Ecological variety testing of F₁ sweet pepper hybrids with different fruit shapes

   Relevance. Capsicum annuum L. are grown on an industrial scale in the south of the Russian Federation. In recent years, there has been an increase in the area under this crop, and there is a growing need for new hybrids for open field use that are more resistant to stress and have high-quality products. One of the most important stages of breeding is environmental testing, which allows for the determination of the adaptability of a breeding achievement to the conditions of a particular region.

   The Aim of the Research. Conduct an environmental test of sweet pepper hybrids bred by the FSBSI FSVC with different fruit shapes.

   Materials and Methods. Research on the variety testing of 6 F₁ sweet pepper hybrids bred by the Federal Scientific Vegetable Center was carried out in 2021 on experimental plots in three ecological and geographical zones of Russia: the “Research Institute of Agriculture of Crimea" (Republic of Crimea), the Federal Scientific Vegetable Center (Moscow Region), and the Laboratory of Northern Vegetable Growing – branch of the FSBSI FSVC (Kirov Region). The observation and statistical processing of the materials were carried out according to generally accepted methods.

   Results. In the ecological point of the Moscow region, conditions are formed that are most favorable for identifying stable hybrids, propagating constant forms, and conducting ecological variety testing for adaptability in terms of yield at the final stages of breeding (d_k = 1.74; t_k = 0.50; S_ek = 20.65). According to the interphase period "shoots-technical ripeness", fruit weight, pericarp thickness, the tested regions were characterized by average productivity values (d_k=1.57-4.84), average relative stability (S_ek = 14.23-17.21), high typicity (t_k = 0.71-0.95), which makes it possible to conduct ecological testing of hybrids at the final stages. stages of breeding for adaptability and resistance to low positive temperatures (Kirov and Moscow regions), as well as high temperatures and drought (Republic of Crimea). Evaluation of a set of economically valuable traits allowed us to select an early-ripening hybrid with a cone-shaped fruit, VS-12-21 F₁, with the highest yield values when grown in the Moscow region.

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