Building Better Peppers: Characterization of a Variegated Pepper Line and Its Utility in Breeding Novel Fruit Types

The heirloom pepper ‘Fish’ is an open-pollinated variety producing fruits with medium level of pungency and flavor. The plants that are short-statured with average height of 2 ft, have variegated leaves and striped fruits which turn red upon maturity. We used this variety to introduce the variegation trait to an advanced breeding line of Capsicum annuum to develop a line with tall plant architecture, high yield, variegated leaves, and striped fruits which turn yellow upon maturity. The improved line was grown in a greenhouse and fruits were harvested for evaluation. Here we will report the the ultrastructural details of the variegated fruit, carotenoid composition and post-harvest keeping quality compared to another open-pollinated variety ‘Georgia Flame’.