Is there a new hottest pepper?/ Genetics question

WVTomatoMan · April 27, 2010

Apparently there is a relatively new chile pepper, named "Infinity" that is allegedly hotter than "Bhut Jolokia". Based on what I've read Woody Woods of Fire Foods in Grantham Lincolnshire and friend Matt Simpson bred the pepper in a greenhouse by crossing existing varieties. Depending on the source it is either 6,000 SHU or 26,000 SHU hotter than Bhut Jolokia.

I haven't found where Guiness or any other reputable organization has substantiated this.

And, they allegedly crossed two existing varieties. I don't know much about pepper genetics. Does anyone? I have suspicions that crossing two peppers would possibly produce an offspring that is as hot as one of the parents, but not hotter. Supposedly Cornell has mapped the pepper genome. Does anyone know anything about this or how to get to it?

Any insight or more information would be useful.

Thanks,
Randy

Frog · April 27, 2010

If there is more than one gene involved in heat then crossing two existent varieties can indeed result in a hotter pepper, if the offspring then has more genes that boost heat, than either parent did.

Imagine we have two genes, one is A and one is B, the domiant form of each increases heat.

One parent is AAbb, the other aaBB, we cross them to produce an F1 of AaBb, the f1 will be hotter than either parent. We self this F1 1/16th of the offspring will be AABB and therefore pure bredding for this hotter form.

This is common breeding practice, so if you want an early pepper, you cross two early peppers and hope their earliness is based at different loci, if you want a bigger tomato you cross the biggest two you can find and hope different genes are in play.

WVTomatoMan · April 27, 2010

Another genetics question. Can C. chinense outcross with C. frutscens?

TZ-OH6 · April 27, 2010

There are a couple of "American" varieties (e.g. Trinidad scorpion) that people think may be hotter than Bhut Jolokias (based on people who grow and eat them). Plus, there are probably several strains from the Indian side (Dorset Naga, Bhut Jolokia, Chocolate Bhut), so I will not be surprised to see various varieties swap out the title once they get tested. As of now Guiness Book has not tested the new one, and the reported difference is in the range of variability, so next week a really hot Bhut might be tested even hotter. The Bhut test was from a mix of randomly harvested peppers grown side by side with Red Savina (also tested). You would want the new challenger to be grown side by side with Bhut and tested the same way.

Bhut Jolokia is a mix of C. chinense and C. frutescens genes, so someplace in its past there was a hybrid.

WVTomatoMan · April 28, 2010

I have found the following:
(Edit: Oops the table did not display correctly so I'll give the link)
http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/p...742030439.html

And this too:
http://www.malusrustica.dk/capsicum/X/info_X-ing.htm

So, I would say that with the above and other research that different species of peppers can outcross. By this I mean cross pollinate across species. Knowing that Bhut Jolokia is interspecies led to the question. The RAPD markers for Bhut show more of c. chinense than c. frutescens. Originally it was classified as c. chinense, but there was a debate that it should be c. frutescens. So, DNA testing was performed.

Now, if I could only find out if heat was from more that one gene or not.

Thanks,
Randy

RonnyWil · June 2, 2010

Here's another link about it.

http://chilipepperinfo.co.cc/hottest...-bhut-jolokia/

April 27, 2010	#1
WVTomatoMan Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: West Virginia - Zone 6 Posts: 594	Is there a new hottest pepper?/ Genetics question Apparently there is a relatively new chile pepper, named "Infinity" that is allegedly hotter than "Bhut Jolokia". Based on what I've read Woody Woods of Fire Foods in Grantham Lincolnshire and friend Matt Simpson bred the pepper in a greenhouse by crossing existing varieties. Depending on the source it is either 6,000 SHU or 26,000 SHU hotter than Bhut Jolokia. I haven't found where Guiness or any other reputable organization has substantiated this. And, they allegedly crossed two existing varieties. I don't know much about pepper genetics. Does anyone? I have suspicions that crossing two peppers would possibly produce an offspring that is as hot as one of the parents, but not hotter. Supposedly Cornell has mapped the pepper genome. Does anyone know anything about this or how to get to it? Any insight or more information would be useful. Thanks, Randy

April 28, 2010	#5
WVTomatoMan Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: West Virginia - Zone 6 Posts: 594	I have found the following: (Edit: Oops the table did not display correctly so I'll give the link) http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/p...742030439.html And this too: http://www.malusrustica.dk/capsicum/X/info_X-ing.htm So, I would say that with the above and other research that different species of peppers can outcross. By this I mean cross pollinate across species. Knowing that Bhut Jolokia is interspecies led to the question. The RAPD markers for Bhut show more of c. chinense than c. frutescens. Originally it was classified as c. chinense, but there was a debate that it should be c. frutescens. So, DNA testing was performed. Now, if I could only find out if heat was from more that one gene or not. Thanks, Randy Last edited by WVTomatoMan; April 28, 2010 at 02:29 PM. Reason: Fix display issues.

June 2, 2010	#6
RonnyWil Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Collierville TN Posts: 106	Here's another link about it. http://chilipepperinfo.co.cc/hottest...-bhut-jolokia/ __________________ I'm two days older than dirt and I like to play in it.

April 27, 2010	#2
Frog Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2009 Location: Kent, UK Posts: 141	If there is more than one gene involved in heat then crossing two existent varieties can indeed result in a hotter pepper, if the offspring then has more genes that boost heat, than either parent did. Imagine we have two genes, one is A and one is B, the domiant form of each increases heat. One parent is AAbb, the other aaBB, we cross them to produce an F1 of AaBb, the f1 will be hotter than either parent. We self this F1 1/16th of the offspring will be AABB and therefore pure bredding for this hotter form. This is common breeding practice, so if you want an early pepper, you cross two early peppers and hope their earliness is based at different loci, if you want a bigger tomato you cross the biggest two you can find and hope different genes are in play.

April 27, 2010	#4
TZ-OH6 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Mid-Ohio Posts: 853	There are a couple of "American" varieties (e.g. Trinidad scorpion) that people think may be hotter than Bhut Jolokias (based on people who grow and eat them). Plus, there are probably several strains from the Indian side (Dorset Naga, Bhut Jolokia, Chocolate Bhut), so I will not be surprised to see various varieties swap out the title once they get tested. As of now Guiness Book has not tested the new one, and the reported difference is in the range of variability, so next week a really hot Bhut might be tested even hotter. The Bhut test was from a mix of randomly harvested peppers grown side by side with Red Savina (also tested). You would want the new challenger to be grown side by side with Bhut and tested the same way. Bhut Jolokia is a mix of C. chinense and C. frutescens genes, so someplace in its past there was a hybrid.