ARS | Publication request: Inheritance of Value Added Traits in Capsicum

Submitted to: HortScience
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: March 28, 2007
Publication Date: July 1, 2007
Citation: Stommel, J., and Griesbach, R.J. 2007. Inheritance of value-added traits in Capsicum. HortScience. 42:1006(abstract).

Technical Abstract: Considerable diversity exists in Capsicum germplasm for fruit and leaf shape and size, as well as plant habit. This morphological diversity, together with diverse ripe fruit color and varying hues of green to purple foliar pigmentation, affords a myriad of opportunities to develop novel cultivars for culinary, ornamental, and multi-use ornamental/culinary applications. Whereas culinary forms must be adapted to open field or greenhouse culture, ornamental and dual-purpose ideotypes are developed for use as potted plants, cut stems, or landscape plants. Utilizing diverse parental stocks, we evaluated the inheritance of characters contributing to Capsicum fruit and foliar phenotype and plant habit. Immature and mature fruit colors were inherited discretely, whereas mature fruit color intensity exhibited quantitative inheritance with significant additive effects. Similar to fruit color intensity, additive genetic variance accounted for green to black gradations in foliar pigmentation due to variation in anthocyanin content. Similarly, variation in leaf size and shape exhibited a quantitative mode of inheritance. Variation observed in plant habit suggested simple inheritance. Consistent with previous reports, multiple fruitedness and fruit size and shape were influenced by multiple genes.