GROWTH AND YIELD OF SIX NEWLY DEVELOPED CHILI PEPPER HYBRIDS AT MEDIUM ELEVATION IN WET SEASON

Chili pepper is a very important and high economic value horticultural crop. One effort to increase productivity of chili pepper is the use of hybrid cultivar. However, newly developed cultivars have to pass multi-location evaluation before being released to farmers. This study was a part of a multi-location test and aimed to evaluate the growth and yield of six hybrid genotypes at medium elevation during wet season. The research was carried out during the peak of rainy season (November 2014 to February 2015) at Padang Lekat village, Kepahiang, Bengkulu Province. The experiment was arranged in a randomized completely block design (RCBD) with 3 replications. Six newly developed hybrids, H5, H14, H17, H20, H23, and H39, and a commercial cultivar, Dimas, were used as treatments. The results showed that hybrid H39 was the highest vegetative growth among hybrids. Hybrid H20 show the highest yield components. Other hybrids were about similar to Dimas in vegetative growth and yield components. Yield per plant and per plot of hybrid H20 and H23 were similar to that of Dimas. Further evaluation is needed to have enough information on the performance of those new hybrids in different location and season