The National Institute of Forestry, Agriculture and Livestock (INIFAP) created the Calakmul habanero pepper variety that is resistant to viral diseases, which will benefit the producers of Yucatan and Campeche that are primarily engaged in the industrialization of these peppers to produce sauces.
According to the studies conducted by researchers at the Institute, of a total of 250 plants evaluated, this new variety had a 28 percent incidence of viral infections against the 59 percent detected in the commercial variety.
The Calakmul pepper that hasn't ripened is light green and turns red when it ripens. It is 5.2 centimeters long and 3.5 centimeters in diameter and has an average weight of 15 grams, said Jorge Carlos Berny Mier y Teran, a researcher at INIFAP and creator of the genetic material.
According to the Mexican standard of non-industrialized food products for human consumption of fresh chilli (NMX-FF-025-SCFI-2007), these characteristics make it a big sized pepper.
Mexico needs to generate varieties intended for production that have a better performance and adaptation to the regions, emphasized Carlos Berny.
Manuel de Jesus Zavala Leon, another researcher, stated that the Calakmul habanero pepper variety is open-pollinated, which is done naturally, and that it yielded 28 to 30 tons per hectare, in the open field, and more than 32 tons in greenhouses.
In turn, researcher Felipe de Jesus Tut Pech said that a fundamental part of creating this variety was transferring it to producers.
Currently, the INIFAP is providing training to producers, technicians, and high school teachers in the municipalities of Acanceh and San Antonio Tedzidz, in Yucatan, as part of the work being carried out by the Institute to position this variety.
The variety is registered in the National Catalogue of Plant Varieties (CNVV) of the National Seed Inspection and Certification System (SNICS) CHL-number 022-220313.
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