G4 (Guntur)
The variety behind Guntur’s name as a chilli market — grown for the export-grade dry-chilli trade more than the fresh market.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Chilli
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- Kharif
- Maturity period
- 160–170 days
- Expected yield
- 40–45 q/ha (dry chilli)
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Release
- No confirmed releasing institute found via any directly-fetched or independently-corroborated source in this pass — reads as an established Guntur-area open-pollinated farmer/trade type rather than a single documented ICAR/state-university breeding release
About this variety
G4, also marketed as 'Bhagyalakshmi G4,' is an open-pollinated chilli type long grown in Andhra Pradesh's irrigated chilli belt around Guntur, valued for slender, high-pungency fruit that ripens from olive-green to dark red. No directly-fetched primary source in this pass could confirm which institute, if any, formally bred or released it as an official ICAR/state-university variety — a directly-fetched Wikipedia page on Guntur chilli names several other local types (Guntur Sannam S4, 334, Teja, 273) without mentioning G4 at all, and it reads across sources more as an established local farmer/trade type than a single documented breeding-programme release, so this record's release field stays general rather than naming an institute that couldn't be confirmed. It's consistently described as tolerant of insect-transmitted viral disease, i.e. resistant through thrips/mite tolerance rather than a direct antiviral trait — consistent with this record's own moderate thrips-and-mite tolerance rating — and is grown for both the fresh green-chilli export trade (prized in Gulf markets for glossy skin and shelf life) and the dry red-chilli trade. A single WebSearch hit reports its yield at 40–45 q/ha — not independently corroborated a second time, but broadly in line with general Guntur/Indian dry-chilli benchmarks (commonly 8–25 q/ha under irrigation) found in the same research pass, so used here rather than a much higher unsourced figure.
Key characteristics
Yield & maturity
Maturity period
160–170 days
Expected yield
40–45 q/ha (dry chilli)
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
Pest & disease considerations
Major diseases
- Moderate thrips and mite tolerance
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Consistently described as tolerant of insect-transmitted viral disease via its thrips/mite tolerance, matching this record's own moderate thrips-and-mite rating.
- Dual-purpose fruit — used for both the fresh green-chilli export trade (Gulf markets, prized for glossy skin and shelf life) and the traditional Guntur dry red-chilli trade.
Things to consider
- No institute or release year could be confirmed for G4 in this research pass — every source found describes it as an established local Guntur-area type rather than naming a specific breeding programme, so release is deliberately left general rather than guessed.
- G4's 40–45 q/ha yield figure rests on a single WebSearch hit, not independently corroborated a second time — treat it as an approximate figure rather than a precisely confirmed one.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Andhra Pradesh
- Telangana
Frequently asked questions
Was G4 bred by a specific research institute?
No source found in this research pass could confirm one — it reads as an established open-pollinated Guntur-area farmer/trade type rather than a single documented breeding-programme release, unlike, say, Pusa Jwala's confirmed IARI origin.
What is G4 mainly grown for?
Sources describe dual use — fresh green chillies for export to Gulf markets (valued for glossy skin and shelf life) and dry red chillies for the traditional Guntur spice trade.