Recent Advances in Propagation and Nursery Management for Quality Planting Material in Black Pepper (Piper nigrum L.)

Black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) is a perennial spice crop for which plantation establishment depends on the botanical identity, rooting ability, physiological condition and phytosanitary status of planting material. Conventional runner-vine cuttings remain important, but their supply is constrained by limited multiplication per mother vine and the potential carryover of pathogens. This narrative review critically examines conventional cuttings, serpentine and soil-mound systems, plug-tray production, vertical columns, bush-pepper propagation, in vitro regeneration, hydroponic rooting and grafting, alongside nursery substrate, microclimate, irrigation, biological inputs and sanitation. Evidence from crop-specific propagation experiments is interpreted according to cultivar, treatment, trial duration and measured endpoint. Comparative studies do not identify a universally superior rapid-multiplication method; reported performance varies with nursery conditions and whether output is measured as nodes, rooted cuttings or surviving plants. Likewise, successful in vitro regeneration is distinct from verified pathogen elimination, and a negative diagnostic result is meaningful only for the target pathogen and test used. Recent work on virus indexing and biological control expands the opportunities for quality assurance but does not eliminate the need for rigorous field and economic validation. An integrated approach is proposed in which authenticated and tested mother stock, reproducible propagation protocols, nursery monitoring, batch traceability and post-transplant assessment are treated as connected stages of one planting-material system. Priorities include multisite comparisons, disease-indexing standards, economic evaluations and longer follow-up after field establishment.