Black Pepper variety · Released variety
Panniyur-4
Pepper Research Station, Panniyur, Kerala · Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) · 1991
High-yielding and regular bearing; retains parent cultivar quality.
Key facts
| Type | Released variety |
|---|---|
| Origin | Pepper Research Station, Panniyur, Kerala |
| Breeder / source | Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) |
| Year released | 1991 |
| Parentage | Clonal selection from Kuthiravally |
| Yield | reported high yield |
| Tolerance | Phytophthora foot rot |
| Distinctive features | Good driage |
| Grown in | All pepper-growing areas |
Figures are indicative, compiled from public agricultural sources (ICAR institutes, State Agricultural Universities, the Spices Board and the National Innovation Foundation) and vary with soil, season and management. Confirm with your local package of practices.
Panniyur-4 in detail
Panniyur-4 is a high-yielding clonal selection of Kuthiravally released by Kerala Agricultural University in 1991, known for consistent, regular bearing across Kerala's pepper tracts.
Origin & story
Panniyur-4 was developed at the Pepper Research Station, Panniyur, under Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) as a clonal selection from the local Kuthiravally cultivar. It was released in 1991. The Pepper Research Station, which started in 1952 and was upgraded to KAU status in 1972, has been the primary institution for black pepper improvement in Kerala.
How it grows
Panniyur-4 is a high-yielding and regular-bearing variety suited to all pepper-growing tracts of Kerala. It performs well under adverse climatic conditions and in open conditions. It produces about 1277 kg/ha of dry berries per year, with a potential yield reaching 2443 kg dry pepper per hectare. Its regular bearing reduces the alternate-year cropping pattern common in some pepper varieties.
Quality & character
The variety has dark purple-coloured shoot tips and medium-long spikes. Being a clonal selection, it retains the quality characteristics of its parent Kuthiravally cultivar, which is noted for good driage (drying recovery) — an important trait for pepper processing and trade.
Why it matters to buyers
Panniyur-4's regular bearing habit makes it attractive to growers who want stable, predictable production rather than boom-bust cycles. The good driage of the parent cultivar means efficient conversion of fresh berries to dried pepper. Being a KAU-released variety, propagation material is available from the Pepper Research Station, Panniyur, which helps ensure trueness to type for commercial plantings.
About black pepper
India's pepper tapestry splits into two worlds—old landraces born from the Western Ghats soil and careful farmer selection over generations, and modern releases from KAU Panniyur and ICAR-IISR that blend tradition with yield ambition. The ancient cultivars like Karimunda, Kottanadan, and Narayakodi remain the anchor, each rooted in its own stretch of humid…
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