How to shorten a plant breeding program? A case study with ornamental peppers

Abstract Plant breeding of ornamental peppers (Capsicum spp.) can be supported by biotechnological tools. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of an in vitro culture of immature zygotic embryos (IZE) to reduce the breeding cycle of ornamental pepper (C. annuum) in comparison to the conventional system. Three ornamental pepper genotypes were used: UFPB 001, UFPB 004, and UFPB 099. Embryos at 30 days after selfing were inoculated in MS ½-strength culture medium, and at the same time, seeds were placed to germinate in a commercial substrate. Approximately 215 days are required from selfing until fruit ripening in the conventional system, whereas the IZE system requires an average of 153 days, a decrease of approximately 30% per selection cycle, corresponding to 496 days considering 8 selfing cycles. A decrease in time, labor, and inputs makes the IZE system a suitable tool for shortening the breeding program of ornamentals peppers.

摘要：观赏辣椒（Capsicum spp.）的育种工作可借助生物技术手段实现辅助推进。本研究旨在评估未成熟合子胚（immature zygotic embryos, IZE）离体培养体系相较于常规体系，缩短观赏辣椒（C. annuum）育种周期的效率。试验选用3份观赏辣椒基因型材料：UFPB 001、UFPB 004及UFPB 099。将自交30天后的合子胚接种于1/2 MS培养基中，同时将种子播于商品基质内进行萌发。常规体系下，自交至果实成熟约需215天；而IZE离体培养体系平均仅需153天，每个选育周期可缩短约30%的时长；若按8次自交周期计算，总时长可减少至496天。该体系可显著降低耗时、人力与物资投入，因此是缩短观赏辣椒育种项目周期的适宜技术工具。