29 September 2015: A scientific study published by researchers of Bioversity International and partners reports the results of a project that screened the genetic diversity and analyzed the market value of chili (capsicum) varieties in Andean communities of Bolivia and Peru. The study showed that differences in capsicum diversity and local context led to distinct outcomes with regard to attributes and their valuation in local markets.

The project was part of a three-year initiative, led by Bioversity International and supported by the German Society for International Collaboration, Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), focusing on agriculture for nutrition and health.

The research aimed at: expanding capsicum gene bank collections in Bolivia and Peru; establishing representative subsets for biochemical screening; selecting promising accessions for further testing in collaboration with farmers, including analysis of the valuation of different traits in local markets; and examining how these accessions express biochemical and agromophological traits when grown in different environmental conditions.

The authors of the study conclude that the three-year screening project identified accessions in Peru and Bolivia with a potentially wide range of high value products such as novel food, health and other products, based on the expanded gene bank collections. They further note that the accessions can be used for local genetic improvement programs in collaboration with farmers and entrepreneurs; however the study also highlights limited knowledge about potentially useful traits in crop gene pools even for globally important crops, such as chili pepper.

Bioversity International is a member of the CGIAR Consortium. [Publication: Screening Genetic Resources of Capsicum Peppers in Their Primary Center of Diversity in Bolivia and Peru] [Study Abstract] [Bioversity International Press Release]