Performance of Bell Pepper Cultivars

Performance of Bell Pepper Cultivars, Middle Tennessee Experiment Station, 2001

Charles A. Mullins, Dennis Onks, Roy Thompson and A. Brent Smith

Interpretative Summary

All pepper cultivars produced nice fruit. Plant type and pod appearance was very similar for all cultivars. ‘Aristotle’ and ‘Brigadier’ produced the highest yields of blocky fruit.

Introduction

Bell pepper cultivars with improved characteristics have been developed in recent years. Cultivars with large four lobed fruit and with resistance to diseases have been developed. Although peppers for fresh market are grown across Tennessee, the total acreage is relatively small. Processing pepper is not produced in the state at present. The potential for increased bell pepper production in Tennessee appears to be favorable. An experiment was conducted at the Middle Tennessee Experiment Station at the Spring Hill location has relatively warm summer temperatures, and performance under these temperatures was compared for the cultivars.

Materials and Methods

The site was prepared for planting by conventional tillage methods. Fertilizer was broadcast at 750 lb/A of 15-15-15, and incorporated with a disk on May 16. Napropamide (Devrinol) at 3 lb ai/A and trifluralin (Treflan) at 0.50 lab ai/A were applied and soil incorporated for week control on May 17. Greenhouse gown seedlings were field transplanted on May 18. Plot size was one row, 18 ft long and 6 ft apart with 9 plants spaced 24 inches apart. Experimental plot design was a randomized complete block with four replications. Esfenvalerate (Asana) at 0.05 lb ai/A and chlorothalonil (Bravo) at 1.6 lb ai/A were applied 12 times for insect and disease control.

Harvests were made on a 7 to 10 day frequency as the pepper matured. Pepper fruit were graded into blocky, long, or cull grade. Number and weight of fruit in each grade were recorded. All data were analyzed by analysis of variance methods and means were separated by Duncan’s multiple range tests at the 0.05 level of probability.

Results and Discussion

‘Aristotle’ and ‘Brigadier’ produced a higher yield of block fruit than all cultivars (Table 1). ‘Key West’, which failed to produce any blocky fruit, produced more long fruit than all cultivars. Yields of blocky and long fruit were satisfactory for most of the pepper cultivars at this relatively warm location in Tennessee. ‘Peninsula’ produced more cull fruit than all cultivars except ‘Aristotle’, ‘Boynton Bell’, and ‘Brigadier. ‘Karma’ was among cultivars with the largest fruit weight of blocky fruit. ‘Karma’ also had the largest fruit weight of cull fruit.

Measurements were not taken, but the plant type of all cultivars was very similar. Likewise, fruit appearance was similar for all cultivars.

Table 1. Yields in tons per acre of blocky, long, and cull fruit and, average fruit weight of blocky and long fruit of pepper cultivars tested at The University of Tennessee Middle Tennessee Experiment Station at Spring Hill, 2001

Cultivar	Blocky fruit tons/A	Long fruit tons/A	Cull fruit tons/A	Avg. wt blocky fruit lb/fruit	Avg. wt long fruit lb/fruit	Seed Source
Aristotle	134.4 a^z	38.8 b	23.7 abcd	0.33 b	0.33 b	Seminis
Bennington	90.4 b	30.2 bc	16.3 cdef	0.35 abcd	0.32 b	Seminis
Boynton Bell	71.7 bc	11.8 cdef	27.1 abc	0.32 de	0.33 b	Harris Moran
Brigadier	142.7 a	35.0 b	34.9 a	0.35 abc	0.33 b	Rupp
Camelot	68.2 bcd	26.3 bcd	23.7 abcd	0.36 ab	0.33 b	Seminis
Colossal	11.3 fg	3.1 f	3.8 ef	0.33 bcde	0.30 b	Rupp
Conquest	81.6 b	6.5 ef	14.0 cdef	0.35 abc	0.37 b	Harris Moran
Defiancee	72.8 bc	3.9 f	12.7 cdef	0.34 abcd	0.32 b	Seminis
EX2670169	48.8 cde	8.5 def	12.7 cdef	0.33 cde	0.31 b	Seminis
Karma	29.2 efg	20.1 bcdef	7.1 def	0.37 a	0.46 a	Harris Moran
Key West	0.00 g	136.8 a	0.00 f	***	0.15 c	Geminis
Legionnaire	94.3 b	25.1 bcde	21.4 bcd	0.34 bcde	0.34 b	Rupp
Orion	66.3 bcd	8.8 def	19.4 bcde	0.36 ab	0.34 b	Rupp
Paladin	38.7 def	12.3 cdef	9.3 def	0.31 e	0.33 b	Rupp
Peninsula	90.1 b	6.1 ef	38.5 a	0.36 ab	0.34 b	Harris Moram

^{zMeans within columns followed by the same letter
are not significantly different at the 0.05 level of probability, Duncan’s
multiple range tests.}

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Copyright © 1999 by The University of Tennessee. All rights reserved.

This research represents one season's data and does not constitute recommendations. After sufficient data is collected over the appropriate number of seasons, final recommendations will be made through research and extension publications.