Horticultural and chemical quality characterization of accessions selected from four species of Capsicum

Abstract

Pepper accessions with promising adaptations to the Korean growing environment were selected from Capsiucm annuum, C. frutescens, C. baccatum, and C. chinense. ‘Cherry Sweet,’ ‘Papri Sweet,’ and ‘Papri Mild’ accessions of C. annuum were selected for their fresh fruit quality. The fruit of ‘Cherry Sweet’ and ‘Papri Mild’ matured into a bright red color, with a high American Spice Trade Association (ASTA) color value, while the fruit of ‘Papri Sweet’ was characterized by a good taste and chewing texture. KC01299, KC01333, KC01338, and KC01345 accessions of C. frutescens had relatively low ASTA color values, but were highly pungent with a capsaicinoid content similar to or higher than Tabasco (375.5 mg·100 g−1) and 3 to 5 times that of ‘Cheongyang’ (103.3 mg·100 g−1), which is a popular Korean hot pepper cultivar. The three selected C. baccatum accessions (KC01739, KC00625, and KC00628) were tolerant to powdery mildew and viruses, with KC01691 and KC00625 having high sugar content. A good diversity in fruit shape and chemical quality components was found among the selected C. chinense accessions. The fruit of KC01693 (with a temporary RDA genebank number 800080) were light emerald green when immature and ivory to ripe apricot color when mature, with a high sweet taste and the characteristic aroma of C. chinense. The mature fruits contained similar levels of capsaicinoids as ‘Cheonyang,’ and had the highest sugar content of all tested accessions in this study. The red and orange lines bearing Korean chile pepper type fruits with tolerance to powdery mildew and viruses were selected from PI224445 (KC00163). The red fruit selection had the highest ASTA color value among all tested accessions, with the appropriate pungency for making Korean Kimchee. Bhut Jolokia had the highest ranking for capsaicinoid content, but its fruit set was poor. A red Habanero, KC01787, was selected for productivity, high capsaicinoid content, and tolerance to viruses in the field.