Developing a hybrid pepper (free seeds!)

[armyofda12mnkeys]

Hey all!,
Just thought I’d offer some seeds if anyone wants to grow a hybrid pepper I made. It actually helps me out as I can tabulate results and see what variations I get in this year’s generation to then collect seeds of to stabilize next year.
I made two hybrids actually that I will try to stabilize (this year is the 2nd, aka F2 generation). I already gave out 2000 seeds to 150+ people (although some of those gardeners are beginners who requested more seeds than usual but prob only growing a 2-10 plants total, and I got a few more hardcore gardeners growing 50 to a 100 plants on their farm).

For Hybrid#1,
I combined these two peppers (as I’m trying to get a “low/no heat pepper but has Habanero smell/flavor” like Habanada/AjiDulce/TrinidadPerfume/GrenadaSeasoning in a small ‘pea’ shape thats extremely productive similar to Aji Charapita… My Aji Charapita Hybrid did not work out, but my Perola Iaranja hybrid did [as i already grew out the F1 generation to make sure it crossed successfully]):

For Hybrid#2,
I combined these two peppers (as Im trying to get a new low/no heat pepper and not sure what shapes i’ll get but more guaranteed possibly of low heat since both parents were low/no heat). (Note: I actually don’t have any seeds of this one to give away but posted so people can see what else I made).

I’m hoping the genetics looks like this for Hybrid#1…
last summer’s F1 results:

All the 6 plants from this hybrid last year I got were hot, following the chart above. but hoping this year’s F2 results will have 25% ‘not hot’ like the chart below, that then can select a few interesting shapes from to grow next year and stabilize:

and this is for Hybrid#2:
last summer’s F1 results:

I only got 1 plant in last year’s F1 generation, so hoping it stays consistent and below F2 results will be true this year:

Although the genetics for heat-level are kinda interesting talking to one ‘pepper pro’ on a hot pepper forums I’m part of. It might be simple Dominant/recessive like above charts … or it may not be as simple as that if another gene for ‘amount of pungency’ needs to be taken into account (which he is unsure of).
Here is that conversation, it gets a bit more heavy towards page 2:

breeding - Pepper crossing question

Wasn’t sure if anyone had any knowledge on pepper genetics here, but thought I’d ask :).

P.M. me and address and how many plants you can grow and I can send you some seeds I have left for free ,
Arian

[elivings1]

It is late in the year for starting pepper seeds. Most peppers are recommended to be started from seed 12+ weeks before final frost. Even in my climate on CO zone 5 which typically has a later final frost date we have roughly 6 weeks until our last frost. While you may be breeding peppers that are considered quite flat with SHU I would imagine some would have quite the amount of SHU with a habanero. I don’t quite remember the heat on that but most people who are not Chile heads I know consider a jalapeño hot and something like a tabasco pepper insanely almost intolerable hot which a habanero is far hotter than that.

[armyofda12mnkeys]

I’m actually starting a month earlier this year than last year and i got a ton of peppers last year (I’m in Zone 7a Pennsylvania, started a week ago). I’ll get ripe peppers starting in mid to end of August and going into October, but hoping more in July with my earlier time frame this year. I’m guessing you have to start much earlier cause of Zone 5. My friend starts his in January but because he has a hot pepper sauce company so he needs a ton of peppers much earlier than me.

I would imagine some would have quite the amount of SHU with a habanero.

Btw I’m not using a Habanero as my parent … Wasn’t sure if you have ever tried ‘low heat but has Habanero flavor’ type peppers like ‘Aji Dulce’ (or other similar ones like Habanada/TrinidadPerfume/GrenadaSeasoning … note ‘Habanada’ is a different type of pepper than ‘Habanero’). They definitely are not hot, think not even Jalepeno but almost sweet pepper heat-level but with a strong hab flavor/smell that tricks you into thinking its much hotter than it actually is. Around the seed sack area is where you might be a bit of capsaicin/heat but nothing crazy.
But my Perola Iaranja parent does have a bit of heat (so you can pretend almost 0 Scoville Units on my Grenada Seasoning and 150,000 Scoville Units for the Perola Iaranja pepper).

[elivings1]

I am surprised you are getting peppers that early. Different climates for sure. I started a sweet pepper in January or December. I think being habanada and it hardly has a few leaves now. If I get lucky it will be decent size when it comes time to plant come May.

[armyofda12mnkeys]

Here is my garden tour around mid October:

end of 2022 garden tour

Towards the middle you see my hot peppers still making a decent amount of fruit (in pots too, sometimes 2 plants per pot… growing in-ground like my friend would be insane and get much more larger plants and fruit).
The leaves are starting to fall and not as productive cause of temperatures are falling but still getting a good amount.

[Nfg831_Z6b]

I’m in 6b. I just started mine. I usually have hots by end of august. If I was growing super hots like reapers, or 7 pots, I may have started a couple weeks ago.

[armyofda12mnkeys]

I stopped growing superhots. Takes too long to get ripe peppers and don’t need the explosive heat anyway :).
Just focusing on my low/no heat hybrids mostly for now.

[Nfg831_Z6b]

Last year I only did one reaper, and I bought it at lowes on sale. I think I gave all the fruit away.

[Fusion_power]

I grow peppers and deal with the genetics quite a bit. What you get entirely depends on the genetics you start with. Pure C. chinense crosses can be low/no heat. Zavory is a good example of a pure chinense that has no heat. I’ve always had problems with yellow/yellow crosses having an off flavor. They are citrus with a repulsive note. Crosses often involve other species such as C. annuum, C. frutescens, or C. baccatum. I’ve seen some very good flavored peppers come from chinense X frutescens.

I have about 5000 seedlings growing of about 80 varieties so my garden is already planned.

[Nfg831_Z6b]

Dang, that’s impressive!

[elivings1]

When I was growing peppers a lot I looked up a thread on aji pineapple. In the thread someone mentioned the off flavor of some yellow peppers. They mentioned it with the people feeling like cilantro tastes like soap to them. I have a similar reaction with both. My aji pineapple had a bad taste to me and by itself cilantro tastes like soap to me. If other stuff is added I don’t mind cilantro though.

[armyofda12mnkeys]

I’ve always had problems with yellow/yellow crosses having an off flavor. They are citrus with a repulsive note.

Thats interesting. I mostly grow yellow peppers just cause I like the color in the garden more than reds.
So I grow more of the zero-heat yellow peppers (like Bequino Yellow, Grenada Seasoning, Trinidad Perfume) and don’t really do the zero-heat red peppers (Zavory, Aji Dulce, Trinidad Seasoning) anymore. I wonder if what elivings1 said is true, that its like a genetic thing similar to cilantro reaction.

The zero-low heat peppers that I enjoy the most are the C. chinense (as far as I know all the ones i listed are in that category), as they have more of that Habanero flavor. So I did all chinense-to-chinense crosses.

[armyofda12mnkeys]

Btw something interesting which i saw in my seedlings last night. about 3-5% out of 100 seedlings have purple stems and purple-tinged leaves, which to me usually implies purple fruit (via that antioxidant anthocyanin being introduced into the fruit). I didn’t have any purple genetics from the 2 parents in either hybrid which i thought was interesting.

[Fusion_power]

Try Chapeau de Frade and see what you think of the flavor. Hands down, it is the best flavored pepper I’ve grown. It is VERY hot to me but I wimp out at about 30,000 scovilles.

[armyofda12mnkeys]

I think I’ve grown Chapeau de Frade if its also known as Bishop’s Crown. But I forget if I liked it. I may have to grow it again