Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Important Tips on Chili Pests

By James Peterson

The heterosis effect in capsicums is manifested in the early ripening of the fruits of the first five pickings and in an economically advantageous earliness of yield. In most cases the heterosis cuhivars were superior in yield to the parent cultivars. In the hybrid seed the embryos were bigger, giving rise to bigger plants, more leaves, lower flower abscission and a higher degree of uniformity of fruits.

Roussenova-Kondareva (1968) states that C. baccatum var. pendulum (syn. C. pendulum) crosses with C. annuum in cases where the former is the female parent, in which the F, hybrids are similar and usually occupy an intermediary position, but resembling more the female parent in certain characters. F, hybrids differed in a number of morphological and physiological features and could be divided into four groups; plants of female parent type; plants of male parent type; plants of an intermediary type; and plants representing a new form which were fully sterile. Male sterile forms were also obtained which are useful for breeding.

Flea beetles, Epitrix spp. and Systena blanch., Melsh., can do extensive damage. These jumping beetles are particularly damaging to young plants. Hornworms, Protoparce quinquemaculata (Haw.) and P. sexta (Joh.) devour the leaves of capsicums in northern America. The large green larvae have diagonal lines along the sides and a pronounced horn on the rear end. In small fields they can be controlled by hand-picking, but in large fields dusting or spraying with a suitable pesticide may be necessary. Fennah (1947) says that Phlegethontius sextus (Joh.) is a pest of capsicum in the West Indies. (This is a synonym for Protopace sexta Butl.)

Many cultivars exist and the ease with which those of the same species cross can be used for the breeding and selection of improved cultivars. With the discovery of cytoplasmically inherited male sterility (Peterson, 1958), hybrid F, seed can now be cheaply produced. High temperatures accentuate the sterile condition.

Nomenclature and types Chillies and capsicums The numerous varieties of Capsicum species traded in the dried form are grown in many areas and differ considerably in the size, shape and pungency of the fruit; and have been ascribed various botanical classifications and vernacular names in the literature. Traditionally, the smaller-fruited, more pungent types have been known as chillies while the somewhat larger, mildly to moderately pungent types have been known as capsicums. The former type are valued principally for their high pungency and the latter for their colour in combination with pungency.

Chillies and capsicums are traded internationally both in the whole and ground forms, but grinding is mainly undertaken in the consuming centres. Both types are used as a pungent spice for domestic culinary purposes, usually in the form of cayenne or red pepper, and by the food industries for the seasoning of processed foods and in the preparation of curry powder, Tabasco sauce, etc. In addition, the most pungent types of chillies are used by the pharmaceutical industry in the preparation of stimulant and counter-irritant balms for external application and in pungent stomachic carminative and stimulant formulations taken internally to dispel flatulence and arouse the appetite.

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