Capsicum Gene Bank of Southern Brazil

R.L. Barbieri, G. Heiden, R.S. Neitzke, E. Choer, D.L. Leite and M.C. Garrastazú
Embrapa Clima Temperado
Pelotas, RS
Brazil

Keywords: ex situ conservation, landraces, genetic resources, biodiversity

Abstract
Many Capsicum landraces are cultivated in Brazil. Since 2002, pepper and
sweet pepper landraces have been collected, conserved and characterized in a
Capsicum gene bank maintained at Embrapa Clima Temperado, a research
institution in southern Brazil. This gene bank is described in this paper. The
geographic locations, common names, history of the collections and morphological
description of the Capsicum accessions are recorded. Seeds are stored in a cold
chamber at 4ºC. Plant cultivation in an experimental field allows species
determination and seed multiplication. Morphological descriptors, as described by
the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute, are used to characterize plants.
The gene bank maintains 347 accessions, including 286 of C. baccatum, 22 of
C. annuum, 15 of C. chinense, three of C. frutescens and 21 of unidentified Capsicum
species. Eighty percent of the accessions are characterized and show high variation
in fruit color, fruit shape and pungency within each species. Different common
names are given to landraces by farmers. Generally, names are given according to
fruit characteristics such as pungency, shape or colour. Pungent varieties are named
pimenta (pepper), pimenta forte (strong pepper), pimentinha (small pepper), comari
(bird pepper), malagueta and pimenta-de-cheiro (smelling pepper). Varieties without
pungency are called pimenta doce or pimentão (sweet pepper). Pimenta-olho-de-
pombo (pigeon eye pepper), pimentinha, pimentão-chapéu-de-padre (priest hat sweet
pepper), pimentão-chapéu-de-bispo (bishop hat sweet pepper) and pimenta dedo-de-
moça (girl finger pepper) are denominations based on fruit size and shape.
Ornamental landraces are also conserved in the gene bank. The majority of the
accessions (90%) were obtained in the southern Brazilian States of Rio Grande do
Sul, Santa Catarina and Paraná.
INTRODUCTION
The genus Capsicum (Solanaceae) comprises cultivated peppers and their wild
relatives. All have origins in the Americas. Pepper was, probably, the first spice used by
American Indians, conferring colour, flavour and aroma to foods. Meats and cereals
became more attractive with their use. Peppers are also useful in preserving food, helping
to protect against fungi and bacteria. After Portuguese and Spanish conquerors arrival to
America in the XVth century, peppers were spread all over the world. Nowadays, they are
an important dietary component of many countries. They are rich in vitamin C,
antioxidants and other healthy compounds, preventing some diseases (Reifschneider,
2000).
Brazil has a wide range of ecosystems and ethnical diversity, which result in a
richness of landraces in each region of the country. Due to huge geographic distances,
gene banks are distributed in different regions to make access to this diversity easier. To
conserve and characterize genetic resources of pepper, with emphasis on landraces from
southern Brazil, the Embrapa Clima Temperado Capsicum gene bank was created in 2002
(Heiden and Barbieri, 2004). The mission of this gene bank is to preserve genes that will
be available for practical research, evaluation and breeding uses, focusing on germplasm
from the south. This gene bank, holding 347 accessions, complements the collecting
efforts of the other three gene banks in the country, which collect and conserve genetic
resources in other Brazilian regions: southeastern (Universidade Federal de Viçosa,

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Eds.: D.M. Spooner et al. 319
Acta Hort. 745, ISHS 2007
Viçosa, MG), central western (Embrapa Hortaliças, Brasília, DF), and northern (Embrapa
Amazônia Oriental, Belém, PA). The four gene banks work together to collect and
characterize all the Capsicum diversity in Brazil. The objective of this paper is to describe
the Capsicum gene bank from southern Brazil.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Capsicum seeds are obtained through collecting expeditions or donations. Plant
characteristics, common name, use description, donor name, and collection site are
recorded. Seeds are stored in a cold chamber at 4ºC and cultivated in an experimental
field for seed multiplication and species determination. Characterization is done using the
morphological descriptors described by the International Plant Genetic Resources
Institute (IPGRI, AVRDC and CATIE, 1995).
The IPGRI descriptors used for morphological characterization of Capsicum
germplasm are: stem colour, shape, pubescence, length, and diameter; nodal anthocyanin
(the whole plant); plant height, growth habit and canopy width; branching habit; tillering;
leaf density, colour, shape and pubescence; lamina margin; mature leaf length and width;
number of flowers per axil; flower position; corolla colour, spot colour, shape and length;
anther colour and length; filament colour and length; stigma exsertion; male sterility;
calyx pigmentation, margin and annular constriction; anthocyanin spots or stripes; fruit
colour at intermediate stage and mature stage; fruit shape, length, width, weight, wall
thickness and surface; fruit shape at pedicel attachment; neck at base of fruit; fruit shape
at blossom end and blossom end appendage; fruit cross-section corrugation; number of
locules; ripe fruit persistence; seed colour and surface; and number of seeds per fruit.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The gene bank maintains 347 accessions, including 286 of C. baccatum, 22 of
C. annuum, 15 of C. chinense, three of C. frutescens and 21 unidentified accessions of
Capsicum. The characterization of 80% of the accessions showed, in each species, high
genetic variability in fruit colour, shape, and pungency (Heiden et al., 2005).
The accessions were obtained from eight Brazilian states (Fig. 1), including Acre,
Minas Gerais, Pará, São Paulo and Tocantins, but most of them (90%) came from the
southern states of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina and Paraná. Accessions from Paraná
were collected in Cascavel, Marmeleiro, and Renascença Counties and from Santa
Catarina in Canoinhas County. The accessions from Rio Grande do Sul came from Barra
do Ribeiro, Barra do Rio Azul, Capão do Leão, Cristal, Encruzilhada do Sul, Farroupilha,
Ipê, Morro Redondo, Pelotas, Rio Grande, São Lourenço do Sul, Três Forquilhas,
Tuparendi and Turuçu Counties. A systematic collection covered the Turuçu area because
this county is the main red pepper (dedo-de-moça type) producer in Brazil, and some of
its local farmers still conserve a large number of C. baccatum landraces (Neitzke et al.,
2005).
Several common names are given to landraces by farmers, usually based on
characteristics of fruit pungency, shape and colour. Pungent varieties are named pimenta
(pepper), pimenta forte (strong pepper), pimentinha (small pepper), and comari,
malagueta and pimenta-de-cheiro (smelling pepper). Non-pungent varieties are called
pimenta doce or pimentão (sweet pepper). Fruit size and shape result in names such as
pimenta-olho-de-pombo (pigeon eye pepper), pimentinha, pimentão-chapéu-de-padre
(priest hat sweet pepper), pimentão-chapéu-de-bispo (bishop hat sweet pepper) and
pimenta dedo-de-moça (girl finger pepper).
According to the germplasm donors, the accessions are used in different ways.
While some of them are used fresh, in salads or for cooking, others are more suitable as
pickles, in sauces, or powdered or dehydrated. Peppers with ornamental purposes are also
maintained by farmers in pots or gardens, which are also conserved in the gene bank.
In the morphologic characterization of the accessions, traits related to plant
architecture, such as plant height, growth habit, and canopy width; stem length and
diameter; branching habit; tillering; and leaf density colour and shape showed great

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variability, which can be useful in breeding programs aimed at enhancing plant
management in field conditions. Fruit pedicel length, ripe fruit persistence, and fruit
position (pendant, intermediate, or erect) variation also offer considerations for selection,
as these traits can decrease losses and make harvests easier.
Fruit traits present greatest importance for breeding programs, mainly because
they are related to storage, processing, marketing, and consumption. Immature fruit
colour and fruit format, length, and transverse section form are important for fresh pepper
commercialization, whereas fruit wall thickness and seed number per fruit are important
for dehydrated pepper production. Mature fruit colour is very important for both market
types. There is considerable diversity found in the gene bank collections for these traits.
Fruit aroma ranges from low to very high, and there is a great range of non-pungent
(sweet peppers) to extremely hot accessions. Capsicum landraces conserved in the gene
bank do not show any correlation between pungency and fruit shape and size; fruits of
very hot accessions can be either small or large, and also have different shapes, such as
elongate, round, triangular, or campanulate.
The data related to the accessions are deposited in the national database
SIBRARGEN (Sistema Brasileiro de Informações em Recursos Genéticos), the Brazilian
system of information on genetic resources. The accessions are available for Brazilian
universities, research institutes and people who are interested in the germplasm for
research purposes. Requests of germplasm from other countries are subjected to
regulation by the Ministry of the Environment, through the Genetic Heritage Management
Council (CGen), which manages the politics related to genetic property and establishes
procedures for shipment of germplasm samples from Brazil.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors are grateful to Brazilian farmers, the custodians of Capsicum
biodiversity, who donated seeds of landraces for the gene bank. This research is supported
by Embrapa and FAPERGS (Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa no Estado do Rio Grande
do Sul).

Literature Cited
Heiden, G. and Barbieri, R.L. 2004. Conservação e caracterização de recursos genéticos
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banco ativo de germoplasma de Capsicum da Embrapa Clima Temperado com base
em caracteres morfológicos. Simpósio Brasileiro de Recursos Genéticos de Frutas e
Hortaliças—Resumos e Palestras. Pelotas, Brazil 30–31 March. p.202–206.
IPGRI, AVRDC and CATIE. 1995. Descriptors for Capsicum (Capsicum spp.).
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Neitzke, R.S., Heiden, G., Stumpf, E., Fischer, S.Z. and Barbieri, R.L. 2005.
Conhecimento popular aliado a tecnologias de preservação e desenvolvimento dos
produtores de pimenta na Colônia Azevedo, em Turuçu, RS. Anais do III Congresso
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Reifschneider, F.J.B. (org.). 2000. Capsicum: Pimentas e pimentões no Brasil. Embrapa
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Figures

Fig. 1. Brazilian collection sites of accessions conserved at the southern Brazil Capsicum
gene bank, maintained at Embrapa Clima Temperado, a research institution in
southern Brazil.

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