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BASF Armour chilli hybrid

Armour is a BASF-Nunhems F1 hot-pepper hybrid developed for Indian growing belts where chilli leaf curl virus pressure is high. It is positioned as a dual-purpose fresh-red and red-dry hybrid carrying intermediate resistance to leaf curl virus, and has been tested in Indore, Guntur, Warangal, Nashik and Nagpur hotspot markets.

Key characteristics

  • Company: BASF (Nunhems India)
  • Type: F1 hybrid
  • Key trait: intermediate resistance to chilli leaf curl virus
  • Pungency: approximately 70,000-75,000 SHU
  • Colour: ASTA value of 80-90
  • Fruit: 9-10 cm length x 1 cm diameter, semi-wrinkled surface
  • Use: dual fresh-red and red-dry
  • Plant habit: semi-erect

Cultivation

Fresh fruit develops 45-50 days after sowing in the kharif season, and pungency and colour are reported to hold well in cold storage. The hybrid is grown using the standard chilli package of practices, including raised-bed nursery raising (Practice Chilli Nursery Raising), staged NPK application (Practice Chilli Fertilizer Schedule) and the IPM spray calendar (Practice Chilli Spray Schedule).

Pest and disease profile

The principal positioning trait of Armour is intermediate resistance to chilli leaf curl virus (Disease Chilli Leaf Curl Virus, Chilli Leaf Curl Virus), which is transmitted by the whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Pest Sucking Pests Chilli). Other major chilli biotic stresses — black thrips (Pest Thrips Parvispinus Black Thrips), yellow mite (Pest Mites Chilli) and fruit anthracnose (Disease Chilli Dieback Anthracnose) — still require routine management.

Adoption and use

Armour is marketed by BASF-Nunhems through Indian agri-input distributors and BigHaat/Farmers Stop-type retailers as a high-pungency, leaf-curl-tolerant alternative to traditional dry-chilli varieties. It sits alongside the company's slim-fruit Teja-type US 341 (Chilli Basf Us 341) in the BASF Indian portfolio.

Chilli Basf Us 341, Disease Chilli Leaf Curl Virus, Chilli Leaf Curl Virus, Pest Sucking Pests Chilli, Chilli Teja Segment

References

  1. Armour. Nunhems India product page.
  2. Armour F1 Hybrid Chilli (BASF Nunhems). Farmers Stop product listing.