertilizers, phosphate fertilizers about 10 days before the end of harvest.

Third application: 1/4 nitrogen + 1/4 potassium, applied in the middle of the rainy season.

Note: It is recommended to analyze the nutrient content of the soil before fertilizing to have a specific procedure for fertilizer

Use foliar fertilizers during the rainy season to support plant health. Use foliar fertilizers supplemented with intermediate fertilizers (Ca, Mg...) and micronutrients (Zn, B...) for pepper to increase the rate of flowering and fruiting and reduce the drop rate.

Locally available resource material and guides include
2, 3, 4, 7

General practices include

Undertake weed control to remove pest host plants, but also consider that some weeds provide food and shelter for natural enemies, ground cover, and mulching material.

Carefully consider the benefit of other weeds before removal.

Diversity can also be achieved by intercrop peppercorn with another crop.

Shade regulation should be done to allow optimal light penetration, with pruning of live support trees done regularly.

Cover crops should not be allowed to grow excessively.

Provision and maintenance of drains should be undertaken when and where necessary.

There are several biological remedies that are available, either homemade or bought from input dealers.

Neem and other botanical sprays can be made on-farm if the materials are available or bought.

Prevention of disease with probiotics, including:

• Trichoderma antagonist fungus;
• Streptomyces bacterium;
• Prevention of larva with herbal products except the active ingredient Saponin;
• Alkanoid used to control root mealybugs;
• Aphide control with metarhizium parasitic fungicide products.

Phytosanitary measures should be undertaken. These include physical removal of pests, affected plant parts, infected plants (virus-infected plants, severely disease-infected or pest-infested plants, including plants affected by Phytophthora sp. or slow decline/yellow wilt).

Management:

When using chemical agents, pesticides, you must prioritize the use of agents that are less toxic to the environment, pesticides that are less likely to stay in agricultural products and those which will quickly decompose.

• Right pesticides: Choose the appropriate product for the pest and for use on pepper making sure it is the correct agent for the target pest or disease. Check that it is the correct product by checking the package label. Use only containers with the original, intact, packaging label.
• The correct dosage and concentration: do not mix wasteful and toxic high concentrations, do not dilute too much as this will not kill pests and you will need to spray again. Mix the pesticides according to the instructions on the package of the pesticide.
• At the right time: Spray at the right time when the worms are young and easy to destroy. Spraying when newly infected will be easier to treat than when it is too severe.
• The right way: Handle pesticides at the location where pests and diseases appear and cause harm. When using pesticides, it is necessary to ensure the isolation time as recommended on the package to minimize pesticide residues on pepper.

NOTE: the use of botanical sprays should be treated with the same caution as pesticides, as some may be toxic to humans.

Changing pesticides will prevent the phenomenon of pesticide resistance of the pest.

Sprayers must have been tested, to ensure that they do not leak.

• Make sure no pesticide comes into contact with your body;
• When spraying do not eat, smoke; do not let the pesticide to come into contact with your body, especially the eyes;
• Identify areas that have been sprayed and restrict access during the isolation period;
• Do not spray against the wind, do not spray when the wind is too strong, it is about to rain or if it is too sunny;
• Apply pesticde at the right speed, in accordance with the amount of agent used;
• Ensure you have added the correct amount of water and pesticde for the desired concentration;
• Spray thoroughly without any gaps;
• Spraying should be done in the early morning or evening; and
• Do not spray when the black pepper is prepared to harvest as this will not guarantee the isolation period

• After spraying clothes and tools, must be washed and stored in a separate storage area (along with the family's pesticide storage
• Do not pour excess pesticide, or spray rinse water into the domestic water supply or drains.
• Absolutely do not use bottles, packaging of used pesticides for any other purpose. They must be destroyed and buried far from domestic water sources and residential areas.

• Black pepper - seeds are firm, the fruit turns yellow, and on each cluster there are 1-2 ripe yellow and red fruits
• White pepper - the cluster of fruits must be old, with scattered red ripe fruits
• Red pepper - fruit bunches are completely red. Ripe pepper fruits are kept intact when processing

Black peppercorn

Do not collect green and young bunches except for the last harvest.

Pepper takes 6 - 8 months from flowering to harvest, depending upon the variety and on climatic conditions.

Press each bunch of fruit separately by hand, do not pull the bunch of fruits, causing wounds in the nodes.

• Prepare equipment for harvesting - tarpaulin, bags, ladders, chairs, and machines chairs, and thresher.
• Inspect and clean the field in the area to be harvested.
• You should especially take care to remove any dead pepper shoots from the ground that have become rotten and mouldy.
• Spread a tarpaulin in the rows and around the pepper base to avoid berries dropping on the soil and becoming contaminated.

If picking is done only once or twice during the season, there will be greater likelihood of picking immature as well as over-ripe berries.

• Berries that have fallen to the ground must be collected separately and not be mixed with pepper berries from the vines. The dropped berries should be processed separately for appropriate end uses.
• Harvested green pepper must be handled hygienically, collected, and transported in clean bags or baskets to where it is to be processed.
• Baskets or bags that have been used to hold agricultural chemicals must not be used for green pepper. Any container that is used should be cleaned thoroughly to ensure that it is free from any contaminants.
• After picking pepper fruit, leaves and impurities must be picked up, packed into bags, and transported to the yard

After harvesting, you should:

• Wash plants with fungicides or copper-based drugs to kill pathogens and harmful fungi on leaves such as anthracnose lichen, and let the old leaves fall off.
• Clean the shoots, cut off the eel pepper and the hands that are close to the ground.
• Gather the old leaves and diseased leaves and burn them.

If you do soak the pepper, this can be done in wire mesh or rattan baskets immersed in boiling water. The water should be changed when it becomes dirty.

Sun drying

Drying is complete when the pepper turns from green or yellow to black and reaches a moisture content of 11-12%.

Pepper should be spread to a thickness of about 2 to 3 cm and mixed 4 to 5 times a day to dry evenly.

Solar Dryers:

Solid fuel dryers:

Care must be taken to ensure that the temperatures do not exceed 60oC and that there is no smoke contamination.

• Drying should be done in clean surroundings, free from any possible contact with dust, dirt, farm animals and/or other possible sources of contamination.
• The drying area, cement yard, should be cleaned and covered with tarpaulin.
• The drying yard should not be damp and there should not be any pools of stagnant water.
• The tarpaulin must be clean and free from any possible contaminants.
• The drying area should be fenced or otherwise protected from any pests or farm animals.
• Pepper should be placed on clean drying platforms raised above the ground.
• The layer of pepper should be 2-3 cm thick and stirred 4-5 times per day.
• Care must be taken to ensure that pepper is adequately dried and to prevent spoilage from mould or other contaminants, particularly when there is no sun.
• During the drying time, do not let animals or people wear shoes to go on the peppercorn.

Pepper stacks should be not more than 6-8 bags high and the bags should be at least 10- 20 cm away from the wall or floor of the store.

If possible, new bags may be used to avoid possible contamination.

Heat treatment: Treat with water at 1000C for 10 minutes, the ratio of digestion should be water = 1:1,15.

Enzyme treatment: Use Peelzym 0.6% water temperature 500C, time 48h, ratio of ingredients: water = 1:1, adjust pH = 4.5

Black pepper

Soak in water: The ration of water should be 1:3, soak for 15 hours, rinse with water ratio 1:4.

Peel off the shells and wash: use the sieving machine for 10 minutes, wash the shells.

Peel, wash the second time: Use the scrubber for 5 minutes, rinse.

Pay attention to the inspection and adjustment of machinery to avoid breaking the seeds, mix and completely remove impurities, dry on a rig, clean canvas.

Dried black or white pepper should be winnowed, sifted, and cleaned to remove pieces of skin, stalks or other foreign matter.

Clear away unsecured packaging and construction tools.