Twice as Nice Breeding Versatile Vegetables

摘要

Can you eat your peppers and have them too? Yes, you can. At least, that's the opinion of two Agricultural Research Service geneticists. Since 1991, John Stommel, of the ARS Vegetable Laboratory, and Robert Griesbach, of the ARS Floral and Nursery Plants Research Unit, both in Beltsville, Maryland, have bred peppers to please both the eye and the palate. These peppers have been developed through a cooperative research and development agreement with PanAmerican Seed Company and McCorkle Nurseries, Inc. The eye-catching Black Pearl, released in 2005 and honored as a 2006 All-America Selections (AAS) winner, attests to their success in developing new cultivars with both aesthetic and culinary appeal. The award recogni/es new flower and vegetable varieties that demonstrate "superior garden performance" in trials conducted throughout the country.