COMBINING ABILITY AND HETEROTIC EFFECTS OF CHILI PEPPER (Capsicum annuum L.) GENOTYPES FOR YIELD COMPONENTS AND CAPSAICIN CONTENT

The productivity of chili pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) can be increased by the use of hybrid cultivars. Promising hybrid cultivars can be obtained by maximizing the combining ability value between two parents. The objective of this study was to estimate the general combining ability and specific combining ability (SCA) of the yield components and capsaicin content of chili plants obtained via diallel crossing. This study was conducted at the Leuwikopo Experimental Field, Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, Bogor Agriculture University. The experimental design was a single-factor randomized complete block design with three replications. On the basis of the results, the C5 x F074 hybrid was identified as the recommended hybrid for improving productivity potential. The Bara x F9160291 cross showed positive heterosis and the highest mean performance and SCA effects for capsaicin content. The C5 x F6074 hybrid showed high mean performance and the highest SCA effect for fruit weight per plant. The results of this study can be exploited further in chili breeding for the development of hybrids with high capsaicin content and productivity or hybridization programs.