Avaliações de híbridos de pimenta (Capsicum chinense Jacq.)

Abstract

Pepper plants, belonging to the genus Capsicum, are one of the primary spice species in the world, utilized both fresh and processed. The market and producers have become more demanding regarding fruit quality and productivity, making innovations in the sector increasingly necessary. New pepper hybrids can contribute to this trend. The present study aimed to characterize 11 pepper hybrids (C. chinense) and two controls: ‘F1 Maria Bonita’ (C. chinense) and the commercial variety ‘Dedo-de-Moça’ (C. baccatum), for agronomic evaluations such as: height of the first bifurcation, days to flowering, total number of fruits per plant, number of commercial fruits per plant, number of defective fruits, total fruit mass per plant, average fruit mass, total yield, dry matter percentage, fruit length, fruit diameter, fruit pulp thickness, and number of locules; physico-chemical evaluations such as: color, fruit firmness, soluble solids, titratable acidity, soluble solids/titratable acidity ratio, total phenolic compounds, and total carotenoids; and sensory evaluations such as: color, brightness, visual texture, spicy aroma, fruity aroma, spicy flavor, fruity flavor, juiciness, crunchiness, and acceptance, under protected cultivation. Quantitative data were subjected to statistical analysis using the Scott & Knott test at 5%. Regarding the characteristics of total number of fruits, number of commercial fruits, total fruit mass, and yield, there was no statistical difference among the studied materials. Differences were observed among the materials regarding fruit shape; concerning fruit length, hybrids 1 and 2 were the closest to the ‘Dedo-de-Moça’ control, indicating a possibility for changing fruit typology, which could be utilized in future genetic breeding to achieve elongated fruit shapes in the C. chinense species. Physico-chemical analyses revealed that, among the produced hybrids, hybrid 2 stood out for fruit firmness and soluble solids, while hybrids 5 and 10 achieved the highest means for pH, soluble solids/titratable acidity ratio, and carotenoid content. Regarding the total phenolic compounds variable, all hybrids presented means equal to the ‘F1 Maria Bonita’ control and lower than the ‘Dedo-de-Moça’ control. The sensory analysis demonstrated that all materials had equal acceptance levels, showing high potential interest among consumers. Based on the results obtained, these hybrids possess high potential for innovation in the pepper agribusiness.