New Pepper Cultivars Developed for the American Market

Filed in archive Food and Agriculture on October 31, 2008

Photo courtesy of iStockphoto, Elena Schweitzer

Agricultural researchers have developed several new pepper cultivars that were more well adapted to climatic conditions and plant diseases of the Southwest and to U.S. consumer preferences. To date they have new cultivars of jalapeno, serrano, Habanero, poblano ancho, bell and other fresh pepper plants that produce higher yields, with the size, shape, color, capsaicin (the active "heat" ingredient) level and nutritional content American consumers prefer.

The team has established the first-known poblano pepper production in Texas through a partnership with San Antonio-based Constanzo Farms and is collaborating with other large producers in New Mexico and Arizona.

They have licensed two hot pepper cultivars in the past three years and have provided stock seed for commercial production, as well as providing large quantities of trial seed to pepper growers in Texas, New Mexico and Arizona.