| Paprika production is concentrated in Northwestern Argentina, where around 1500 ha are annually grown. Farmers mainly from Andean valleys, maintain their local landraces or “criollas” under different environmental conditions, using their farming traditions and selection criteria. These traditional varieties represent valuable genetic resources for conservation and selection of agronomical and quality traits. Between 2005 and 2007 eight collecting trips were made to Northwestern Argentina in order to recover local germplasm. As a result, five hundred new vegetable seed samples have been incorporated into the Germplasm Bank. Among these accessions 32 belong to Capsicum, the majority for paprika production, that were evaluated in field... |
