INTRODUCTION

Hot pepper (Capsicum spp.) is a crop of significant global economic importance, ranking as the third most valuable vegetable after tomato and pea (Ali, 2006). As a key cash crop for smallholder farmers, it plays a crucial role in sustaining rural economies worldwide (RDA, 2020). Renowned as one of the world’s most predominant spices, it is highly valued for the pungency, flavor, and vibrant color it adds to culinary dishes, in addition to possessing a substantial nutritional profile rich in vitamins A, C, and E (Bosland & Votava, 2000). For instance, the distinctive sensory properties of gochugaru, an essential red pepper powder in kimchi, are derived from the unique capsaicinoid and carotenoid profile of indigenous Korean pepper varieties (Kim et al., 2016). Beyond its culinary applications, pepper is an important source of bioactive compounds with demonstrated medicinal value. Notably, capsaicinoids, primarily capsaicin, are established pharmacological agents known to mediate pain relief and exhibit anti- obesity potential (Basith et al., 2016). Additionally, peppers contain phenolic compounds and flavonoids that contribute to reduced oxidative stress and lower risk of chronic diseases (Cho et al., 2020). Pepper is also becoming popular in the ornamental industry, with ongoing breeding efforts developing varieties for aesthetic fruit morphology and pigmentation (Stommel et al., 2025).

Globally, hot pepper is cultivated on 2.07 million hectares, yielding over 38 million tonnes. China dominates global output, producing over 19.9 million tonnes (52.2%), followed by Mexico, Türkiye, Indonesia, and Spain (FAOSTAT, 2022). This robust production underscores the crop’s critical role as a staple food, spice, and essential cash crop for millions of smallholder farmers worldwide.

The Rural Development Administration (RDA) of Korea has been conducting an adaptability assessment of genetic resources received from the World Vegetable Center and reporting the results(Heon et.al., 2023). In 2017, Ethiopia introduced genetic resources from the RDA and the National Institute of Horticultural Sciences (NIHHS) to select varieties suitable for the Ethiopian environment.

In Ethiopia, hot pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) cultivation is a cornerstone of smallholder agriculture, primarily concentrated in the central (Eastern and Southern Shewa), western, north-western (Wellega, Gojjam), and northern regions where agro-ecological conditions are highly favorable (Girma et al., 2001). Based on the official CSA data, hot pepper was cultivated on nearly 87,000 hectares of land in Ethiopia during the 2022/2023 growing season. Over 3.6 million smallholder farmers produce pepper, underscoring its critical role in rural livelihood security and the nation’s culinary identity (CSA, 2022).

Given its importance, pepper is identified as a high-priority crop in Ethiopian research to improve yield and quality to satisfy the demands of local consumption, agro-processing, and export markets. So far, 11 pepper varieties and corresponding production technologies have been released, contributing to improved production. However, the national average productivity for green pepper is 0.63 t/ha, far below the world average of 1.17 t/ha (FAOSTAT, 2021). This low productivity is attributed to production constraints, including pre- and post-harvest pests, limited improved varieties with important traits (such as disease resistance), unavailability of quality seeds of released varieties, and limited knowledge of improved agricultural practices among smallholder farmers.

To address these challenges, 51 hot pepper genotypes were introduced to the Melkassa Agricultural Research Center (MARC), EIAR from the Republic of Korea through the Korea Partnership for Innovation in Agriculture (KOPIA), via its Technical Cooperation Project (TCP). The project, titled ‘Introduction of High-Productivity Varieties in Solanaceae Crops and Development of Customized Cultivation Technology,’ has been ongoing since 2017. The 51 genotypes were clustered into three groups: 43 for green pods, 4 for dry pods, and 4 for chili purposes. The 43 genotypes for green pods were evaluated across different locations, leading to the selection of four promising genotypes. From these, one genowere type (CCA- 323) was identified and tested in a national variety verification trial in 2023. The main objective was to evaluate the performance of the varieties and release the best as commercial variety for green pod production in Ethiopia.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Description of the Testing Sites

The experiment was conducted at four agricultural research centers (Melkassa, Woramit, Debre Markos, and Wendogenet) and one commercial farm (Koka) during the 2021 and 2022 cropping seasons. The description of the experimental sites is provided in Table 1.

Experimental Design and Treatments

The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. The treatments consisted of four hot pepper genotypes introduced from the National Institute of Horticulture and Herbal Science (NIHHS), Rural Development Administration (RDA), Republic of Korea, in 2017 (CCA-984-A, CCA-321, CCA-323, and Mr. Lee no. 3 selex), and two standard checks from Ethiopia (Melka-Awaze and Chala), making a total of six genotypes. Plot size was 8 .4 m² (3 m x 2.8 m). Each plot contained four rows; the second and third rows were used for data collection, while the first and fourth rows served as border rows. Spacing between rows and plants was 70 cm and 30 cm, respectively. The spacing between plots and blocks was 1.5 m.

Field Operations and Fertilizers

Land preparation involved tractor plowing followed by disk harrowing to achieve a fine tilth. Seedlings were raised on seedbeds for 50-55 days before transplanting. Chemical fertilizer NPS (242 kg/ha) was applied basally before transplanting. Urea (79 kg/ha) was applied in two splits: 50% two weeks after transplanting and the remaining 50% 1.5 months after transplanting. Fungicides Ridomil gold and Nativo were applied at 3.5 kg/ha to control leaf diseases, bacterial leaf spot, and powdery mildew. Karate 5% (2.5 L/ha) was applied to control insect pests, such as the African bollworm. Other cultural practices, including weeding, cultivation, and irrigation, were applied uniformly to all plots as required (Girma et al., 2001).

Data Collection

Data w ere collected o n day s to 5 0% f lowering, plant height, growth habit, marketable and total yields, and pod characteristics (pod length, pod diameter, pod number per plant, pod wall thickness, pod color, pod shape, pod surface, and pungency). Plant traits such as days to 50% flowering, plant height, pod length, pod diameter, and pods per plant were recorded from random samples of five plants per plot. The remaining quantitative and qualitative traits were obtained from the net harvest area and random samples. Yields obtained in kilograms from net harvest plots were changed into quintal per hectare (q/ha), 1 quintal = 100 kilograms). Disease score was assessed based on 1-9 scales (1 = very low, 9 = very high), and the relative starability or shelf-life was also assessed on (1-9 ranks, 1 = very excellent, 9 = unacceptable). It was ranked after storing the sampled green pods for a week under similar situation (Table 6).

Data Analysis

All recorded data were subjected to statistical analysis using the General Linear Model (GLM) procedure of SAS software version 9.0 (SAS, 2004). The assumptions of ANOVA for normality of distribution and homogeneity of variance were checked. Where F-ratios showed significant differences, mean separation was performed using the Least Significant Difference (LSD) test at the 5% probability level.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Marketable and Total Pod Yield

The combined analysis of variance for marketable pod yield showed highly significant differences (P<0.01) among hot pepper genotypes under both irrigation and rain-fed conditions (Table 2). Under irrigation, marketable pod yield ranged from 136.48 to 297.32 q/ha. CCA-323 yielded the highest (297.32 q/ha), followed by the Chala check (269.75 q/ha) and Mr. Lee no. 3 selex (257.90 q/ha). In contrast, under rain-fed conditions, where the total rainfall of the testing sites was ranged from 768 to 1250 mm (Table 1 ). t he marketable y ield w as v aried from 9 0.42 to 154.13 q/ha (Table 2). This means, there was about 51-93% yield increase under irrigation as compared to rain-fed sites.

CCA-323 was again the highest yielder (154.13 q/ha) under rain-fed conditions, followed by the Chala check (139.87 q/ha) and Melka Awaze (125.51 q/ha). A similar trend was observed for total green pod yield (Table 3). In general, CCA-323 had better yield performance under both rain-fed and irrigated conditions during the two testing seasons of 2021 and 2022.

Analysis of individual locations across seasons also showed significant differences (P<0.05) among genotypes for marketable yield (Table 2). In 2021 under irrigation at Melkassa, CCA-323 (267.21 q/ha), Chala check (227.73 q/ha), and CCA-984-A (225.02 q/ha) were the top yielders, while CCA-321 yielded the lowest (139.37 q/ha). At Koka under irrigation in 2021, Mr. Lee no. 3 selex yielded highest (333.35 q/ha), followed by CCA-323 (330.42 q/ha) and Chala check (311.56 q/ha), whereas CCA-321 (133.0 q/ha), CCA-984-A (167.41 q/ha), and Melka Awaze (180.08 q/ha) yielded lower.

In the 2022 rain-fed season, the highest marketable yield (190.75 q/ha) was obtained from CCA-323 at Melkassa, and the lowest was from CCA-321 (100.70 q/ha). At Wendogenet, CCA-323 (172.60 q/ha) and Chala check (162.07 q /ha) were high y ielders, while Mr. Lee no. 3 selex yielded the lowest (103.54 q/ha). At Woramit, Melka Awaze (166.87 q/ha), Chala check (159.32 q/ha), and CCA-323 (158.57 q/ha) were the best performers, while CCA-321 yielded lowest (47.20 q/ha). Under rain-fed conditions at Debre Markos, CCA-323 (99.67 q/ha) and CCA-321 (89.80 q/ha) performed better than Melka Awaze (65.21 q/ha) and Chala (81.89 q/ha).

Overall, the combined analysis across seasons, locations, and years showed the outstanding performance of CCA-323, with a marketable yield of 225.72 q/ha, followed by the Chala check (204.81 q/ha). Consequently, CCA-323 (renamed as ‘Koka-1’) was recommended for commercial production in Ethiopia starting from the 2023 cropping season.

Stability and Genotype Performance

The GGE-biplot analysis (Figure 1) showed that Melkassa under irrigation was the most representative environment, whereas Wendogenet and Koka were the least representative. An equality line was observed between CCA-323 and Mr. Lee no. 3 selex. CCA-323 performed better at Melkassa under both irrigation and rain-fed conditions, as well as at Bahir Dar and Wendogenet. Mr. Lee no. 3 selex performed better at Koka and Burie. Overall, CCA-323 was the winning genotype in the majority of the test environments (Figure 1).

The 2023 verification trial results (Table 4) confirmed the superior performance of CCA-323, which had a mean marketable y ield o f 198.58 q /ha, compared to 185.19 q/ha for the Chala check.

Vegetative and Pod Characteristics

Significant differences (P<0.05) were observed among genotypes for days to 50% flowering, plant height, plant width, pod weight per plant, pod length, pod diameter, and pod wall thickness (Table 5), consistent with findings by Delelegn et al. (2014).

Mr. Lee no. 3 selex was the earliest to flower (40 days), followed by the Chala check (43 days), while CCA-984-A and Melka Awaze were the latest (49 days). Melka Awaze was the tallest (89.37 cm), followed by CCA-323 (78.65 cm). Melka Awaze also had the greatest plant width (61.63 cm), whereas CCA-323 had a more compact habit (47.73 cm). The highest pod weight per plant was recorded for CCA-321 (14.57 g), and the lowest for Chala (9.03 g); CCA-323 had an intermediate weight (12.64 g). The longest pod was from Chala (109.68 mm), followed by CCA-323 (97.08 mm). CCA-321 had the largest fruit diameter (17.86 mm), while CCA-323 had a reasonably good pod wall thickness (1.73 mm).

In summary, the promising variety CCA-323 exhibited an elongate pod shape, dark green color, smooth surface, medium pungency, and the highest storability (shelf-life) rank (Table 6), traits preferred by producers and consumers in the green pod markets.

적 요

고추는 에티오피아 여러 지역에서 재배되는 채소 중 하 나로, 식량과 영양, 농가소득 및 외화 수입에 주요한 역할 을 한다. 그러나 생산성은 질병 저항성 문제 및 품질향상 과 같은 문제를 지니고 있다. 이러한 문제를 극복하기 위 해 우수 유전자를 도입하는 등 품종 개발을 통해 고수확량 및 고품질의 품종의 개발을 이루고 있다. 따라서 검증된 유전자형은 2017 년에 한국 농촌진흥청(RDA) 국립원예약 초과학연구원(NIHHS)에서 도입하여 지역/표준 검사와 함 께 평가하였으며 그 결과는 다음과 같다.