Phenotypic Variation in Black Pepper (Piper nigrum L.) Germplasm Grown under Arecanut Plantation in North East India

The importance of local genotypes and landraces as a contributor to the gene pool of modern varieties with high economic value is well known. Though many varieties of black pepper were released for cultivation in different parts of India, only a few varieties are found suitable for North-East India, especially in the state of Assam where black pepper is grown as an important cash crop. This study was undertaken during 2013-2019 to evaluate 13 local black pepper genotypes for their growth, yield and yield attributes under Assam conditions of India. Significant differences were recorded among the accessions for most of the characters studied. Spike length varied from 9.57-13.45 cm. Compared to the popular check variety, ‘Panniyur 1’, the accession, IC-0599150 recorded 43.62% higher dry pepper yield indicating its superior yield potential. The result of this study indicates the importance of collection and characterization of local germplasm.