Pepper as a target object of SEE-ERA.NET project

Pepper (Capsicum annuum var. annuum L.) is one of the most important and wide spread vegetables in the Balkan region. A great number of local populations with specific characteristics for shape, color, taste, biological value and type of use are grown in different Balkan countries together with the main commercial cultivars. Partially the old native forms are not within attention of the sort maintenance selection, but they are preserved in limited area and are valuable genetic resources. A SEE-ERA.NET project started in 2010 setting the task to investigate pepper as target species. The strategic objectives are: i) to collect, describe and explore the existing Capsicum biodiversity in the partner countries (Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia and Serbia) related to valuable traits; ii) to create work and basic collections of local accessions and the respective database for more detailed and profound future collaborative investigations and breeding programs. Methods for description and maintenance of the collected material have been standardized in order to create a uniform description of existing local germplasm of pepper. First joint collecting expeditions have been carried out. Local expedition trips for expanding the national collections of old cultivars and domestic landraces have also been organized. Preparation of work and basic collections in the National Seed Genebank, Sadovo, Bulgaria, has started. The data will be publicly launched in the European Search Catalogue for Genetic Resources, EURISCO (www.eurisco.ecpgr.org). The data generated from this study, knowledge and collections will serve as a solid basis for effective preservation, management and exploitation of Balkan pepper germplasm biodiversity. The discovery of new sources of genetic variation and identification of accessions with valuable traits as pest resistance will be used in future pepper-breeding programs.