UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources
http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu
Publication 7217
BELL PEPPER PRODUCTION
IN CALIFORNIA
TIm HARTz and mARITA CANTwELL, University of
California Cooperative Extension Specialists, Department of Plant
Sciences, University of California, Davis; mICHELLE LESTRANgE,
RICHARD SmITH, JOSé AgUIAR, and OLEg DAUgOvISH,
University of California Cooperative Extension Farm Advisors
PRODUCTION AREAS AND SEASONS
California has four main bell pepper (Capsicum annu-
um L.) production areas: the southern desert valleys
(Imperial and Riverside Counties), Ventura County on
the southern coast, the central coast (San Luis Obispo,
Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Clara Counties), and
the Central Valley (Kern, Fresno, and San Joaquin
Counties).
Fields in the southern desert valleys are transplant-
ed in January or February for harvest from late April
through June. In Ventura County planting occurs
in April and May for harvest from July through
October. Along the central coast planting is done from
March to June for harvest from August to November.
Planting in the Central Valley begins in Kern County
in February and proceeds northward over the next
four months for harvest from late May to November.
For fall production in the southern desert valleys,
fields are transplanted in August for harvest from
October to December.
BELL PEPPER ACREAgE AND vALUE
Year Acreage Average yield
(tons/acre)
Gross value/
acre
2004 19,000 20.0 $11,460
2005 23,000 18.5 $10,420
2006 28,000 16.5 $10,220
Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service,
http://www.nass.usda.gov.
CLImATIC REQUIREmENTS
Bell pepper is a warm-season crop, sensitive to freez-
ing temperatures at any growth stage. The rate of seed
germination decreases rapidly below 77°F (25°C),
with germination below 68°F (20°C) exceedingly
slow. Day temperatures of 75° to 85°F (24° to 30°C)
with night temperatures about 15° to 20°F (9° to 12°C)
lower are ideal for growth. Although tolerant of tem-
peratures above 100°F (38°C), such extreme condi-
tions during bloom can reduce effective pollination,
fruit set, and yield.
vARIETIES AND PLANTINg
TECHNIQUES
A wide range of varieties are grown for both fresh
market and processing. These include varieties with
the traditional “blocky” 3- or 4-lobe shape as well as
longer, more pointed varieties known as European
Lamuyo types. Small acreages of specialty “colored”
peppers (mature fruit color other than red) are also
grown. Both hybrid and open-pollinated varieties are
used, with the trend toward greater use of hybrids.
Where hybrids are used, high seed cost mandates
transplanting rather than direct seeding; open-polli-
nated varieties can be either transplanted or seeded in
the field.
In the southern desert valleys and the coastal dis-
tricts peppers are commonly grown using fumigation,
plastic mulch, and drip irrigation. Peppers for fresh
market may also be staked for support, particularly
in fields to be harvested at mature fruit color. These
practices maximize earliness and yield and help com-
pensate for the high cost of land and water, particu-
larly in the coastal areas. No support or mulch is used
for processing peppers. Elsewhere in the state, neither
fumigation nor plastic mulching is common, although
individual growers may utilize them. Bed width
varies from 30 to 72 inches (0.75 to 1.8 m), with one
or two rows of plants per bed; in-row plant spacing
ranges from 8 to 16 inches (20 to 40 cm). Where direct
seeding is done, 0.5 to 2 pounds of seed per acre (0.6
to 2.2 kg/ha) is used. Higher rates are used early
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in the season when soil temperature is suboptimal;
pepper seed germinates slowly and erratically below
68°F (20°C).
Greenhouse production of bell pepper is common in
Europe, Canada, and Mexico. In California greenhouse
production is still rare, but it likely to expand in com-
ing years. Production under shade cloth is already an
established technique in the southern desert.
SOILS
Many soil textures are used for bell pepper pro-
duction. Sandy soils are preferred for the earliest
plantings because they warm more rapidly in the
spring. Heavier soils can be quite productive, pro-
vided they are well drained and irrigated with care.
Phytophthora root rot, a soilborne fungal disease, can
be a serious problem in soils that receive excessive
irrigation or rainfall.
IRRIgATION
Statewide, at least half of bell pepper acreage is drip
irrigated, and the use of drip is increasing. Most drip
systems employ lines buried 2 to 10 inches (5 to 25
cm) deep, with either one or two drip lines per bed.
The irrigation requirement is determined by weather-
based reference evapotranspiration (ETo) estimates
and crop growth stage. The frequency of irrigation
can vary from once or twice a week early in the sea-
son to daily during times of peak water demand.
The remainder of California pepper acreage is pre-
dominately furrow irrigated. Sprinkler irrigation is
sometimes employed for seedling establishment and
early- season watering, but it is seldom used for the
entire production season. The frequency of furrow
or sprinkler irrigation varies widely, depending on
soil type, environmental conditions, and crop growth
stage. Although peppers are moderately deep-rooted,
they are quite sensitive to moisture stress. Stress dur-
ing bloom can cause substantial reduction in fruit
set, while stress during early fruit development can
induce blossom end rot, a physiological disorder.
Soil moisture stress can also minimize foliage cover,
increasing sunburning of fruit.
FERTILIzATION
Bell pepper is among the most heavily fertilized crops
grown in California. Preplant phosphorus (P) appli-
cation of 80 to 200 pounds per acre (90 to 224 kg/
ha) of P2O5 is common; the higher rates are generally
used on early-spring plantings or in strongly alkaline
soils (> 7.5 pH). Many California soils have adequate
potassium (K), but in some areas K deficiency may be
encountered. Soils with ammonium acetate extract-
able K less than 150 ppm should be fertilized with
K; appropriate seasonal rates vary from 50 to 150
pounds per acre (56 to 168 kg/ha) of K2O, depending
on soil test value.
Regardless of irrigation technique, most P is
applied preplant, usually in a banded application.
Where drip irrigation is used, nitrogen (N) and K
are usually applied in numerous small fertigations
throughout the season. In conventionally irrigated
fields, N and K are applied preplant and in one or
more sidedressings; a late season water-run applica-
tion can also be used.
Nitrogen fertilization rates tend to be very high,
with many growers using more than 250 pounds per
acre (336 kg/ha) seasonally. It is a widespread belief
that very high N rates increase plant vigor, foliage
cover, and fruit size, which in turn increases yield and
decreases sunburn damage to fruit. This has not been
verified in replicated field tests, which have shown
that 180 to 240 pounds per acre (201 to 268 kg/ha) of
N is normally sufficient to produce maximum market-
able yield. In fields harvested over a prolonged period
(more than a month), somewhat higher seasonal rates
may be justified.
INTEgRATED PEST mANAgmENT
Detailed information about IPM for bell pepper is
available in the UC IPM Pest Management Guidelines
for Peppers, http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/
selectnewpest.peppers.html. Herbicides, insecticides,
and fungicides should always be used in compliance
with label instructions.
weed management
Control of annual and perennial weeds is a serious
problem in pepper production. Nearly all nonfumi-
gated fields are treated with preplant or preemer-
gence herbicides, or both; mechanical cultivation
and hand-hoeing are usually also required to achieve
acceptable weed control. Since pepper shows slow
early-season growth and the choice of selective her-
bicides is extremely limited, fields with heavy weed
infestations should be avoided. Black plastic bed
mulch is an aid in weed control as is drip irrigation,
which reduces weed pressure by maintaining a drier
soil surface.
Insect Identification and management
A wide variety of insect pests can cause severe dam-
age to pepper plantings. Flea beetles (Epitrix and
Phyllotreta spp.), cutworms (Agrotis and Peridroma
spp.), and wireworms (Limonius spp.) are common
seedling pests that periodically require control mea-
sures. Later in the season, aphids (Myzus persicae)
can build to damaging levels; more important, they
serve as vectors for several serious virus diseases.
Beet armyworm (Spodoptera exigua) and tomato fruit-
worm (Heliothis zea) can damage foliage as well as
2 • Bell Pepper Production in California
fruit. Pepper weevil (Anthonomus eugenii) can be a
serious pest of pepper fruit; damaging weevil popula-
tions are generally confined to Southern California.
In the southern areas tomato psyllid (Paratrioza cock-
erelli) and greenhouse whitefly (Trialeurodes vaporari-
orum) may also require control measures. Leafminer
(Liriomyza spp.) is not a serious primary pest in pep-
per but can build to populations sufficient to defoliate
plants where heavy use of broad-spectrum insec-
ticides (used for control of other pests) destroy the
complex of beneficial insects that usually keep leaf-
miner populations in check.
Disease and Nematode Identification and
management
Phytophthora root rot (P. capsici) is widely distributed
in California pepper-growing regions. Disease sever-
ity is enhanced by excessive soil moisture, with plant
symptoms concentrated in low areas, at the end of
furrow-irrigated fields, or in areas of restricted inter-
nal drainage. Under these conditions damage from
Pythium spp. may also occur. There are no effective
chemical control measures; control depends primarily
on proper irrigation management. Genetic tolerance
to Phytophthora root rot is now available in some
recently released hybrid varieties. Peppers are sus-
ceptible to infection by Verticillium wilt (V. dahliae),
which in some fields may cause serious economic
loss. Soil fumigation, or rotation with crops for which
fumigation is used, aids in control of this and other
soilborne pathogens.
There are several potentially damaging foliar
pathogens of pepper. Bacterial spot (Xanthomonas
campestris), which can be seedborne or may over-
winter in crop residue in soil, can be severe in warm,
wet conditions. Luckily, extended wet conditions
are rare in California pepper-production areas, so
bacterial spot is not a major field problem. In special
circumstances (greenhouse production of transplants
or extended wet weather), chemical control may be
needed. Powdery mildew (Leveillula taurica) has only
recently been found on pepper in California, but
some severe defoliating outbreaks have occurred.
Until more information is developed on this disease
on pepper, a chemical control program should be ini-
tiated at the first sign of disease.
Viruses are the most damaging pepper disease
problem. The major aphid-vectored viruses are
cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), pepper mottle virus
(PeMV), tobacco etch virus (TEV), and potato virus Y
(PVY). Occurring alone or in combination, these virus-
es can devastate whole fields; however, their appear-
ance and severity are unpredictable. Insecticide appli-
cations are generally ineffective in controlling these
viruses since infection is frequently caused by the
feeding of transient winged aphids; insecticides may
be marginally beneficial in controlling subsequent
in-field spread of the viruses by colonizing aphids.
Alfalfa mosaic virus (AMV) is relatively common in
California pepper fields but does not often cause sig-
nificant yield loss. Curly top virus, a disease vectored
by the beet leafhopper (Circulifer tenellus), appears
periodically. It is most commonly observed in the
Central Valley, although it may occur elsewhere; seri-
ous economic loss from this virus is unusual. Tomato
spotted wilt virus, a disease vectored by several spe-
cies of thrips, can be locally severe; its incidence has
increased in recent years, particularly in the Central
Valley. Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV), historically a
serious pepper disease, is now controlled primarily
by the use of resistant varieties. Significant losses still
occur periodically where particularly virulent TMV
strains are present.
Soilborne pests of significance include the root
knot nematode (Meloidogyne spp.). Root knot nema-
tode is a problem mainly in relatively sandy soils
where preceding crops were good nematode hosts.
Field selection, crop rotation, and soil fumigation are
nematode control strategies. Several abiotic disorders
can cause severe damage to peppers. Blossom end
rot, a calcium deficiency in the developing fruit, is
seldom caused by a lack of soil calcium; soil moisture
stress or heavy N fertilizer applications can induce
a transient calcium deficiency. The incidence of pep-
per spot (sometimes called pepper stip), a disorder
in which fruit develop small, discolored spots as they
mature, appears to be increasing. Although this dis-
order has been linked to low calcium content in the
fruit, neither soil- nor foliar-applied calcium consis-
tently reduces the incidence of pepper spot. Effective
control of this disorder is primarily through the use of
resistant varieties.
HARvESTINg AND HANDLINg
Bell peppers may be harvested either at the imma-
ture (green) stage, or after the mature color (red, yel-
low, etc., depending on variety) develops. In Ventura
County and the southern desert valleys most fields
are harvested at the mature color stage. Elsewhere it
is not uncommon for both green and mature fruit to
be harvested from the same field; the decision of what
maturity to harvest depends on current market price.
Processing uses (freezing, dehydrating, etc.) provide a
secondary market for bell pepper, particularly colored
fruit; substantial acreage is also grown specifically for
processing.
Fields are typically harvested multiple times at 10-
to 15-day intervals. Nearly all bell pepper is harvested
by hand, usually into bulk bins or trailers for transit to
a packing facility. A limited number of growers pack
peppers in the field from mobile packing platforms.
3 • Bell Pepper Production in California
The fruit are graded by size and condition. The stan-
dard unit of sale is a carton holding approximately 26
to 28 pounds (11.8 to 12.7 kg) of fruit. Some growers
of specialty bell peppers pack fruit in smaller cartons.
POSTHARvEST HANDLINg
To improve postharvest quality, peppers are cooled
before shipment or storage either by hydrocooling
(before packing) or forced-air cooling (after packing).
Peppers are sensitive to chilling injury below 45°F
(7°C); typical transit and storage conditions are 45°
to 55°F (7° to 13°C), with high humidity (90 to 95%).
Senescence of peppers is hastened by exposure to
ethylene, so storage with ethylene-producing fruit is
not recommended.
mARKETINg
Cartons are palletized, cooled and shipped, primar-
ily by truck, to terminal markets or wholesale receiv-
ers across the United States and Canada. Export of
fresh bell peppers from California is rare.
4 • Bell Pepper Production in California
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This publication has been anonymously peer reviewed for technical accuracy by University of California
scientists and other qualified professionals. This review process was managed by the ANR Associate Editor
for Vegetable Crops.
Publication 7217
ISBN-13: 978-1-60107-568-0
©1996, 2008 The Regents of the University of California
Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources
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BELL PEPPER PRODUCTION IN CALIFORNIA
PRODUCTION AREAS AND SEASONS
BELL PEPPER ACREAGE AND VALUE
CLIMATIC REQUIREMENTS
VARIETIES AND PLANTING TECHNIQUES
SOILS
IRRIGATION
FERTILIZATION
INTEGRATED PEST MANAGMENT
Weed Management
Insect Identification and Management
Disease and Nematode Identification and Management
HARVESTING AND HANDLING
POSTHARVEST HANDLING
MARKETING
For Further Information