Production and Evaluation of High Yielding Sweet Pepper Hybrids under Greenhouse Conditions

摘要

Seven sweet pepper accessions were used to study the heterotic response of economic traits. Out of 7 accessions, 2 high yielding accessions with large elongated fruits, viz. PI 378647 (P1) and PI 592833 cv. Royal King (P2), were used as lines and 5 blocky large fruited accessions, viz. PI 592804 cv. Burrells Rocky Ford (P3), PI 592809 cv. Wondergreen (P4), PI 592834 cv. Titan (P5), PI 592838 cv. Yellow Belle (P6) and PI 659103 cv. Chocolate Bell (P7), were used as testers. Ten F1 hybrids produced by a line × tester mating system, their parents and the commercial hybrid cv. Gedion were evaluated based on their fruit yield and quality traits under greenhouse conditions during 2012 and 2013 autumn plantings. Significant variations of fruit yield and quality traits were observed among the F1 hybrids, their parents and the commercial hybrid cv. The maximum extent of significant positive heterobeltiosis was recorded for early yield per plant (EY - 62.9%), total yield per plant (TY - 50.5%), average fruit weight (AFW - 96.7%), pericarp thickness (PT - 41.07%), fruit diameter (FD - 23.55%), mature fruit TSS (MTSS - 13.18%), mature fruit ascorbic acid content (MAAC - 14.06%) and ripe fruit ascorbic acid content (RAAC -17.56%). As compared to commercial hybrid cv. Gedion,nine hybrids exhibited significant positive commercial heterosis for PT; seven hybrids for mature fruit TSS (MTSS) and RTSS; six hybrids for fruit length; five hybrids for TY, AFW and FD; four hybrids for RAAC; and two hybrids for EY.Hybrids P2 × P3 and P2 × P4 had highest positive commercial heterosis on TY, AFW, FD, PT, MTSS and RTSS. Therefore, these hybrids may use commercially after their evaluation on large scale.