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Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

Vol. 13 No. sp3 (2026): Climate-Weed Nexus: Innovations for Sustainable Farming (CWIS 2025)

Perennial growth, yield performance and nutritional quality in interspecific hybrids of Capsicum frutescens L. × Capsicum annuum L.

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.13482
Submitted
1 January 2026
Published
14-05-2026

Abstract

Climate change poses an unprecedented threat to global food security, severely impacting the productivity of heat-sensitive crops like chilli, demanding innovative and resilient agricultural interventions. Specifically, temperature extremes and erratic weather patterns severely limit the yield and nutritional stability of globally important spice and vegetable crops like chilli. Traditional breeding programs, while effective, often fall short in developing crops with the broad adaptability required to withstand volatile climatic conditions. This research evaluates the performance of interspecific hybrids of Capsicum and their parental lines, Capsicum frutescens (P1) and Capsicum annuum (P2–P6), demonstrating their potential as a foundational strategy for climate-resilient productivity enhancement. The study was conducted at the College of Agriculture, Vellayani. The study assessed the heterotic performance of five interspecific hybrids (P1 × P2, P1 × P3, P1 × P4, P1 × P5 and P1 × P6) for yield and quality attributes, positioning these novel genetic combinations as a robust solution to modern agricultural challenges. Hybrids P1 × P3, P1 × P4 and P1 × P6 exhibited superior plant height compared to their parents, a trait linked to enhanced resource capture and stress tolerance. All hybrids, except P1 × P2, showed a marked increase in the number of fruits per plant, culminating in superior yield per plant and indicating broad genetic adaptability and resilience to environmental fluctuations. Beyond yield, hybrids P1 × P2, P1 × P3, P1 × P5 and P1 × P6 recorded higher Vitamin A, while P1 × P2 and P1 × P4 surpassed their parents in Vitamin C content, highlighting improved nutritional traits. All five interspecific hybrids displayed a perennial growth habit, surviving 11 months and outlasting their typically annual parental lines. This prolonged life cycle has the potential to reduce replanting needs and conserve resources, thereby supporting stable farmer income. Overall, the superior yield, quality and perennial nature of these hybrids underscore interspecific hybridisation as a powerful, underutilised tool for breeding climate-resilient, sustainable and nutrition-sensitive capsicum cultivars.

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