Dry season performance of new chili pepper varieties in Mali
Abstract
248 words
Among the three species of pepper (Capsicum sp.) grown in West Africa, Capsicum
chinense and C. frutescens are the most popular in Mali; C. annuum being hardly known
to consumers. However, the latter is the easiest to grow, harvest, and process. Varieties of
C. annuum grown in Mali recently showed considerable yield advantage over the average
national yield. Therefore, C. annuum can play an important role in poverty reduction if
promoted among men (main producers) and women (main marketers). In this research, we
evaluated 10 chili peppers comprising seven newly introduced C. annuum chilies with diverse
fruit attributes, one C. annuum chili with known local adaptation and two local varieties of
C. chinense at SENESO’s experimental farms during the dry season of 2013/2014. A
randomized complete block design with 3 replicates was used. The objectives were to
determine their agronomic performance, and assess consumer/market acceptance of C.
annuum chili. The two local C. chinense varieties flowered 115 and 116 days after sowing
respectively. All the C. annuum varieties flowered within 75-100 days after sowing. Fruit
yield, averaged across the first seven harvests varied between 100 kg/ha and 1300 kg/ha.
The three locally adapted varieties were the highest yielding. At their first show in a local
market, fresh fruits of all the 10 varieties were totally sold. Likewise, processed products
(powder) of all the C. annuum varieties were totally sold at their first exposure to consumers.
These results indicate potential for consumer acceptance of C. annuum chilies in Mali.
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