IISR Malabar Excel
A 2004 IISR hybrid of Cholamundi and Panniyur-1 for high altitudes. It has the lowest average yield in IISR's pepper table, 1,440 kg dry pepper a hectare, with oleoresin of 13.5% on the variety page.
Quick facts
- Type
- Hybrid, 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
- 1,440 kg dry pepper a hectare (IISR table); 2.78 kg fresh pepper a vine
- Suitable soil
- Well-drained forest loam / laterite, humus-rich, acidic pH 4.5–6.0
- Release
- Released 2004 · ICAR-IISR, Kozhikode, Kerala
About this variety
IISR Malabar Excel is a black pepper hybrid released in 2004 by ICAR-IISR, Kozhikode, from Cholamundi crossed with Panniyur-1. IISR lists it as medium maturing and suited to high altitude areas. A vine gives 2.78 kg of fresh pepper, and the table gives 1,440 kg of dry pepper a hectare, close to the 1,453 in the AICRP on Spices booklet. The spike is 8.8 cm long with 70 fruits and 70% fruit set, on an elliptic-lanceolate leaf of 17.0 cm by 8.0 cm. A thousand berries weigh 103 g. On the variety page piperine is 2.96%, oleoresin 13.5% and essential oil 3.2%, with 34% dry recovery.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose IISR Malabar Excel only as a small test block on high ground, and only if oleoresin matters to your buyer. IISR's variety page gives oleoresin of 13.5%, level with Sreekara at 13.0%. Yield is the problem. IISR's table gives 1,440 kg of dry pepper a hectare, the lowest of the pepper varieties it lists, against 2,677 for Sreekara and 2,880 for Girimunda, and a vine gives 2.78 kg of fresh pepper. Piperine is 2.96%. IISR gives no foot rot rating. For high-range gardens that want yield, Girimunda or Thevam is the safer start.
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 high altitude areas. It gives no shade or rainfall figures.
Yield & maturity
Maturity period
Perennial; IISR lists it as medium maturing (no first-bearing age published)
Expected yield
1,440 kg dry pepper a hectare (IISR table); 2.78 kg fresh pepper a vine
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.
- Check your cuttings are really this hybrid. The name is also easy to confuse with Arka Coorg Excel.
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Oleoresin of 13.5% on IISR's variety page, level with Sreekara (13.0%).
- Piperine of 2.96% and 34% dry recovery.
- Meant for high altitude areas in Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
Things to consider
- The lowest average yield in IISR's pepper table: 1,440 kg a hectare, against 2,677 for Sreekara.
- Only 2.78 kg of fresh pepper a vine, and 70% fruit set.
- IISR gives no foot rot or other disease rating.
Suitable regions
IISR recommends it for high altitude areas in Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
- Kerala
- Karnataka
- Tamil Nadu
Why we use the variety page and not the table for its quality
IISR's variety table gives Malabar Excel piperine 5.1%, oleoresin 13%, essential oil 7% and dry recovery 35.0%. Those four figures are exactly the ones IISR gives for Sreekara in the same table. The Malabar Excel variety page gives different numbers: piperine 2.96%, oleoresin 13.5%, essential oil 3.2% and 34% dry recovery.
The AICRP on Spices booklet from Panniyur agrees with the variety page, with piperine 2.96%, oleoresin 13.40% and 34% dry recovery. Because the table row repeats Sreekara's figures and two other sources match the variety page, we show the variety page numbers. If IISR corrects the table, we will follow it.
For you, the useful point is that the 5.1% figure may be wrong. Do not buy cuttings expecting Sreekara-level piperine.
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 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 Excelthis page | 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
Is Malabar Excel a good choice for a new pepper garden?
Usually not. IISR's table gives it the lowest average yield of its pepper varieties, 1,440 kg of dry pepper a hectare, and IISR gives no disease rating. Its oleoresin of 13.5% is good. Start with Girimunda or Thevam for high ground, or Sreekara for the plains, unless oleoresin is what you sell.
Is Malabar Excel the same as Arka Coorg Excel?
No. IISR lists them as two varieties. Malabar Excel is a 2004 hybrid of Cholamundi and Panniyur-1 for high altitudes. Arka Coorg Excel is a 2012 seedling selection for Kodagu. Check the full name when you order cuttings.
Can I plant seedlings from Malabar Excel berries?
No. It is a hybrid, and IISR says to use only clonal planting material, meaning rooted cuttings. Seedlings from its berries would vary.
What is the piperine of Malabar Excel?
IISR's variety page and the AICRP on Spices booklet give 2.96%. IISR's variety table gives 5.1%, the same as Sreekara's row, so we think that figure is a slip. A lab test of your own berries is the surest answer.
Sourced from: IISR-Malabar Excel — 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.