Dzonot: a landrace sweet pepper variety

Sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) is a non-spicy landrace chili used to flavor many regional dishes in the Yucatán Peninsula. It is poorly characterized and there are no improved varieties, so it is important to develop open-pollinated varieties with outstanding agronomic characteristics and make the seed available to local producers. Dzonot originated from the YAXCH accession collected in 2018 in Yaxchekú, Tizimín, Yucatán. This variety was formed using the mass selection breeding method. The homogeneity and yield work were carried out in a greenhouse with transplantation dates of October 4, 2019, July 27, 2021, and January 4, 2022. In the first trial, established at the best growing time, a yield of 40.8 t ha-1 was obtained during a five month harvest period. In the second trial, the harvest was maintained for 4.5 months and produced 29.1 t ha-1. In the third trial, production was 21.1 t ha-1 in three months of harvest. The yield of the plots established before and after the best growing season accounted for 71% and 52% of the best yield. Dzonot has high yield potential for Yucatán, especially when established in October; it produces fruits that are a homogeneous in shape and in a stable manner. Its main characteristic is the flat shape of the fruit, wider than long, and deep interlocular grooves.