Genetic improvement of Capsicum frutescens: hybrid vigor for anthracnosis resistance and production traits

Abstract

The fruit anthracnose caused by the pathogen Colletotrichum scovillei is the most important disease of the tabasco pepper. The use of resistant cultivars is the most cost-effective strategy to manage this disease; however, the genetic parameters of this disease are still incipient in Capsicum frutescens. The objective of the present work was to evaluate the agronomical potential and resistance to pathogens that cause anthracnose in parents and hybrids of tabasco pepper, to estimate the general combining ability (GCA) of elite parents from Capsicum frutescens, and to determine the effect of heterosis in these hybrids. We chose six different genotypes as parents based on characteristics such as anthracnose resistance and antioxidant components and production. The F1 progenies were obtained from crossings in a greenhouse, and a complete diallel arrangement without reciprocals was chosen to estimate the genetic components, general combining ability, specific combining ability, and heterosis. The hybrid combinations 17 × 115 and 17 × 52 were the best combinations when considering fruit production and resistance to the fungus C. scovillei, respectively. However, the hybrid combination 44 × 115 was the most promising when considering the characteristics related to production and resistance to C. scovillei. Heterosis was observed for traits related to genotypes associated with resistance of Capsicum frutescens to the pathogen C. scovillei, and the same traits were related to production, which demonstrates their hybrid uses in chili pepper production.