Exotic (hot) peppers are an essential component of cuisines throughout the world and are valued for their contribution to flavor and nutrition. The Exotic Pepper Project was led by now retired professors Albert Ayeni and Tom Orton, and Distinguished Professor Jim Simon (Department of Plant Biology). Collaborators include Rutgers graduate and undergraduate students, stakeholders from the pepper sauce industry, and New Jersey ethnic crop growers.
The project focused on producing new pepper varieties via conventional breeding methods, with the aim to produce new, highly nutritious, flavorful, and aesthetically pleasing hot peppers for the New Jersey and global markets. Research sites include substations of the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, such as the Rutgers Agricultural Research and Extension Center (RAREC) in Bridgeton and the Snyder Research and Extension Farm in Pittstown. R&D efforts have been funded by the NJAES and USDA’s IR-4 Project.
2009: Exotic pepper germplasm collection started in New Jersey.
2010: Forty-five pepper selections were field evaluated at the Rutgers Agricultural Research and Extension Center (RAREC).
2014: Out of the most promising 15 habanero pepper types, seven were selected for further development.
2016: ‘Pumpkin’ habanero topped the list of preferred habanero peppers for color and appearance, taste, flavor and moderate heat level.
Pepper Varieties
Varieties released by the pepper program combine the best fruit quality and horticultural characteristics from selected Capsicum annum, C. chinense, and C. frutescens breeding lines.
Capsicum chinense Pumpkin Habanero
2022 Seed Availability:
Rutgers Pumpkin Habanero seed is available for $2.50 per 20-seed packet plus $6 for shipping & handling, for up to 10 packets/shipment. Payment by check should be made payable to Rutgers, The State University of NJ – please include notation that it is for Habanero peppers and how many packets requested. Mail checks to: Donna Jones, Dept. of Plant Biology, Foran Hall, 59 Dudley Rd., New Brunswick NJ 08901.
Good source of Vitamins A & C; high in fiber; sweet, flavorful and crunchy fruit wall; moderate heat in seed and placenta (<50,000 SHU); high fruit yield (100-220/plant); small plant size (12-18” tall); small/medium size fruit (9-12 g, about ½ oz/fruit).
Cultivation:
Seed flats in nursery (70-85oF) 8-10 weeks before transplanting (seeds germinate from 10-30 days under this condition); transplant seedlings into well prepared seedbed (sandy loam to loamy sand; pH 6.0-6.8; OM >1.5%, medium to high CEC) between May 15 and June 10 in NJ and the Mid-Atlantic (transplanting into plastic mulch is recommended); apply fertilizer as needed based on soil test results (NPK 20-20-20 or 10-10-10 works well); control weeds as recommended by your Agricultural Extension County Agent, irrigate as needed (trickle irrigation is recommended); currently no known pest or disease problems in New Jersey.
Harvesting:
For ripe fruit start harvesting every 2-3 weeks from early September until the first frost in October; for green fruit start harvesting end of August. Ripe fruit durability on the plant is >4 weeks, so harvesting may be delayed up to 4 weeks after fruit ripens.
Read more news on this project:
SEBS & NJAES Newsroom: The Hot Pepper Potential
Rutgers “Scarlet Hot Sauce” Makes its Debut as Release from Exotic Pepper Project : Newsroom