System reduces costs in black pepper cultivation

When using gliricidia (Gliricidia sepium L.), a leguminous tree species, as a living tutor for the growth of black pepper, researchers confirmed that the system reduces the implementation costs per hectare by up to 46%, consumes half the water used in the traditional model and also improves the quality of the product. These results are published in the most recent studies conducted by Embrapa that consolidate the sustainable production system of black pepper in the Amazon, and which will be presented at the Journey for Climate, at the United Nations Conference on Climate Change 2025 (COP 30), in November of this year, in Belém (PA).

The technique, called “black pepper production system on live stakes”, replaces traditional wooden stakes with gliricidia plants, which provide support for the black pepper plant and, at the same time, contribute to the fixation of nitrogen from the air, carbon sequestration and soil enrichment. According to Embrapa, the system combines increased productivity with sustainable practices and is already adopted in several producing regions of Pará.

The research work, carried out in the northeast region of the state of Pará, compared the behavior of six clones (cultivars developed by the research or cultivated by black pepper producers) in two different cultivation systems: on wooden stakes and on living gliricidia stakes. The economic viability of irrigated crops, cost reduction, efficiency of water and energy use, quality of the final product and the environmental impact of cultivation in both systems were evaluated.

Gliricidia

A Gliricidia sepium L. is a leguminous tree native to Mexico and Central America, which has a high capacity for nitrogen fixation through its roots. The inclusion of this species in the agricultural system contributes to the sequestration of CO2, helping to reduce the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

The black pepper plant is a climbing plant and needs a support for its growth. The use of gliricidia cuttings as a live support (support) is an alternative for pepper growers due to the low cost and the difficulties in acquiring wooden stakes, generally made with species of the so-called “hardwoods” (acapu, maçaranduba, jarana, among others) that are in a state of depletion.

"The use of live gliricidia tutors in black pepper has been adopted in Pará since 2004, but the expansion occurred from 2014 with the increase in the price of acapu plants and their legal restrictions, which cause great environmental impact," says João Paulo Both, an analyst at Embrapa Amazônia Oriental (PA). The production segment, however, as the specialist explains, still lacked more precise information on irrigation, spacing, nutrition, management and other production factors of black pepper cultivars in this type of tutor for the consolidation of a sustainable production system.

National production

Black pepper is one of the most consumed spices in the world. Brazil is the world's second largest producer of this commodity, with a production of around 130 thousand tons in 2023, according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). The state of Pará is the second largest national producer of black pepper, with a production of 38 thousand tons in 2023, on 18 thousand hectares (IBGE/PAM, 2024). Despite its tradition in cultivation, the state faces challenges to achieve productivity similar to that of Espírito Santo, which leads national production: 61% of the total.

Brazilian black pepper is widely exported to markets such as Germany, the United States, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt.

More savings for the producer

From an economic point of view, the study evaluated the costs of planting one hectare of black pepper in the two production systems for each cultivar, as well as the cost of the irrigation system. One of the results is a 46% reduction in the total cost of planting one hectare of black pepper on a live gliricidia stake when compared to a wooden stake (dead stake). To plant one hectare of pepper on a wooden stake, the producer needs to spend R$59.313,00, while one hectare on a live gliricidia stake costs the producer R$32.038,00.

“The high price of wooden stakes in the state of Pará was the main factor for the difference in this implementation cost. The price of a wooden stake can reach R$25,00, while the highest price found for a live gliricidia stake was R$5,00 per unit,” reports Both. To plant one hectare of pepper in double row spacing (2,20m X 2,20m X 4,00m), 1.500 stakes are needed.

“With the live gliricidia tutor, implementation costs decrease significantly, allowing producers to use these resources to adopt technologies such as irrigation, which is essential in periods of water deficit,” highlights Both.

Irrigation costs cut in half

The researchers also assessed the water demand in both planting systems. The black pepper plant in the gliricidia requires less water than in the wooden stake. Comparing the same irrigation system in two rows, the cultivation in the living stake consumed about four liters of water per plant per day, half the demand observed in traditional cultivation. “In a scenario of climate change with reduced rainfall and longer dry periods, this decrease in water demand signals a positive point in adapting to climate change,” says Embrapa researcher Oriel Lemos.

The reduction of more than 50% in irrigation costs is also a positive point of growing on live stakes. Considering the energy tariff value in the state of Pará, the irrigation system with gliricidia had an annual operating cost of approximately R$ 1.413,50 per hectare (ha), while irrigation using the dead stake system was R$ 3.324,00/ha/year.

Conservation of forest resources

Water savings are directly related to the environmental impacts of using live tutors on crops. The partial shade of gliricidia reduces water loss through evaporation and the biomass incorporated into the soil, provides increased water retention and the addition of organic matter. “Gliricidia, which is a legume, fixes nitrogen in the soil and helps improve its physical and chemical properties,” says Lemos.

The researcher explains that the biomass generated by pruning gliricidia is used as cover and organic fertilizer, promoting greater retention of nutrients in the soil and fixation of atmospheric nitrogen. The study indicates a reduction of up to 30% in the use of chemical fertilizers in plantings when compared to the traditional system with dead tutor.

“One of the important contributions of this system is also the conservation of forest resources, since the living tutor reduces the dependence on commercial wood for the seasons and consequently the maintenance of local biodiversity”, highlights the researcher.

Black pepper with higher quality and market value

The studies also evaluated the quality of black pepper produced on live gliricidia plants, and one of the main results was the higher density of the final product. Both explains that the density of the product is a fundamental analysis for pricing the pepper and classifying it for export, since it is a commodity. “The heavier the grain, the higher the value paid to the producer,” he points out.

Brazil uses three density parameters and the use of the gliricidia tutor had a positive effect on fruit density, with a tendency to increase the frequency in the highest density classes. “The grains produced in this system are often larger and, therefore, with greater density”, explains the analyst. 

Other points highlighted in the study are the physical and chemical parameters of black pepper quality, especially the piperine content. “Piperine is the major bioactive compound in black pepper and is identified as one of the main alkaloids responsible for the pungency, or the heat, of the product,” explains Embrapa researcher Nádia Paracampo.

In the set of six cultivars analyzed, the piperine content was approximately 14% higher under the cultivation conditions on the live gliricidia tutor compared to the traditional dead tutor system (wood station).  

Multiplication of technology while maintaining the forest

To meet the demand of pipe growers for live tutors, research has been improving the gliricidia production system. The clonal garden, as the area where the plant is propagated from cuttings is technically called, is a technology that complements the sustainable production system of the blackthorn. “Each mother plant can provide four gliricidia cuttings per year,” says Both.

According to Embrapa, the area where live tutors are used for black pepper cultivation in Pará has grown by more than 400% in the last ten years. It jumped from 80 hectares in 2014 to 421 hectares in 2024. “The expansion in the adoption of live tutors by producers is the result of the partnership between Embrapa and the company Tropoc, which exports black pepper from Pará to several countries and is joining the institution to consolidate the sustainable pepper production system in the Amazon,” adds Lemos.

This shows, the researcher continues, that it is possible to increase black pepper production without having to cut down any trees in the Amazon. “This year, when food production is being discussed in the face of climate change, this message takes on a global dimension. It is essential that consumers know that when they buy black pepper produced in Brazil, they are acquiring a product that respects the environment and contributes to carbon sequestration,” he concludes.