Adaptability and stability of pepper hybrids under conventional and organic production systems

Abstract

ABSTRACT Pepper is one of the main vegetable crops commercialized in Brazil and it is grown throughout the country. The objective of this study was to estimate genetic parameters and predict the genotypic values involved in agronomic traits of hybrid pepper in two different cropping systems in order to verify adaptability and genotypic stability. The experiment was carried out at the Experimental Station Luiz Jorge da Gama Wanderley from IPA, located in Vitoria de Santo Antão, Pernambuco State, Brazil, from October 2010 to March 2011. Seven hybrids were evaluated in two trials, the first in conventional farming system and the second in organic cultivation system. Randomized blocks were used with seven treatments, four replications and plots consisting of six plants. We evaluated the following fruit variables: total mass (MTF), total number (NTF), average length (CMF), average diameter (DMF), number of locules (NL) and average thickness of the pericarp (EP). Statistical analyzes and estimation of genetic parameters were based on mixed models of type REML/BLUP, using the statistical model and software SELEGEN 151. All traits showed good accuracy. The genotype average heritability (h2mg) was lower than 80% only for the trait NTF. Some characters had h2mg close to 100% such as CMF and DMF with 99.1% and 98.3%, respectively. The hybrids presenting a predicted genotypic effect higher than the average were: Atlantis, Máximos, Solario and Rubia R for NTF, Solario and Atlantis for MFT, Impacto, Máximos, Atlantis, Hebron and Rubia R to CMF, Solario and Enterprise for DMF, Solario, Impacto, Rubia R and Atlantis for NL and Solario and Enterprise for EP. Hybrids presenting the highest performance in the traits evaluated for each system were the same selected based on the joint analysis of the studied systems, showing stability and enabling their indication for organic and conventional cropping systems.