Field Chili and Sweet Pepper Cultivar Evaluation in Central Missouri

The demand for chili and sweet peppers has been steadily growing in central Missouri. Information on varieties for the region, however, is scarce. The objectives of this trial were to evaluate and select new pepper cultivars that perform well when grown in the Midwest and to supply farmers with variety recommendations. Based on the results of non-replicated initial trials in 2011, 58 chili pepper cultivars (10 big chilies, 27 jalapenos, 9 poblanos and 12 cayennes) and 11 sweet pepper cultivars (mostly bell peppers) were chosen for the replicated studies in 2012. Pepper seeds were sown in the greenhouse and were grown to transplants with 3-4 true leaves. They were then planted into raised  beds covered with black plastic mulch at Lincoln University’s Carver Farm  in Jefferson City, Missouri. For each pepper type, a completely randomized bock design with four replications per variety and four plants per replication was applied. Because of the large number of cultivars involved, harvesting was done on a limited basis during the season. Jalapeno and sweet peppers were harvested three times while big chili, poblano and cayenne peppers were harvested twice.  For each cultivar, 10 randomly selected fruit were chosen and fruit characteristics were measured including fruit length, width and weight. The 2012 growing season was characterized by extreme heat and drought. As a result, most sweet peppers experienced some degree of blossom end rot disorder.  Cultivars that performed well overall were Flavorburst, Large Red Snack and Carmen for sweet peppers; Rayo, Jalafuego and El Jefe for jalapenos; Anaheim, Joe E. Parker and Sahuaro for big chilies; Huizache,  Abedul,  San Ardo and Masivo for poblanos; and Super Chili, Andy, Long Slim and Red Devil for cayennes.