Assessment of Growth and Productivity on Four Black Pepper Varieties (<i>Piper nigrum</i> L.) in Three Target Provinces of Vietnam

Abstract

Black pepper varieties, namely “Vinh Linh”, “Lada”, “An Do” and “Loc Ninh” were planted in three different ecological regions: Dak Lak, Gia Lai and Dong Nai in order to compare the growth ability, productivity, and quality of peppercorn. The experiments were designed in the Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with four replications. The results of study have been indicated that “Vinh Linh” and “Lada” both varieties performed better crucial parameters of growth, productivity and yield, after 36 months planted. Although having greater growth parameter in the location of Dong Nai province, four varieties showed lower yield than other regions. By contrast, the four pepper types achieved the highest yield in Gia Lai, followed by Dak Lak. With respect to peppercorn quality, “Vinh Linh”, “Loc Ninh” and “Lada” achieved requirements of Vietnamese Standard (TCVN 7036:2008) including bulk density: 535.69 - 612.72 g/l; piperine: 4.06 - 4.31 g/100g and volatile oil at 2.72 - 3.16 ml/100g. In contrast, “An Do” variety presented the poorest level of piperine (3.78 g/100g), and unachieved requirements.