Evaluation and Selection of Suitable Red Pepper (Capsicum annuum var. conoides Mill.) Types in Turkey

This study was conducted in order to select valuable genetic resources of red conic pepper (Capsicum annuum var. conoides Mill.) in Bafra plain situated on Black Sea Region of Turkey during 2003 and 2005. Fifty six red pepper populations were collected from different eco-geographical areas in the research region. All native red pepper genotypes were examined with respect to morphological characteristics. Ranking method was used for selecting superior types. The results of ranking method revealed twenty two superior types. Research results also showed that all populations had 11.2-19.2 cm fruit length, 4.8-7.2 cm fruit width and 4.3-5.8 mm for flesh thickness. Fruit colours of selected types were in red and dark red tones. In the majority of populations harvest time occurred at 105 days. On the other hand, the genotypes exhibited a range of 653.9-1415.5 g for the total fruit weight plants-1, 7.2-13.5 for the fruit number plant-1, 53.0-155.0 mg/100 g for ascorbic acid, 5.2-8.0% for total soluble solids and 8.0-11.9% for total dry weight. At the end of this study, 12 types were selected as being promising for further breeding efforts. © 2009 Asian Network for Scienctific Information.