Heterosis in different F1Capsicum annuum genotypes for fruit traits, ascorbic acid, capsaicin, and flavonoids

• As expected, paprika type material was found to have higher ascorbic acid (AA) and flavonoid (quercetin and luteolin) concentrations than serrano peppers.
• As expected, serrano peppers were found to have higher expression of capsaicinoids (capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin).
• The existence of a significant association between such characteristics as fruit weight and fruit diameter, fruit weight and fruit length, and fruit diameter and fruit length was found.
• Identification of a significant association between different phytochemicals and fruit characteristics was also found.
• Results also revealed how effective certain combinations of parent material are toward production of elite F1 offspring, and we were able to identify the presence of a significant amount of positive heterosis for different traits when certain combinations were made.

Genetic diversity is present in the Capsicum genus for fruit size, shape, color, length, firmness, flavor, and even concentrations of different phytochemicals. Our goal in this study was to gain a better understanding of the relative ease of incorporating these characteristics into an improved cultivar evaluating a combination of 29 F1 paprika and serrano pepper (Capsicum annuum) hybrids along with 19 of their respective parents. Genotypes were grown and evaluated at the Texas AgriLife Research Center in Weslaco in the spring of 2008. Results confirmed our hypotheses that paprika type material have higher ascorbic acid (AA) and flavonoid (quercetin and luteolin) concentrations, while serrano peppers have higher expression of capsaicinoids (capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin). We were also able to identify how productive certain hybrid combinations were at expressing a significant amount of positive heterosis for particular traits. From our Pearson's correlation analyses, we were able to identify the existence of a significant association between such comparisons as fruit weight with fruit diameter, fruit weight with fruit length, and fruit diameter with fruit length. Interestingly, we were also able to identify the presence of a significant association between such comparisons as ascorbic acid with fruit weight, ascorbic acid with fruit length, ascorbic acid with fruit diameter, total flavonoids with fruit weight, and total flavonoids with fruit length. This information, henceforth, allowed us to acknowledge the amount of variability present between these comparisons. In all, our results were able to reveal how effective certain combinations of parent material are toward production of F1 offspring exhibiting improved fruit traits and elevated phytochemical concentrations. Ideally, these results will serve as benchmarks for breeders interested in development of improved lines for these traits.