Morphological assessment reveals high variability for flower and fruit traits in Capsicum chinense germplasm from the Brazilian Amazon

The Brazilian Amazon is known to have the greatest biodiversity in the world; however, deforestation poses a high risk to its biodiversity. This highlights the importance of studies involving surveys and approaches aimed at the conservation and rational use of biodiversity in this region. Therefore, this study aimed to (a) assess the morphological traits of a Capsicum chinense germplasm sample collected from the Brazilian Amazon region, comprising 55 accessions, and b) analyze morphological variability to identify promising accessions for inclusion in Capsicum spp. breeding programs. The variability of accessions was assessed by analyzing the frequency of accessions in the phenotypic classes for each morphological trait using different clustering methods. Variability among accessions was particularly high for flower and fruit descriptors, such as flower position, filament color, anthocyanin spots on fruits, and fruit apex shape. Accessions BGH8288, BGH8309, and BGH8323 exhibited light and dark purple/violet colors in the stems, leaves, fruits, and corollas, which were possibly associated with higher concentrations of anthocyanins. These accessions are promising for inclusion in Capsicum spp. breeding programs intended for the ornamental market. In situ conservation of C. chinense in the Brazilian Amazon preserves high variability in the region. This germplasm is strategic for the genetic breeding of Capsicum spp., which is an essential source of genes for this genus.