Genetic Resources for Fertility Restoration Lines and Maintainers of Capsicum annuum L.

Male fertility reactions of one hundred and forty-one accessions of chilies were classified. Three groups were found. Some accessions maintained male sterility and were determined to carry a non-sterile cytoplasm and to lack fertility restoration genes or N rfrf genotype. Some accessions segregated for the ability to restore male sterile cytoplasm and were determined to be heterozygous in restorer genes with genotype N/SRfrf. Some accessions restored fertility of CMS and had the genotype N/SRfRf. A few maintainers with good horticultural characteristics were selected. They were selfed and selected for a few generations and then their progeny were evaluated. There were differences in the genetic stability of cytoplasmic male-sterility among the selected lines. Some lines were good maintainers, but a few lines were discarded. The stable maintainers were distributed to 10 seed companies and the government of China. Some F1 hybrid chilies produced using these lines have been commercially sold both in China and Thailand. Fruit physio-chemical qualities of maintainer accessions, restorers and heterozygous accessions were also recorded. The level of capsaicin of the accessions varied from 3,250 to 8,850 Scoville units. The level of vitamin C showed a range of 4.43 to 103.16 mg./100g.fw. Horticultural characteristics of the accessions were recorded and the fruit physio-chemical qualities of the accessions were reported.