GROWTH AND YIELD OF PUNGENT CAPSICUMS AS AFFECTED BY PLANT ESTABLISHMENT METHODS

‘Cajun 1A’ cayenne pepper seeds were direct seeded at 8, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 cm within rows in spring. Increasing spacing from 10 to 30 cm increased the number of fruits/plant, reduced fruit length, but yield, fruit weight and diameter were unaffected. In a second experiment, ‘Cajun 2A’ cayenne plants were grown in the field from containerized transplants and direct seeding at 15, 20, 25 and 30 cm. Transplants had more root growth, followed by greater shoot growth with higher yields and fruit numbers than direct seeded plants. Spacing did not influence plant growth, and these responses were independent of planting methods. When ‘TAM-Mild’ Jalapeño 1 and ‘TAM-Veracruz’ jalapeño pepper were compared for their early growth in spring, the latter had higher growth rates for stem diameter, root and shoot growth than ‘TAM-Mild’. New and advanced breeding lines with multiple virus resistance developed by the TAES Center at Weslaco were evaluated by the TAES Center at Uvalde during summer. ‘TAM Veracruz’ and ‘TAM yellow’ jalapeños, ‘TAM’ cascabella, ‘TAM’ long green chile, and ‘TAM bell II’ had more multiple virus resistance, more fruit set, and higher yields than the standard types.

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