Last week, an article was published on Monsanto’s cantaloupe and watermelon breeding program. Today’s article reflects a conversation with the company’s hot pepper breeder.
“My breeding program consists of seven hot pepper varieties for the fresh market and four varieties for the processing segment,” says Terry Berke, hot pepper breeder at Monsanto’s site in Woodland, CA. “It’s like running seven different breeding programs. Each variety has different parameters in terms of fruit size, color and shape as well as plant habits and disease resistance.”
Hot peppers required to adapt to different climates
“Stability and quality are key in the breeding process,” mentioned Berke. “There is no single hot pepper growing area. The Central Valley for instance is the key region to grow processing tomatoes. Hot peppers on the other hand are expected to grow well in Florida, New Jersey, Texas, California, 15 states in Mexico and hopefully Honduras. These regions all have very different growing conditions.”
Tough parents make tough hybrids
In the breeding process, Berke is focused on creating a consistent fruit size, shape and quality in all growing regions. To breed a variety that is able to grow in different environments, Monsanto has different breeding stations to perform various growing cycles during the year. Seeds are tested in California, Florida, Guatemala, and in four places in Mexico. “By the time it becomes a finished line, I’ve seen the product in five or six different environments. I like to stress my breeding nurseries as tough parents make tough hybrids,” adds Berke.
Taste is not on priority list
Contrary to cantaloupes and watermelons, taste is not important in the hot pepper breeding process. “The grower focuses on yield and quality and the retailer cares about shelf-life. The consumer has no say in the matter. I wish it was more important, but it is not. With hot peppers, the industry is not looking for a different product. As a result, our goal is not to change the flavor. We try to match the commercial standard.”
Bigger is better
The trend is for hot peppers to become bigger. “They are all hand-harvested and it takes a lot more picking motions to fill a five gallon bucket with small peppers than it does with larger peppers. Hand labor is about one third of the production cost and a bigger size allows the grower to save significantly. If we can save the grower 10 percent, that’s huge,” mentioned Berke.
Production moves to Mexico
For labor reasons, production of hot peppers is moving to Mexico. There is still a small market for fresh and processing hot peppers in the US, but it takes a lot of picking motions to harvest a field. It is cheaper to ship them from Mexico. Once they cross the Mexican border and arrive in Nogales, AZ, they can be shipped anywhere in the US within 36 hours.
For more information:
Carly Scaduto
Monsanto Company
Tel: (+1) 314-694-3247