IISR Chandra
A 2023 IISR hybrid of HP 1117 and Thommankodi, listed as early maturing, with 90% fruit set and a 17.5 cm spike carrying 85 to 90 fruits. IISR gives 2,905 kg dry pepper a hectare on average and 5.1% piperine, but only 3.2% essential oil.
Quick facts
- Type
- Hybrid, planted as rooted cuttings
- Season
- All seasons
- Maturity period
- Perennial; IISR lists it as early maturing (no first-bearing age or days 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
- 2,905 kg dry pepper a hectare on average (IISR variety page); 7.5 kg green pepper a vine; potential 7,815 kg/ha
- Suitable soil
- Well-drained forest loam / laterite, humus-rich, acidic pH 4.5–6.0
- Release
- Released 2023 · ICAR-IISR, Kozhikode, Kerala
About this variety
IISR Chandra is a black pepper hybrid released in 2023 by ICAR-IISR, Kozhikode. IISR gives its pedigree as a hybrid progeny of HP 1117 and Thommankodi, where HP 1117 is itself a cross of Cholamundi and Thommankodi. IISR calls it a vigorous, regular-bearing, early-maturing hybrid with high fruit set, bold berries and a long spike. The leaf is ovate-elliptic, 15.8 cm by 8.8 cm. The spike is 17.5 cm long, 97% of its flowers are bisexual and 90% set fruit, with 85 to 90 fruits on a spike. A thousand berries weigh 112 g and take up 104 cc. Dry recovery is 33.5% and a vine gives 7.5 kg of green pepper. Piperine is 5.1%, oleoresin 8.71% and essential oil 3.2%. IISR lists 43 licences issued for the variety.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose IISR Chandra if you want the newest IISR hybrid, one that IISR lists as early maturing with 90% fruit set, and you will plant only rooted cuttings. IISR gives it 2,905 kg of dry pepper a hectare, a little above Sreekara at 2,677 and Panchami at 2,828, and 5.1% piperine, the same as Sreekara. The long spike is its mark: 17.5 cm with 85 to 90 fruits. The catch is oil: 8.71% oleoresin and 3.2% essential oil, against 13.0% and 7.0% for Sreekara. IISR also gives no foot rot rating for it, so do not plant it on wet ground without drainage and the protective spray programme. If foot rot is your main worry, look at IISR Thevam or IISR Shakthi, which IISR rates tolerant.
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 gives no shade, altitude or rainfall advice for Chandra beyond the pepper-growing tracts of Kerala and southern Karnataka. Treat it like any other pepper: drainage and a foot-rot programme.
Yield & maturity
Maturity period
Perennial; IISR lists it as early maturing (no first-bearing age or days published)
Expected yield
2,905 kg dry pepper a hectare on average (IISR variety page); 7.5 kg green pepper a vine; potential 7,815 kg/ha
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
Pest & disease considerations
Major diseases
Management notes
- Run the protective foot-rot programme and plant on well-drained ground. IISR lists no resistance for this variety.
- Buy rooted cuttings only from a source that names the variety, and ask IISR or KVK Calicut where licensed nurseries are.
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- IISR lists it as early maturing, with 90% fruit set and 85 to 90 fruits on a 17.5 cm spike.
- 2,905 kg of dry pepper a hectare on average, above Sreekara (2,677) and Panchami (2,828) in IISR's table.
- Piperine of 5.1%, level with Sreekara, and 33.5% dry recovery.
Things to consider
- Oleoresin 8.71% and essential oil 3.2%, well below Sreekara (13.0% and 7.0%).
- IISR gives no foot rot or other disease rating, and no days to first bearing.
- It is a 2023 release, so there is little farm experience yet. IISR's own figures are the only ones found.
Suitable regions
IISR gives all pepper-growing tracts of Kerala and southern Karnataka as the areas of adoption.
- Kerala
- Karnataka
A hybrid planted from cuttings: what to ask your nursery
IISR says to use only clonal planting material for Chandra. A clone is a rooted cutting taken from one vine, so every plant is a copy of it. That matters here because Chandra is a cross. Berries from a cross do not come true: the seedlings would split into many kinds of vine, and you would lose the early bearing and long spike that IISR measured.
So the thing to check at a nursery is the mother vine, not the berries. Ask which vine the cuttings came from, whether it is a Chandra clone raised from IISR material, and whether you can see the mother block. IISR lists 43 licences issued for the variety and runs its own nursery, so you can ask IISR or KVK Calicut for a licensed source before you buy from a stranger.
Plant them as you would any pepper: on a mound, with a standard to climb, and the foot-rot programme ready before the first monsoon rains. IISR gives no special spacing for Chandra.
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 Excel | 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 Chandrathis page | 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 IISR Chandra from berries I collect?
No. Chandra is a hybrid, and IISR says to use only clonal planting material, meaning rooted cuttings. Seedlings from its berries would vary and would not carry the traits IISR measured. Buy cuttings from a named mother vine.
How much pepper will Chandra give me?
IISR's variety page gives 2,905 kg of dry pepper a hectare on average and 7.5 kg of green pepper a vine, with a potential of 7,815 kg a hectare. IISR's variety table gives 2,788 kg for the same variety. Read the potential as a ceiling, not a plan. Shade, rain, foot rot and how well the vines are fed decide a farm's yield.
Is Chandra better than Sreekara?
On yield and fruit set, IISR's figures favour Chandra: 2,905 kg a hectare against 2,677, and 90% fruit set against 63.4%. On pungency they tie at 5.1% piperine. On oil, Sreekara is far ahead: oleoresin 13.0% against 8.71% and essential oil 7.0% against 3.2%. Sreekara has been grown since 1990, while Chandra is new.
Does Chandra resist foot rot?
IISR gives Chandra no foot rot rating. Among the IISR pepper releases, only Thevam and Shakthi are listed as tolerant or moderately resistant to it. So plant Chandra on well-drained ground and run the protective programme, as for Sreekara.
Sourced from: Chandra (Black Pepper) — ICAR-Indian Institute of Spices Research, Spice varieties: significant characteristics of black pepper varieties — ICAR-IISR (ITM-ABI), Landmark Technologies — ICAR-IISR, Improved Varieties of Black Pepper — AICRP on Spices (Pepper Research Station Panniyur), September 2025. editorial policy.