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Florida produces about 33% of the commercially grown bell peppers in the U. S.
The pepper is typically a warm season crop but is successfully grown in Florida
during our winter months. Our production season extends from October though
June with peak production from November though May.
Peppers require more heat and are more sensitive to cold than most vegetables;
they fail to thrive during cool periods where temperatures are in the range of
40 to 60°F.
There are two major types of peppers, (1) sweet or mild, and (2) hot or
pungent. Both types are grown in Florida but the sweet type is by far the most
extensively grown. Handling requirements are similar for both types.
The technology for production and handling peppers intended for distant markets
does not differ from those techniques required for handling when this vegetable
is intended for home use or will be distributed through local markets, except
peppers for distant markets should be more carefully graded.
OBTAINING QUALITY
CULTIVAR SELECTION
- Sweet bell peppers will mature to various colors depending on the cultivar,
however, most are sold at an immature, green stage. As peppers mature, their
sugar content increases. In the U.S. there is a trend toward merchandising
more colored, or mature, peppers.
Failure to select a suitable cultivar may lead to reduced yields and poor
market acceptance. The following characteristics should be considered in
selection of pepper cultivar for use in Florida: yield/packout, disease
resistance, horticultural quality, adaptability, and market acceptance. Pepper
cultivars recommended for production in Florida are contained in Reference No.
5.
CULTURAL PRACTICES
- To obtain peppers of high quality, optimum growth rate of the plant is
required. Adequate water, fertilizer, and pest and weed control will provide
for optimum growth rate. Fertilizer requirements for peppers are contained in
Reference No. 3. A regular supply of moisture, and control of insect pests and
diseases, are essential for production of high quality peppers with uniform
size/ shape. Peppers on sandy soils are highly susceptible to sand scarring
and, therefore, suitable windbreaks should be provided.
HARVESTING
- Maturity of peppers for harvest is judged by fruit size, color, and
firmness; immature peppers have thin walls and soft texture. Peppers that are
mature, but still green, have thicker walls, shiny dark-green color, and firm
texture. Green peppers on the plant may continue to increase in size and wall
thickness as color develops, but this increase is minimal. There is usually a
strong market for red ripe peppers, but there is little demand for "chocolate,"
or partially colored peppers. Red ripe peppers have obtained maximum size and
wall thickness and in addition, they contain 50% more sugars and 10 times more
vitamin A than green peppers.
Multiple harvests of peppers are done by hand. Pickers should remove the fruit
from the plant with stems attached to the fruit. Peppers with intact stems are
more resistant to bacterial soft rot than those with torn or partial stems.
Harvested peppers can be collected into pallet bins for transport to the
packinghouse, or in the case of harvesting aids, fruits are placed on conveyors
which deposit them into the transport container. Peppers are easily damaged
and therefore should be handled carefully as every puncture, abrasion or bruise
is a potential site for decay to develop. Any fruits with decay should not be
put in the picking container or onto the conveyor of the harvesting aid because
these fruits serve as a source of inoculum to infect otherwise healthy fruit.
Cleaning and disinfecting harvest containers daily will help minimize the
spread of decay.
Peppers can be field or shed-packed. Field packing offers some advantages over
a packinghouse operation such as (1) less capital investment is involved, (2)
culled fruits are left in the field, (3) the product is handled less, thus
minimizing damage and maximizing packout, and (4) harvesting and packing can be
more closely coordinated.
Harvested peppers arriving at the packinghouse should be stacked in the shade
to prevent heating of the fruit. Overfilled containers will result in pepper
crushing and bruising when they are stacked. Peppers should be graded and
packed the day they are harvested to prevent overheating and the possibility of
inoculating fruit with bacterial soft rot.
Peppers can be spray washed but they should not be placed in a dump tank
because contaminated water may enter the fruit through the blossom end. Water
used for cleaning fruit should be chlorinated at a concentration of 75 to 100
ppm of free chlorine. Following washing, excess water can be removed by sponge
rollers or air blowers. Peppers can be sized and then jumble-packed into
cartons. Closing the carton with straps or glue rather than staples can reduce
fruit damage.
MAINTAINING QUALITY
GRADE
- Sweet Peppers are graded U. S. Fancy, U. S. No. 1, and U. S. No. 2. U. S.
Grade Standards are mandatory only during a marketing order or if the product
is to be exported.
U. S. Fancy
consists of mature green sweet peppers of similar varietal characteristics
which are firm, well shaped, and free from sun scald, freezing injury, decay
and from injury caused by scars, hail, sunburn, disease, insects, mechanical or
other means. The minimum diameter of each pepper shall be 3 inches and the
length shall be not less than 3 1\2 inches.
U. S. No. 1
. consists of mature green sweet peppers of similar varietal characteristics
which are firm, fairly well shaped, and free from sun scald and decay, and free
from damage. caused by freezing injury, hail, scars, sunburn, disease,
insects, mechanical or other means. The diameter and, length of each pepper
shall be not less than 2 1\2 inches.
U. S. No. 2.
consists of mature green sweet peppers of similar varietal characteristics,
which are firm, not seriously misshapen, free from sun scald and decay, and
free from serious damage caused by freezing injury, hail, scars, sunburn,
disease, insects, mechanical or other means; there are no size limitations.
If at least 90% of the peppers show any amount of a shade of red they may be
designated as U. S. Fancy Red, U. S. No. 1 Red, and U. S. No. 2 Red, provided
they meet the other requirements of the grade. Lots that fall in between in
terms of color may be designated U. S. Fancy Mixed Color, U. S. No. 1 Mixed
Color, and U. S. No. 2 Mixed Color, provided they meet the other requirements
of the grade. A tolerance of 10% is allowed for variations incident to proper
grading and handling provided that not more than 5% constitutes serious damage,
including not more than 2% for decay.
Unclassified
- consists of peppers which have not been classified according to any of the
foregoing grades.
PACK
- The predominant container for peppers is a waxed fiberboard or a wirebound
with a capacity of 1 1\9 bushels. These containers have an average net content
of 28 pounds. A one bushel container with a net content of, 25 pounds is also
used. To facilitate marketing, a size classification has been established by
the pepper industry. The USDA Fruit and Vegetable Division, Market News Branch
uses these size classifications in reporting prices. Although specific pepper
dimensions have not been established, the following sizes with corresponding
count per 1 1/9 bushel containers are in common use: Jumbo container (50 or
less), Extra Large (55 - 65), Large (70 - 80), Medium (85 - 95), Small (100 -
110), and Very Small (111 or more). To improve handling efficiency, a standard
container should be adopted that would contain the product and fit on the
standard 48 x 40 inch pallet. For local use, carton specification should be
directed toward efficiency and protection of the product.
Many shipping containers for peppers have inadequate identification
information. It is suggested that the minimum height of lettering for size,
count, cultivar, and commodity, be 1 inch; for origin, weight and grade, a
minimum letter size of one-half inch is suggested.
TEMPERATURE REQUIREMENTS
- Peppers have a relatively low rate of respiration. This respiration rate
can be reduced to a minimum by lowering the product temperature. However,
peppers are subject to chilling injury at temperatures below 40° F, and
temperatures above 55° F enhance ripening and spread of bacterial soft rot.
Maximum storage life is 2 to 3 weeks under the most favorable conditions.
Symptoms of chilling injury are water-soaked spots, pitting, or tissue
collapse. Extensive decay develops on chilled peppers when they are removed
from low-temperature storage.
Rapid pre-cooling of harvested sweet peppers is essential in reducing marketing
losses. Pre-cooling by forced-air is the preferred method. Peppers should not
be submerged in water, however, wetting peppers prior to vacuum cooling
enhances removal of heat during the cooling cycle.
Peppers are very susceptible to water loss. Shriveling symptoms may become
evident with as little as 3% weight loss; pre-cooling and storage in a high
relative humidity (90 - 95%) will minimize weight loss. Peppers can be waxed,
but only a thin coating should be applied. Waxing provides some surface
lubrication which reduces chafing in transit. Water loss can also be limited
by packing peppers into cartons with moisture-retentive liners or into
perforated polyethylene bags.
Green peppers, unlike green tomatoes, do not respond to post-harvest treatments
with ethylene to "ripen" (color) the fruit; considerable research has been done
but no commercially acceptable de-greening treatment has been developed.
MIXED LOAD/STORAGE COMPATIBILITY
- Peppers have the same storage requirements as snap beans, okra, summer
squash, tomatoes (pink), and watermelons. Therefore, these products can be
stored together without deleterious effects. Ice should never be placed in
contact with these commodities. Peppers are not harmed by exposure to
ethylene.
POST-HARVEST DECAY
- Peppers, eggplant,,and tomatoes are subject to the same type of marketing
diseases. Proper handling, grading and temperature management will minimize
occurrence of these diseases. Listed below are some that may occur:
-
alternaria rot
- In most instances this disease follows blossom-end rot, but it also follows
injuries, chilling, and other decays. On the fruit, large greenish-brown to
brown lesions covered,with grayish-brown mold are produced. Similar lesions on
the lower-part of the fruit are characteristic of alternaria rot following
blossom-end rot. The larger lesions may show alternating light and dark-brown
concentric zones. Shipping peppers under standard refrigeration will check the
development of this rot, but when the fruit is removed from refrigeration the
decay will advance rapidly at moderate to warm temperatures.
-
bacterial soft rot
- The decay may occur at injuries anywhere over the surface of the fruit.
Bacterial soft rot is easily recognized by the soft, mushy consistency of the
affected tissues which generally is associated with a bad odor.
-
bacterial spot
- The spots are small, brown to black, scablike lesions that constitute
blemishes of serious consequence only when they are present in large numbers on
the fruit. Pepper cultivars show considerable variation in susceptibility.
Peppers should not be planted after tomatoes. Care should be exercised to
grade out all peppers showing spots that would reduce their marketability.
-
blossom-end rot
- This is a disorder that frequently occurs. It is a serious market factor,
because it disfigures the fruit and opens the way for secondary bacterial and
fungal invaders that cause extensive decay. Small, water-soaked spots on the
lower half of the fruit near the blossom end are the fint symptoms of this
disease. As the spots enlarge they become light brown to brownish black and
dry, so that the affected tissues are more or less leathery in texture.
-
phylophthora rot
- The causal fungus migrates from the blighted plant through the fruit pedicel
and invades the fruit at the stem end. The first symptom is the presence of
small, green, water-soaked spots that elongate down the sides of the fruit.
The rot found on the market develops from infections that are not observed when
the fruit is packed. The usual refrigeration temperatures in transit retard
the development of the decay.
-
rhizopus rot
- This disease is distinguished from bacterial soft rot and gray mold rot by
the presence of coarse mold that can be seen by gently pulling apart the
diseased tissue. Under humid conditions the mold may grow out over the lesion.
-
virus mottlin
- Stuntin distortion, yellow and green mottling, and definite rings or loops
on the fruit are the usual characteristics of this disease.
NUTRITIONAL VALUE
- Sweet peppers are an excellent source of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) wherein
one 3 1/2 ounce serving of raw pepper contains more than twice the RDA. The
same size serving also provides a substantial amount of vitamin A and
potassium, but contains only 22 calories. Other important ingredients include
dietary fiber, calcium, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, thiamine, riboflavin, and
niacin.
Additional information about pepper is contained in the following references:
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Anonymous. 1963. United States Standards for Grades of Sweet Pepper. USDA,
AMS, Washington, D. C. 20402.
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Hardenburg, R. E., A. E. Watada, and C. Y. Wang. 1986. The Commercial Storage
of Fruits, Vegetables, and Florist and Nursery Stock. USDA, ARS, Agricultural
Hdbk. 66. Washington, D. C. 20402.
-
Hochmuth, G. J. and E. A. Hanlon. 1989 Commercial Vegetable Crops Nutrient
Requirements. Florida Cooperative Ext. Svc., Univ. Of Florida, IFAS, Cir 806,
Gainesville, FL 32611.
-
Hochmuth, G. J. (Ed). 1988. Pepper Production Guide for Florida. Univ. of
Florida, IFAS, Cir, Gainesville, FL 32611.
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Maynard, D. N. 1987. Commercial Vegetable Cultivars for Florida. Univ of
Florida Coop. Ext. Svc., IFAS, Cir. 530, Gainesville, FL 32611.
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Seelig, R. A. 1968. Fruit and Vegetable Facts and Pointers, Pepper. United
Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Assn., Alexandria, VA 22314.
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