Breeding an Industrial Quality Pepper
in INIA-Chile: Progress and Advanced Lines
Alan Pinto1,2, Ricardo Pertuzé3, Mabel Muñoz1, Gabriel Saavedra1, Francisco Álvarez1, María -Teresa Pino1*.
1Instituto de Investigaciones Agropecuarias (INIA), La Platina, Santiago Chile CP: 8831314, 2 Undergraduate-student Agronomy Universidad de Chile, 3 Universidad de Chile –
Facultad de Agronomía. *Corresponding author: [email protected]
E-mail: [email protected]
INTRODUCTION
In the last years, demand for peppers and Capsicum-based products has increased
significantly around the world, including canned, frozen, dried, paste, juice and colour
extract for processing industry. This higher demand is explained in parts because of
enhanced functional properties and health benefits. The objective of this investigation
was to obtain advanced lines focused on the requirements of the industry.
Materials and Method
The Chilean Agricultural Research Institute (INIA) started in 2007 a Capsicum annuum
L. breeding program in traits of industrial interest for fruit pepper quality such as
colour, pericarp thickness, fruit dry matter, fruit sugar content, shape, size and high
beta-carotenes content. Two years bulk crossing were done in order to increase the
genetic variability, by crossing 22 landraces and varieties differing in colour, shape and
Phytophthora capsici response. After bulk crossing, five sub-populations were selected,
grouped and independently cultivated for further selection and self-pollination; Red bell
blocky 4-lobed fruits (L1889), Red long blocky fruits (L1890), Yellow bell blocky 4-lobed
fruits (L1891), Red bell blocky 4-lobed fruits (L1892) and Red long blocky fruits
(L1893). After six years of recurrent selection of these sub-populations, we initiated the
selection of advanced lines based on the industrial fruit quality traits (colour, pericarp
thickness (>6mm), fruit dry matter (>10%), sugar content (>8°Brix), shape and size),
fruit number/plant, fruit weight and yield/plant. During the last season and among 1,710
selected segregating lines, 65 advanced lines (under self-pollination) meet the
industrial quality traits.
Figure 3. Dendrogram in 65 advanced lines (Ward method and squared euclidean
distance, Statgraphics Centurion XVI program. Copyright 2013 StatPoint
Technologies). Two large groups were formed: Group I clustering the majority of
advanced lines belong to sub-population L1892 (Red bell blocky 4-lobed fruits) and fruits
with higher dry matter (%) and higher sugar content (°Brix). Group II clustering advanced
lines belong to sub-populations L1889 and L1892 both Red bell blocky 4-lobed fruits, and
L1891 (Yellow bell blocky 4-lobed fruits), this group include fruits with higher fruit fresh
weight.
Table 1. Centroids in Cluster Analysis.
Cluster Colour
1 (blue)
2 (red)
1.28
1.00
Shape Pericarp Thickness Sugar Content Weight Dry Matter
3.83
1.66
5.54
5.30
a
269.59
154.39
b
d
Figure 1. INIA breeding program for Industrial Pepper
4.91
6.11
7.40
11.38
c
e
Figure 4. Descriptive Statistic Analysis: Phenotypic evaluations in five subpopulations: Yield (a), Pericarp Thickness (b), Sugar Content (c), Fruit Fresh Weight
(d) and Fruit Dry Matter (e).
RESULTS
Figure 5. Advanced lines in the
field under Self-pollination cages.
Figure 6. Advanced line - fruit according to
industrial characteristics.
The best advanced lines were L1892-41-04 with pericarp thickness (6,3mm), fruit dry
matter (13,6%), sugar content (≥7.5°Brix) and fruit fresh-weight (233g) and Line L189218-18 with pericarp thickness (6,4 mm), fruit dry matter (12,4%), sugar content (≥8.1°Brix)
and fruit fresh-weight (151g).
Figure 2. Principal component analysis (PCA) for 65 advanced lines of Capsicum
annum of fruit industrial traits. PCA showed that 55.22% of total variance was
explained with component 1 and component 2 (eigenvalue method, Statgraphics
Centurion XVI. Copyright 2013 StatPoint Technologies).
The over all analysis show that more stable characters were: pericarp thickness
and sugar content with 16.9% and 30% of coeficient variation respectively. So,
variation coefficient and genetic variation are narrowing, so the material to have is
also more stable.
Acknowledgements, this research was carried out with financial support from INNOVA-CORFO (09PMG-7244)