Variation of Plant Characters Among Long Cayenne Pepper (Capsicum frutescens L.)

Abstract

Considerable variation exists in pepper (Capsicum spp.) germplasm, which can be useful in improvement of yield and fruit quality. Evaluation and characterization of variation in pepper is necessary to identify genotypes suitable for use in improvement programs. Accessions of long cayenne pepper (C. frutescens L.) were collected from locations in southwestern Nigeria and evaluated for growth and yield. Quantitative characters observed on 31 accessions were evaluated during two cropping seasons in 2008. About one third of accessions had higher fruit yield when planted later in the year; the remainder had similar yields in both seasons. Intra-accession variability for fruit length indicates that accessions were heterogeneous. The accession from Akure, with yield not lower than 100 g/plant in each season, had stable, high performance. Improvement in yield appears to be feasible with the landraces of long cayenne pepper available. The second season may be more promising for long cayenne pepper production in Nigeria.