Puducherry scientist develops high-yielding pepper variety

“The new variety can yield up to 5 kg of dry pepper in five to six years. The pods and leaves emit a distinct lemon aroma and the variety is notably spicy,” she said.
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PUDUCHERRY: A 36-year-old scientist from Koodapakkam in Puducherry has developed a unique lemon-flavoured aromatic pepper variety that promises a high yield in just 18 months, compared to the seven years for the conventional varieties. Puducherry Assembly Speaker R Selvam on Saturday unveiled the new variety, which was developed through natural mutation at the scientist’s family farm.

The scientist Sri Lakshmi Venkatapathy, daughter of Padma Shri awardee and agricultural researcher Venkatapathy Reddiar — said the plant grows up to 15 feet and produces vines from top to bottom, unlike traditional pepper, where vines grow only at the top of the plant that would grow up to 25 feet before yield. “The new variety can yield up to 5 kg of dry pepper in five to six years. The pods and leaves emit a distinct lemon aroma and the variety is notably spicy,” she said.

Sri Lakshmi holds a postgraduate degree in Computer Applications and an MBA. Starting at the age of eight, she has been conducting experiments along with her father and has developed over 100 plant varieties, including orange and chocolate-flavoured guava varieties that are now cultivated in Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and other states.

The orange guava variety was unveiled in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s name and the chocolate guava one was unveiled in the name of former Puducherry L-G Kiran Bedi. The family has applied for patents for the varieties, with plans to patent the new pepper variety as well.

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