Hawassa University

Hawassa University
College of Agriculture

www.hu.edu.et We are here for development to happen. 1

 Hawassa University

Long pepper spice crop

Introduction
 long pepper (Piper longum), sometimes called Indian long pepper
or thippali, is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated
for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and
seasoning.
 Piper Longum grows mostly in deciduous to evergreen forests of
Northeast and South India.

www.hu.edu.et 2 We are here for development to happen.

 Hawassa University

  Scientific name or Botanical name: Piper longum

 Family: Piperaceae

 kingdom: Plantae
 Commercial Part Fruit
 Division: Magnoliophyta Flower plants

 Subkingdom: Tracheobionta Vascular plants

 Super division: Spermatophyta Seed plants
 Hawassa University Contents

ORIGIN AND DISTRIBUTION

 The plant is distributed from Central Himalayas to
Assam, Lower hills of Bengal, evergreen forests of
Western Ghats, Nicobar Islands, Uttar Pradesh and
Nepal.
 Pepper long is cultivated on a large scale in lime stone
soil and in heavy rainfall areas where relative humidity
is high.

www.hu.edu.et 4 We are here for development to happen.

 Hawassa University

Importance of long pepper spice

Nutritional
 Long pepper consists of various nutrients such as fats,
proteins, sugars, carbohydrates, calcium, vitamins C and
A, dietary fiber and sodium ions.
Medicinal value
 Treats Respiratory Problems

 Helps Manage Diabetes

 Hawassa University

  Fights against bacterial infections

 Weight loss
 Anticancer, anti-oxidant, anti-microbial…etc

Food value
  food spice
 Hawassa University Contents
Ecological requirement
Climate
 Long pepper is cultivated as a rainfed crop in assam and maghalaya
and as irrigated crop in other part wherever it is cultivated.
 It requires high humidity and frequent irrigation since it is a shallow
rooted crop
 The plant also requires partial shade for its good growth.
Soil
 Pepper grows best in well-drained loamy soils rich in organic matter
and having a minimum depth of 60cm.
 PH is 5.5-6.5

www.hu.edu.et 7 We are here for development to happen.

 Hawassa University

 Clay soil restricts root growth and creates moisture

stress during short dry spells.

 Ill drain soils lead to many soil-borne diseases.

Temperatures
 The crop tolerates temperatures between 10 degree
and 40 degree C.
 A well-distributed annual rainfall of 125 to 200 cm is
considered ideal for pepper.

www.hu.edu.et 8 We are here for development to happen.

 Hawassa University Contents

.hu.edu.et 9 We are here for development to happen.

 Hawassa University

www.hu.edu.et 10 We are here for development to happen.

 Hawassa University

www.hu.edu.et 11 We are here for development to happen.

 Hawassa University

www.hu.edu.et 12 We are here for development to happen.

 Hawassa University Introduction

www.hu.edu.et 13 We are here for development to happen.

 Introduction
Hawassa University

www.hu.edu.et 14 We are here for development to happen.

 Hawassa University Introduction

www.hu.edu.et 15 We are here for development to happen.

 Hawassa University

1. Plant growth
a vital process which brings about a permanent change
in plant or its part in response to its size, form, weight &
volume = Irreversible increase in size
In technical words, it is a cell division (increase in
number) & cell enlargement (increase in size)
Empirically, growth can be expressed as a function of
genotype x environment
i.e. G= f(x1, x2,x3……………xn)
Quantitative increase in the plant body

Ex Nr of leaves, dry & fresh weight, leaf area etc

www.hu.edu.et 16 We are here for development to happen.

 Hawassa University

 Growth affected by the supply & level of availability of d/t

factors which are essential to normal plant metabolism
Metabolism--- process life activities
a. Anabolism b. Catabolism
2. Plant development:
 the growth & differentiation of cells into tissues,
organs & organisms is often called as development
 Progression of crop through the successive stage of its
normal life cycle
 Qualitative and quantitative changes in the crop body
Denotes phasic change in plants(germination –
maturity)
www.hu.edu.et 17 We are here for development to happen.
 Hawassa University Introduction

The science of Plant physiology

 Plant physiology is an important branch of botany that
study natural phenomena in living plants
 It is the science concerned with:
processes & functions,
the responses of plants to changes in the environment
&
the growth & development which results from
responses

www.hu.edu.et 18 We are here for development to happen.

 Hawassa University Introduction

Processes
 are a natural continuing sequence of events:
Examples:
 photosynthesis,  a process whereby carbon dioxide and water are
transformed into a number of organic molecules 
 transpiration –the movement of water out of the leaf stomata/ the
loss of water from the plants

www.hu.edu.et 19 We are here for development to happen.

 Hawassa University

…Processes
 Assimilation- the conversion of nutrient into the fluid or solid substance of
the body
 flowering and seed formation
 response,
 translocation,
 stomata functioning,
 Respiration
 The process of metabolizing (burning) sugars to yield energy for growth,
reproduction, and other life processes
One of the tasks of Plant physiology is to describe and
explain plant processes

www.hu.edu.et 20 We are here for development to happen.

 Hawassa University Introduction

Functions
 is the natural activity of a thing, whether cell, tissue
organ, chemical substance, or whatever
 A second task of Plant physiology is to describe &
explain the function of each kind of:
 organ, tissue,
 cell & cellular organelle in plants &
 also the function of each of chemical constituents
 processes & functions are dependent on & modified by
external factors such as light, temperature,
 … therefore, a third task of plant physiology is to
describe & explain how processes & functions respond
to changes in the environment.
www.hu.edu.et 21 We are here for development to happen.
 Introduction
Hawassa University

 the overall goal of physiology is to evolve:

 a detailed & comprehensive knowledge of all the
natural phenomena which occur in living plants and

 thereby understand the nature of

plant growth &
developments

www.hu.edu.et 22 We are here for development to happen.

 Introduction
Hawassa University

Relation with other fields of study

 The tools used in the study of plant physiology are
associated with:
 chemistry,
 physics, and plant anatomy
 Chemistry is useful in understanding metabolic reactions
carried on by individual enzymes and by cellular organelles
such as mitochondria, chloroplast, ribosome & nuclei
 To understand the function of cells, tissues, and organs, it is
important to know their anatomy which makes knowledge
of anatomy essential
 The role of physics can be illustrated in elucidating the
characteristics of light, which is the deriving force for
photosynthesis.
www.hu.edu.et 23 We are here for development to happen.
 Hawassa University Relation with others..

www.hu.edu.et 24 We are here for development to happen.

 Hawassa University

Practical contribution of plant physiology

 Apart from the considerable theoretical significance of
plant physiology, it serves as a foundation for the
numerous recent advancement in:
 agriculture, forestry, agronomy,
 horticulture,
 plant pathology, and
 other fields of applied botany.

www.hu.edu.et 25 We are here for development to happen.

 Hawassa University

…Practical contribution of PP
 PP also promises to assume an increasingly important role
in agricultural research programs in the near future
 ever increasing human population has put tremendous
pressure to enhance food production &,
 from a constantly degrading, shrinking and overexploiting
land
 Various abiotic stresses like drought, salinity, temperature
etc., also adversely affect crop production /productivity
 One of the primary tasks of agriculture in the future will be
to increase crop productivity

www.hu.edu.et 26 We are here for development to happen.

 Hawassa University

 Future agricultural research programs will continue,

to have as their major goals the production of:
 new & improved varieties of crop plants;
 the improvement of plant protection against diseases,
insects and weeds;
 the control of soil fertility and
 increase in mechanization efficiency.

Which agricultural aspects could be benefited from PP

research ?

www.hu.edu.et 27 We are here for development to happen.

 Hawassa University

 Some of agricultural aspects which could benefit directly

from plant physiology research include:
 The efficacy of solar radiation interception & conversion to
increasing productivity.
 Optimization of N fixation by understanding the various
factors affecting it.
 Effective utilization of plant growth hormones.
 Production of effective chemicals to control weeds, insect
pests, and pathogens.
 Production under artificial growth environments.
 The exact growth condition necessary for optimum yield of
crop plants.

www.hu.edu.et 28 We are here for development to happen.

 Hawassa University

Genetic & Environmental factors influence on plant

behavior
 Two sets of factors,
hereditary and
environmental factors regulate the internal processes
and conditions of plants and thereby determine plant
growth and development
Genetic potential

Internal processes & condition Plant growth

Growing environment &development

(Observed performance)

www.hu.edu.et 29 We are here for development to happen.

 Hawassa University

 Thus, the ultimate

 shape,
 size, form and degree of complexity of a plant are the
results of the interaction between its genetic composition
& the environment in which it grew
Example:
 The genetic composition of maize seeds ensures that
they will always produce maize plants, no other,
 so the environmental factors will determine whether
the maize plants are
 vigorous or stunted,
 Healthy, green or yellowish, turgid or wilted.

www.hu.edu.et 30 We are here for development to happen.

 Hawassa University

 The information of heredity that “tells” the plant how to behave is

determined by the nucleic acids present in all cells of the plant body
 Deoxyribo nucleic acid (DNA) is the primary genetic substance that
conveys hereditary information from generation to generation.
 Much of the science of plant physiology is concerned with plant
responses to the physical environment
 Some of the major factors that influence plant growth and development
include:
Radiation: quality, intensity, and duration.
Mineral ions
O2, CO2, Water, Temperature

www.hu.edu.et 31 We are here for development to happen.