Black Pepper in Malaysia: An Overview and Future Prospects

Abstract

Cultivating black pepper in Malaysia started in early 10th to the 11th century when the South Indian Kings began to extend their empire. The crop was brought to East Malaysia in 1840 by Chinese settlers, actively planted until it was hit by the massive flood, fluctuation of the price and outbreak of foot rot. High yielding cultivars such as Kuching, Semenggok Emas and Semenggok Aman provided promise for better production, but resulted in increased soil degradation and reduced crop growth in Sarawak. The paper aims to discuss the black pepper industry in Sarawak and present scenario of its cultivation including future prospects. Cultivating on hilly topography with coarse textured dominant soil becomes one of the limiting factors. This factor is observed due to high rainfall intensity and steeper slopes. Neglected soil conservation also affects crop production and lead to a lower return on investments. Technologies such as land conservation and practising precision agriculture need to be adopted to reduce the impact of soil degradation and better production.

Effects of Three Rainfall Patterns on Soil Chemical Properties in Black Pepper Cultivation in a Hilly Topography

“…It is reported that at least 23.60 mg/kg of P is available on tilt-up in the upper slope compared to the steeper area (Samndi & Mahmud, 2014). Several nutrient deficiency problems reported in previous literature involving N, K, and other essential elements eventually lead to lower yields (Izzah & Wan Asrina, 2019;Srinivasan et al, 2007). The effect of the insufficient nutrient is more prominent in a tropical country, especially East Malaysia, which receives higher rainfall up to 4,600 mm annually, and the circumstance facilitates the nutrient movement caused by a breakdown of soil aggregates (Sa'adi et al, 2017).…”

“…Agricultural activity on >10 o is highly discouraged due to several reasons. First, farmers might have to bear high maintenance costs and encounter impracticability to sustain productivity while conducting cultivation activity at a steep area (Izzah & Wan Asrina, 2019;Nguyen & Pham, 2018;Paulus et al, 2011). Apart from that, cultivation activity on hilly topography with steep slopes faces the risk of soil loss, leading to infertility.…”

Reducing root galling caused by root knot nematodes in black pepper (<em>Piper nigrum</em> L. cv. ‘Kuching’) through nutrient supplementation

“…Black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) is a perennial vine whose berries are highly valued as a spice and a medicine (Izzah and Wan Asrina, 2019). It is an economically important crop in Malaysia and an important cash crop of Sarawak (Izzah and Wan Asrina, 2019).…”

“…Black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) is a perennial vine whose berries are highly valued as a spice and a medicine (Izzah and Wan Asrina, 2019). It is an economically important crop in Malaysia and an important cash crop of Sarawak (Izzah and Wan Asrina, 2019). 'Kuching' is one of the traditional cultivars grown with high yields but it is highly prone to major root diseases, e.g., root knot nematodes (RKN) (Izzah and Wan Asrina, 2019).…”

“…It is an economically important crop in Malaysia and an important cash crop of Sarawak (Izzah and Wan Asrina, 2019). 'Kuching' is one of the traditional cultivars grown with high yields but it is highly prone to major root diseases, e.g., root knot nematodes (RKN) (Izzah and Wan Asrina, 2019). In Malaysia, RKN are ubiquitous, severely damage black pepper roots (Trinh, 2010) and are among the major causes of reduced yields and quality in black pepper (Ravindra et al, 2014).…”