~ 1497 ~ Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry 2021; 10(1): 1497-1500 E-ISSN: 2278-4136 P-ISSN: 2349-8234 www.phytojournal.com JPP 2021; 10(1): 1497-1500 Received: 22-11-2020 Accepted: 24-12-2020 Pannaga TS Department of Plantation, Spices, Medicinal and Aromatic Crops, KRCCH, Arabhavi, Karnataka, India Vijayakumar B Narayanpur Department of Plantation, Spices, Medicinal and Aromatic Crops, College of Horticulture, Bagalkot, Karnataka, India JS Hiremath Department of Plantation, Spices, Medicinal and Aromatic Crops, KRCCH, Arabhavi, Karnataka, India Laxminarayan Hegde Dean, CHEFT, Devihosur, Karnataka, India Kantesh Gandolkar Department of Agronomy, College of Horticulture, Bagalkot, Karnataka, India Vijayakumar Rathod Department of Vegetable Science, KRCCH, Arabhavi, Karnataka, India Chandrakala R Department of Plantation, Spices, Medicinal and Aromatic Crops, KRCCH, Arabhavi, Karnataka, India Corresponding Author: Pannaga TS Department of Plantation, Spices, Medicinal and Aromatic Crops, KRCCH, Arabhavi, Karnataka, India Evaluation of black pepper ( Piper nigrum L.) cultivars for yield and quality parameters under hill zone of Karnataka Pannaga TS, Vijayakumar B Narayanpur, JS Hiremath, Laxminarayan Hegde, Kantesh Gandolkar, Vijayakumar Rathod and Chandrakala R Abstract Eleven black pepper cultivars were evaluated for yield and quality traits which were grown under arecanut based cropping system during 2019-20 in Uttara Kannada (Dist.), Karnataka. The main objective was to select suitable elite cultivar of black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) to the malnad region of Karnataka. Among the cultivars, Cv. Kurimale was reported to produce longer spikes (22.99 cm) provided with highest number of berries (103.7) and spike weight (16.80 g). Whereas, number of spikes per sq. m area (60.08), fresh berry yield (10.67 kg/vine), dry berry yield (3.66 kg/vine) were found maximum in Panniyur-1(check). With respect to black pepper and white pepper recovery it was found to be maximum in the Cv. Sigandini (36.98%) and Panniyur-1 (29.15%) respectively. Among the quality parameters, Panniyur-1 recorded maximum essential oil (2.95%) and oleoresin contents (8.78%), whereas, Cv. Sigandini had maximum piperine (5.1%) and bulk density (633.47 g/l). Keywords: cultivars, spike, yield, recovery and quality 1. Introduction Black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) is one of the ancient and most valuable spice ever known to the mankind and it was one of the very first item traded between India and Europe. It was so precious that they paid for it in gold, which made it to be termed as ‘Black Gold’. Black pepper is renowned to be the ‘King of Spices’ because of its vast demand in international market and one of the world’s most traded spice. Black pepper is grown for its fruits, which is usually dried and utilized as a spice and valued for its aroma which is due to the presence of essential oil within the berries and the pungency is mainly due to its chief alkaloid piperine. It is widely used for culinary purposes and in traditional medicines (Ravindran et al., 2000) [1] . It is a woody climbing perennial vine, indigene to humid tropical evergreen forests of Western Ghats of India adjacent to the Malabar coasts. In other countries like Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia black pepper is mainly grown as pure crop while in India it is largely grown under mixed cropping system in coconut, coffee, areca nut and tea plantation accounting for 65,518 tons with an area of 1,37,588 hectares. Apart from this it is also trailed on forest tree species like Silver oak, Jack, Erythrina indica etc., as live standard. In Karnataka it is cultivated in 37,750ha of land in mainly in Kodagu, Chickmagalur, Hassan, Shivamogga and Uttara Kannada districts with an annual production of 35,000 tons (Anon., 2018) [2] . Here in Karnataka Panniyur-1 is the most popular variety cultivated in all growing areas. Since Panniyur-1 variety doesn’t tolerant to shade and also it is susceptible diseases especially ‘quick wilt or foot rot’ so, there is a need to expose the local cultivars to the outer world which are present in farmer’s field that are tolerant to these aspects. However there is no much information regarding these local cultivars to the outer world. Hence, the present study was carried out to evaluate such local black pepper cultivars and identify the desirable ones to the hill zone of Karnataka. 2. Material and Methods Experiment was carried out during 2019-20 in farmer’s field around Sirsi taluk in Uttara Kannada district, which falls under hill zone (Zone-9) of Karnataka. Experimental sites had red lateritic soil with common agro climatic status and situated at an elevation of above 590m MSL. Total ten local cultivars viz., Sigandini, Huchmenasu, Huklakai Special, Keregadde Malligesara, Kurimale, Madana, SV Surya, SV Shalmala, Haavli Special and Ademane were evaluated along with a standard check variety Panniyur-1. All these black pepper vines were trained on the arecanut palm planted at a distance of 2.7m x 2.7m which serves as a live