As you know, there are two main types of pepper: sweet and hot.
It is not recommended to plant them next to each other, warns the expert of the online publication BelNovosti, agronomist, landscape designer Anastasia Kovrizhnykh .
The reason is that, despite the laws of genetics, sweet peppers can become hot.
How can this be, since the gene sets of both varieties are unique, you ask, and we will answer.
The fact is that sweet pepper varieties were bred from hot ones through a long selection of specimens with a recessive gene responsible for the production of capsaicin, a substance that gives peppers bitterness and spiciness.
During cross-pollination, pollen from hot peppers falls on the pistil of sweet peppers, after which the ovary begins to grow.
Genes responsible for the production of capsaicin are also transferred along with pollen.
Thus, a sweet pepper can become hot in whole or in part, with part of the fruit being sweet and part being hot.
To prevent such a “phenomenon”, summer residents are required to observe spatial isolation, that is, to leave enough distance between plants, which is not easy to do in small areas.
Therefore, it is up to you to decide whether to grow hot peppers on your property.
Previously, we told you what to do if the leaves on your tomatoes start to curl .
Expert: Anastasia Kovrizhnykh
