Pepper program

This is a first step toward incorporating the health and vigor of Capsicum chinense types (Habanero in this case) into my mild pepper lines that are otherwise primarily derived from bell pepper X variegated (Capasicum anuum) hot pepper crosses. Aside from being selected for mildness, these lines had been selected for above average purple foliage color. It would be great to combine the growability (resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses) of Habanero with the easy fruit set of my mild lines.

Here are some peppers harvested from the hybrids (three different mild lines X Habanero). They have grown well and are fruiting in spite of this year’s severe drought. I have to think that the Habanero ancestry (and maybe also hybrid vigor) are contributing to the ease of growth of these ones, since several different normal annuum types planted at the same time have almost failed completely.