Arka Coorg Excel
A 2012 seedling selection for Kodagu, with the highest average yield in IISR's pepper table, 3,267 kg dry pepper a hectare, a 14.22 cm spike and bold berries. IISR gives no piperine, oleoresin or disease figures for it.
Quick facts
- Type
- Seedling selection, planted as rooted cuttings
- Season
- All seasons
- Maturity period
- Perennial; IISR lists it as medium maturing (no first-bearing age published)
- Seed rate
- Not a seed crop — 2–3 rooted cuttings per standard, standards at about 3 × 3 m (roughly 1,100 vines/ha)
- Expected yield
- 3,267 kg dry pepper a hectare (IISR table); 7.15 kg a vine (IISR variety page)
- Suitable soil
- Well-drained forest loam / laterite, humus-rich, acidic pH 4.5–6.0
- Release
- Released 2012 · listed by ICAR-IISR, Kozhikode (breeding centre not named on IISR's page)
About this variety
Arka Coorg Excel is a black pepper seedling selection released in 2012 and listed by ICAR-IISR. IISR describes it as medium maturing and suited to Kodagu district and similar areas, and its table calls it a bold-seeded, long-spiked, high-yielding variety. A vine gives 7.15 kg, and the table gives 3,267 kg of dry pepper a hectare. The spike is 14.22 cm long with 60% fruit set, on an ovate leaf of 16.8 cm by 8.1 cm. IISR gives dry recovery of 40%. IISR's pages do not give piperine, oleoresin or essential oil for this variety, and do not name the centre that bred it.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Arka Coorg Excel if your garden is in Kodagu, or somewhere with a similar climate, and yield is your main aim. IISR's table gives it 3,267 kg of dry pepper a hectare, the highest average of the pepper varieties it lists, against 2,677 for Sreekara. The spike is long, 14.22 cm, and IISR calls the berries bold. The catch is what is missing: IISR gives no piperine, oleoresin or essential oil figures and no foot rot rating, and recommends it only for Kodagu. Outside Kodagu, start with a small block, or pick a variety with more published data such as Sreekara or Panchami.
Key characteristics
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timePlant with the first monsoon showers, roughly May–June
- Seed rateNot a seed crop — 2–3 rooted cuttings per standard, standards at about 3 × 3 m (roughly 1,100 vines/ha)
- SpacingAbout 3 × 3 m standards in a dedicated garden; follows the host tree spacing as an intercrop
- Sowing methodPlant 2–3 rooted cuttings on the northern side of the standard, mulch the base, and tie every new flush to the standard
- IrrigationWater young vines through their first dry seasons; summer (dry-season) irrigation of bearing vines, increasingly by drip, markedly improves berry fill where water is available
- Fertilizer5–10 kg farmyard manure per vine each year with a thick pre-monsoon mulch, plus an adult NPK dose of about 50:50:150 g N:P2O5:K2O per vine per year in two splits, with lime on very acidic soil
- HarvestingHand-pick spikes in several rounds from November to February for black pepper; good dry recovery means a better weight of dry pepper per kg of green berry
Soil & climate
Soil
- Suitable soil
- Well-drained forest loam or laterite, on the high side of a slope or a mound
- pH
- 4.5–6.0
Climate
- Climate
- IISR recommends it for Kodagu district and similar climatic areas. It gives no trial results from elsewhere.
Yield & maturity
Maturity period
Perennial; IISR lists it as medium maturing (no first-bearing age published)
Expected yield
3,267 kg dry pepper a hectare (IISR table); 7.15 kg a vine (IISR variety page)
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
Pest & disease considerations
Major diseases
Management notes
- IISR gives no disease rating for this variety, so treat it like any pepper: drainage, mound planting and the protective foot-rot programme.
- Ask a Kodagu grower of the variety for the shade and feeding they use, because IISR gives none.
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- The highest average yield in IISR's pepper table: 3,267 kg of dry pepper a hectare, and 7.15 kg a vine.
- A long spike of 14.22 cm with bold berries, as IISR describes it.
- Made for Kodagu, so it suits that climate.
Things to consider
- IISR gives no piperine, oleoresin or essential oil, so you cannot compare its pungency or extract.
- Recommended only for Kodagu and similar areas, with no foot rot or other disease rating.
- IISR's pages do not name the breeding centre or the parent, and the name is easy to confuse with IISR Malabar Excel.
Suitable regions
IISR recommends it for Kodagu district (Coorg) and areas with a similar climate.
- Karnataka
A Kodagu variety: what IISR does and does not say
IISR's table gives Arka Coorg Excel the best average yield of all its pepper varieties, 3,267 kg of dry pepper a hectare. That is a strong number, and it sits beside a short list of facts. IISR recommends it for Kodagu district and areas with a similar climate. It gives the spike length, the fruit set and a dry recovery of 40%. It gives nothing on piperine, oleoresin, essential oil or disease.
So the number is for comparing, not promising. A farmer outside Kodagu has no IISR result to lean on, and a Kodagu farmer has no quality figure to quote to a buyer. The sensible step is to plant a few vines, count the crop for two or three seasons, and send a dried sample for testing before you convert a whole garden.
One more thing to check at the nursery: the name. IISR also lists IISR Malabar Excel, a different hybrid for high altitudes with the lowest yield in the table. Ask for Arka Coorg Excel by its full name and the Kodagu origin.
Can you save seed from this crop?
It is not grown from seed. IISR says to use only clonal planting material, meaning rooted cuttings from a vine you have watched, not seedlings from berries. Berries of a cross do not give plants like the parent.
How it compares with other varieties
Every Black Pepper (Kali Mirch) variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Starts bearing | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arka Coorg Excelthis page | Kodagu gardens that want the highest listed yield | Perennial; IISR lists it as medium maturing (no first-bearing age published) | 3,267 kg dry pepper a hectare (IISR table); 7.15 kg a vine (IISR variety page) | Karnataka |
| IISR Chandra | A newer early hybrid; long spikes and high fruit set | Perennial; IISR lists it as early maturing (no first-bearing age or days published) | 2,905 kg dry pepper a hectare on average (IISR variety page); 7.5 kg green pepper a vine; potential 7,815 kg/ha | Kerala, Karnataka |
| IISR Girimunda | High-altitude gardens and estates that sell on weight | Perennial; IISR lists it as medium maturing (no first-bearing age published) | 2,880 kg dry pepper a hectare (IISR table); 6.14 kg fresh pepper a vine | Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu |
| IISR Malabar Excel | A high-range test block for its oleoresin | Perennial; IISR lists it as medium maturing (no first-bearing age published) | 1,440 kg dry pepper a hectare (IISR table); 2.78 kg fresh pepper a vine | Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu |
| IISR Shakthi | Rain-fed gardens where foot rot is the main risk | Perennial; IISR lists it as medium maturing (no first-bearing age published) | 2,253 kg dry pepper a hectare (IISR variety page) or 2,352 (IISR table); 5.2 kg green pepper a vine | Kerala, Karnataka |
| IISR Thevam | Coffee and tea estates and high-altitude gardens where foot rot is the main risk and weight matters more than pungency | Perennial — first bearing in year 3, full bearing by year 7–8, productive for 20–30 years | 2,481 kg a hectare dry pepper on average (IISR); 4.76 kg fresh a vine (KAU booklet) | Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu |
| Karimunda | Homegarden and mixed-plantation farmers who want a familiar vine with easy planting material | Perennial — first bearing in year 3, full bearing by year 7–8, productive for 20–30 years | 0.98 kg dry pepper a vine in an Assam arecanut trial (fourth of 12) | Kerala, Karnataka |
| Panchami | Kerala and southern Karnataka farmers who sell on oleoresin and want a vine that sets a lot of berries | Perennial — first bearing in year 3, full bearing by year 7–8, productive for 20–30 years | 2,828 kg a hectare dry pepper on average and 5.20 kg fresh a vine (IISR, KAU); 0.75 kg dry a vine in an Assam arecanut trial | Kerala, Karnataka |
| Panniyur-1 | Farmers with open or lightly shaded, well-drained land who want a high-yielding hybrid and will run a foot-rot programme | Perennial — first bearing in year 3, full bearing by year 7–8, productive for 20–30 years | 3.66 kg dry pepper a vine in a Karnataka arecanut trial (best of 11); 1.15 kg a vine in an Assam arecanut trial | Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu |
| Panniyur-2 | Farmers who want a very pungent, shade-tolerant pepper for a mixed homegarden and do not need the top yield | Perennial — first bearing in year 3, full bearing by year 7–8, productive for 20–30 years | 2,570 kg a hectare dry pepper on average and 4.50 kg fresh a vine (KAU booklet); 0.55 kg dry a vine in an Assam arecanut trial | Kerala |
| Panniyur-5 | Arecanut, coconut or tree-shaded gardens where a shade-tolerant, many-spiked pepper is needed | Perennial — first bearing in year 3, full bearing by year 7–8, productive for 20–30 years | 1.25 kg dry pepper a vine in an Assam arecanut trial (best of 12); KAU booklet gives 1,107 kg a hectare on average | Kerala, Karnataka |
| Panniyur-6 | Farmers who sell pepper by weight and want bold berries and many spikes, not high extract content | Perennial — first bearing in year 3, full bearing by year 7–8, productive for 20–30 years | 2,127 kg a hectare dry pepper on average and 2.30 kg fresh a vine (KAU booklet) | Kerala |
| PLD-2 | Oleoresin buyers; Kerala plains and higher ground | Perennial; IISR lists it as late maturing (no first-bearing age published) | 2,475 kg dry pepper a hectare on average; 4,731 kg/ha potential; 4.97 kg green pepper a vine (IISR) | Kerala |
| Pournami | Gardens with a history of slow decline, and arecanut or banana intercrops, where root-knot nematode is a worry | Perennial — first bearing in year 3, full bearing by year 7–8, productive for 20–30 years | 2,333 kg a hectare dry pepper on average and 4.70 kg fresh a vine (IISR, KAU); 0.85 kg dry a vine in an Assam arecanut trial | Kerala, Karnataka |
| Sreekara | Farmers who sell to extractors and want high oleoresin and essential oil, in Kerala, south Karnataka or Tamil Nadu | Perennial — first bearing in year 3, full bearing by year 7–8, productive for 20–30 years | 2,677 kg a hectare dry pepper on average and 4.80 kg fresh a vine (IISR, KAU); 0.70 kg dry a vine in an Assam arecanut trial | Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu |
| Subhakara | Intercropped gardens and higher elevations in Kerala, south Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, where weight and reliability matter more than piperine | Perennial — first bearing in year 3, full bearing by year 7–8, productive for 20–30 years | 2,352 kg a hectare dry pepper on average and 4.20 kg fresh a vine (IISR, KAU); 1.12 kg dry a vine in an Assam arecanut trial (third of 12) | Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu |
Tools for this crop
The numbers you need next: how much seed to buy, whether the lot germinates, what the fertilizer bill looks like and what Black Pepper (Kali Mirch) is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Black Pepper (Kali Mirch) plot needs, corrected for the germination of the lot you bought.
- Germination CalculatorTest 100 seeds from the bag before sowing and see whether the lot is fit to sow.
- Seed Variety FinderFilter every Black Pepper (Kali Mirch) variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Black Pepper (Kali Mirch) into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop CalendarMonth-by-month sowing, weeding, irrigation and harvest dates for Black Pepper (Kali Mirch) in your state.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Black Pepper (Kali Mirch) rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Black Pepper (Kali Mirch) seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Arka Coorg Excel in Wayanad or Idukki?
IISR recommends it for Kodagu district and areas with a similar climate, and gives no result from Wayanad or Idukki. It may work if your garden is close in rain, altitude and shade, but there is no IISR trial to say so. Plant a small block first.
What is the quality of Arka Coorg Excel pepper?
IISR calls the berries bold and the spike long, and gives a dry recovery of 40%. It gives no piperine, oleoresin or essential oil. To know the quality, send a sample of your own dried berries to a spices testing lab.
Which yield figure is right, 3,267 kg a hectare or 7.15 kg a vine?
They are two measures of the same variety. IISR's table gives 3,267 kg of dry pepper a hectare, and the variety page gives 7.15 kg a vine, without saying whether that is fresh or dry. Green pepper loses a lot of weight when it dries, so do not multiply 7.15 kg by the vines in a hectare to get a dry figure.
Can I plant seedlings from its berries?
No. IISR says to use only clonal planting material, meaning rooted cuttings from a vine you know. Seedlings from berries would vary and would lose what IISR measured.
Sourced from: Arka Coorg Excel (Black Pepper) — ICAR-Indian Institute of Spices Research, Spice varieties: significant characteristics of black pepper varieties — ICAR-IISR (ITM-ABI), Improved Varieties of Black Pepper — AICRP on Spices (Pepper Research Station Panniyur), September 2025. editorial policy.