Assessing Variability among Indian Capsicums by AFLP

Abstract

Chilli pepper is one of the most widely grown spice crops of India. Cultivated Capsicum comprising of C. annuum, C.frutescens, C. baccatum, C. pubescence and C. chinense originated in Central and South America. Chillies were introduced into India in the sixteenth century and from the agricultural perspective, the most important species is C. annuum. The widely different agro-climatic regimes of the country have led to the selection of a wide range of hot pepper, bell pepper and paprika types, thus, giving rise to a large amount of variability. Extensive diversity has been reported among the chilli germplasm in India (Singh and Singh,