The VOLUME V, NUMBER 3, FALL 1996

Chile Pepper Institute

The Plant Variety Protection Act

The Plant Variety Protection Act, or PVPA, has exclusive rights to multiply and market provides legal protection, much like a patent, the seed of that variety, with a few exceptions. to developers of new plants that reproduce by Anyone who is the owner, breeder, devel- seed. oper, or discoverer of a novel cultivar of sexu-

The PVPA was en- ally reproduced plants may acted in 1970 and apply for plant protection. amended in 1995. It The applicant may be an in- authorizes "owner- dividual, public institution, ship" of new plant or a corporation. varieties, and allows A certificate of protection the owner to is awarded to the owner control over the mar- after an examination shows keting of the plant. that the variety has distinct,

The ad is adminis- uniform, and stable charac- tered by the U.S. De- teristics. Priority is available partment of Agricul- to the "first to fileN rather hue. It covers plants, than the "first to develop." seeds, and transplants Proof of the distinctness, of all seed-reproduced uniformity, and stability of plants, including first- the new variety lies with genera tion hybrids; the pedigree and breeding methods the owner. The applicant and tuber-propagated used in developing the variety, must describe how the vari- crops, such as pota- ety differs from all other toes. Rights under thc known varieties of the crop. PVPA also encompass A statement of uniformity harvested materials, is also recpmd of the breeder. essentially derived deposit at the National Seed Stor This report will declare the varieties, and variet- Laboratory in Fort CollinsI Colo., level of unavoidable, com- ies which require re- rnercially acceptable vari- peated use of the pro- ability in m~ varietal char- tected variety. . acteristic. In addition, a

An essentially de- If the examiner finds varieties from statement of genetic stability rived variety is one is required, showing the which is exactly the number of cycles of seed same as another except reproduction for which the for one characteristic, variety has remained un- such as resistance to a specific disease. changed in all distinguishing characteristics.

Protection lasts for 28 years far most crops, The novelty claim is then checked by a Plant and 25 years for trees and vines. The owner Variety Protection Office examiner. The office

Continued on page 2.

.J - ? .- . " .,lf r i " - r .

4 4 . . . - L PVP Act, continuedfrarn page 1:- * * * - : ' ' - - maintains computerized databases of public and private varietal records.

Owners of protected varieties can bring civil

.- , 1 - action against persons infringing on their . ' rights. The owner may ask a court to issue an

injunction to prevent further violation. The USDA does not take action; the owner does.

Growers and home gardeners can grow any purchased protected variety they wish. They can collect and save the seed from the plants they grew for future use, without violating the law. Some confusion on this point arises from the fact that seed of protected varieties may not be sold for profit by anyone unless autho- rized by the holder of the plant variety protec- tion certificate. In other words, farmers and gardeners may keep and sow seed from crops they grew, but can't sell the seed to others. Seed merchandisers must obtain authorization from the certificate holder before selling the seed.

Protected varieties are the same as personal property. The owner of a protected variety may sell or assign marketing, reproduction, or ownership rights to someone else.

_ , . , % ) .. )-yL

. -. ---: . 3 * I . . .

I - . .. . - , .

L - - - I a . - 0 Everyone benefits from the Plant Variety

- '. Protection Act. Breeders who make a substan- - tial investment in developing a variety are more likely to obtain a fair return on their investment and therefore will spend more time propagating a greater diversity of cultivars. Also, owners can maintain control over the purity of the strain. Farmers and gardeners have higher quality varieties available for their use. The public gains by having superior varieties to select for food, feed, fiber, and other products.

The PVPA authorizes the Secretary of Agri- culture to publish an official journal providing information about the operations of the Plant Variety Protection Office, as well as any mate- rial that encourages innovation and progress in plant breeding. The journal is published quarterly and is available at no charge to any- one who requests a copy.

For further information about the PVPA, or to request a copy of the journal, contact the Plant Variety Protection Office AMS-USDA, Room 500, National Agricultural Library Bldg., Beltsville, MD 20705; or call (301) 504-5518.

Fiery Food Sales Will Continue to Increase

The U.S. fiery foods market, currently a $1.2 billion yearly industry, is growing at a robust rate, according to an article in the June issue of Goumet N u s .

One good gauge is the increase in per capita i - consumption of chile peppers in this country.

In 1980, Americans consumed an average of 3.3 pounds of chiles, according to the USDA

Economic Research Service. By 1994, annual consumption surged to 6.2 pounds, an increase of 88 percent in 14 years.

The proliferation of magazines and newslet- ters devoted to foods that bite back, a growing number of mail-order companies that special- ize in peppers and hot foods, and a quick look

The Chile Pepper Institute Newsletter Cathy Montes. Managing Editor Rena h a i i a g a , Graphic Designer Jim Stefon. Contributing Editor Printed at NMSU Agricultural Communications

The Chile Pepper Institute NMSU, Box 30003. Dept. 34, Lns Cruces. NM 88003 (505) 646-3028 Email: hotchile@nmsu.edu World Wide Web site:

http://www.nmsu.edu/-hotchilelindex.html - A Non-Profit, International Organization Devoted to

the Study of Capsicums

Paul W. Bosland. Director Dave Jackson,Executive Director

' Dave DeWitt, Executive Secretary Sharon Tmjillo. Administrative Assistant

The Chile Pepper Institute Board of Directors Emma Jean Cervantes, Chair, Cervantes Enterprises,

Inc.. Vado, NM Louis Biad, Las Cruces. NM Paul W. Bosland. NMSU, Las Cmces. NM Dave DeWitt. Albuquerque. NM James Fergusoa Old El Paso Foods, Anthony, TX

Gene Jefferies. McIhemy Co., Avery Island. LA Martin Steinman, Border Foods. Deming, NM lavier Vargas. NMSU, Las Cruces, NM

New Mexico State University ex officio Directors Dr. John Owens, Dean, College of Agricul~re and

Home Economics Dr. LeRoy Daugherty, Chairman, Dept. of Agronomy

and Horticulture Dr. Gary Cunningham, Director. Agricultural

Experiment Station John Van Ness, Director of Major Gifts

The Chile Pepper Institute Newsletter

at recent Fancy Food Show offerings indicate Packaged Facts divided the market into three - 'thatthemarketisstillhot. major segments: 1) the $310 million chile pep-

The category "fiery foods" refers to any food per category which includes peppers that can that tastes hot. It includes anything made with be eaten alone or used as ingredients; 2) the chile peppers, peppercorns, $650 million sauces, spices, mustard, or horseradish. and condiments category

The outlook for fiery ... the fiery foods industry will which includes hot Mexican foods appears to be favor- continue to grow at a rate of sauces; hot pepper sauces; able, according to a study between 7 and 12 percent horseradish and horseradish done by the research firm sauces; pungent versions of Packaged Facts. The report yearly. barbecue, soy, steak, and noted that population trends miscellaneous sauces; and in America should help bolster the industry. spices, chili powders, and spice mixes; and The growing Hispanic and Asian populations- 3) the $70 million prepared foods category cultures whose cuisine tends toward the spicy- which includes canned and frozen versions of bode well for the coming years. Mexican specialties as well as hot sausages,

In addition, fiery foods also benefit from the fiery snacks, sweets, and drinks. growing number of fat-conscious consumers. Gourmet News noted that people in the Nothing adds more flavor, with no fat, than a United States consume more chile peppers per little bit of hot sauce. Spicy ingredients also capita than asparagus, cauliflower, bell peppers, reduce or eliminate the need for sodium as a and green peas. w

i flavor enhancer. Taking these facts into account and using

t Projected supermarket sales offie y foods

supermarket scanning data, Packaged Facts 2000 _ estimates that the fiery foods industry will

- continue to grow at a rate of between 7 and 12 percent yearly.

The net result should be that sales of spicy food will increase to more than $1.8 billion in the year 2000. The greatest change will be in the prepared foods category, which will account for the bulk of fiery food sales increases. Pre- pared fiery fare had sales of $70 million in 1994 and is expected to increase by more than 600 percent to $455 million in the year 2000.

Projected growth of condiments, sauces, spices, and processed peppers is expected to o 1994 199s 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 be more modest, ranging from 4 to 8 percent yearly. Source: Packaged Facts

- - - - ~sraring iI- Surface Color of C'TI -

Surface color measurements are used to specify color perceived by the human eye. Verbal descriptions of color can be difficult and confusing, because two people may de- scribe the same color in very different terms. For this reason, visual color should be quantified

by Marisa Wall, NMSU postharvest physiologist

using a colorimeter (or color difference meter). This instrument enables the Capsicum industry to set standards for surface color.

Colorimeters come in various sizes, from hand-held units to table models, but all have a light source and a light collector. The source

Continued on page 4.

Volume V, Number 3, Fall 1996

Surf-ace Color, cmtinuedfrom page 3. sends out a beam of light which reflects off the and 270" is blue. Paprika samples typically have sample and returns to the collector. The return- hue angles between 0" and 45", which is the ing light is measured for value, hue, and chroma. range from red to orange.

Surface color is not well correlated with ex- Chroma is the measure of color saturation or tractable color. For example, surface color mea- purity. A sample with a high chroma is more surements are important when paprika will be vivid than one with a low chroma value, even used as a retail spice or as a coating on foods. though both samples may have the same hue. A Extractable color analyses (as described in the low chroma indicates a dull color. Chroma is last issue of the Chile Pwer Institute Newsletter) calculated from the square root of the sum of are useful when paprika is added as an ingredi- (a*)2 and (b*)2. The higher the chroma number, ent or colorant in oil-based foods, cosmetics, or the greater the color saturation. pharmaceuticals. The Capsicum industry can use these

The International Commission on Illu- white surface measurements to compare mination established the system the quality of product lots or to set commonly used for surface color specifications for their com- measurements. It's based on a modities. Quality control tech- three-dimensional color solid nicians can determine the with three coordinates (L*, +a* optimum hue, chroma, and a*, and b*). -a*

green ,* value for their product and The surface color of value, communicate these stan-

hue, and chroma are deter- dards to paprika suppliers. mined from the L*a*b* coordi- The colorimeter fur- nates. The L* coordinate mea- nishes a numerical readout sures the value or lightness of a that takes the guesswork out color, ranging from black at 0 to of quantifying color. For ex- white at 100. The a* coordinate mea- black ample, a paprika sample with a sures red when positive and green hue angle of 30" and a chroma of 50 when negative. The b* coordinate mea- would be reddish-orange and bright. sures yellow when positive and blue when However, a sample with a hue angle of 45" and negative. a chroma of 30 would be a dull orange color.

Hue angle (hO) and chroma (C*) are deter- An understanding of the elements of color mined from the a* and b* coordinates. Hue de- makes communicating and comparing surface terrnines the kind of color (red, green, blue, etc.) color standards less complicated and more con- and equals the arctangent b*/a*. A hue angle of sistent for producers and processors. W 0" is red; an angle of 90" is yellow; 180" is green;

Institute Gets New Name

Attention, all you Capsicum aficionados! There's a major change coming in your lives. The Chile Institute has a new name! From now on, the official organization of the world's greatest chile- heads will be called the Chile Pepper Institute.

Some folks proved to be a tad bewildered by our organization's previous appellation. Sharon Trujillo, the Chile Pepper Institute's administra- tive assistant, often had to field questions about the country (Chile), or the dish (chili), or the temperature in Alaska in January (chilly). Our

new moniker should put an end to some of this confusion.

Despite the name change, our goals at the Chile Pepper Institute remain the same:

preserving wild Capsicum species and his- toric varieties,

educating everyone about the wonders of Capsicum,

The Chile Pepper Institute Newsletter

providing an ' ' clearinghouse producers, processbrs, product manufacturers, and archive o, apsicun. ,~blications, and and consumers. With the continued patronage

of our benefactors, the Institute can continue to publishing the Chile Pepper Institute grow and provide services to chile devotees the Newsletter.E+ - - - - - world over. w - 8

In order to carry on this mission, we need the continued support of chile devotees everywlmx+

.--L:%*-;- - - ...

Chile Exhibit at Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum

An exhibit covering the history, farming methods, processing, and products of chile will be sponsored by the Chile Pepper Institute at the soon-to-be-opened New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum.

The chile exhibit will be one of many presen- -. tations on New Mexico agriculture. The display

will cover an area of about 1,000 square feet in - ; the 21,000-square-foot main exhibition area.

-. - The Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum is a - division of the New Mexico Office of Cultural I; Affairs. museum When will offer it begins visitors operation a history in 1997, of New the

F Mexico's farming and ranching tradition-a chronological "trail" from the ancient Anasazi to today's mechanized agribusiness. Exhibits on

L I

L. I L- 5 .- k-

specific cropsand industries, such as chile and dairies, will be featured.

The staff of the facility will raise animals and crops on the museum grounds. Demonstrations will include bread making, cheese production, irrigation, and the use of the various crops grown at the site. Of course, chile will be a fea- tured product.

The chile exhibit is sponsored by the Chile Pepper Institute, with financial assistance pro- vided by members of the chile industry. Com- panies and individuals who contribute to the exhibit will be recognized at an appropriate lo- cation in the museum.

Contact the Institute for additional informa- tion on how you can help with this vital project. w

Per capita consumption of chile peppers Pepper Consumption (in pounds) Sti l l Hot!

At first glance, annual per capita consump- tion of chile peppers seems to have reached a peak and is now dropping. Consumption of chile peppers has declined by a full pound since its peak in 1993. But the New York-based re- search firm Packaged Facts attributes this de- cline to an increase in the consumption of other hot peppers, such as jalapefio, cayenne, and habafiero. w

Source: Economic Research Senrice of the USDA; Packaged Facts

Volume V, Number 3, Fall 1996

C A P S I C U M N E W S

Red Pepper Bombs Deter Elephants

Scientists in the Netherlands have developed a unique and humane way to keep elephants from wandering out of nature preserves, according to a story in the syndicated col- umn, Earthweek.

Every June, a herd of el- I ephan&strays from Cameroon's . Waza Park, heading south in

. . search of water and food. During travel, the herd often

? destroys crops and sometimes :- 6

I L t injures people. Dutch and Cameroonian

researchers at Leiden Univer- sity said red pepper bombs were successful in turning back the herd of elephants. The pachyderms, which have a keen sense of smell, found the spicy spray from the ord- nance so offensive that they retreated to deep within the park.

NM Chile Conference Slated for Las Cruces

Don't forget to mark your calendar for the next New Mexico Chile Conference, to be held on Feb. 4,1997, at the Las Cruces Hilton.

On Monday evening, Feb. 3, there will be a Chile Pepper Institute reception for all in- terested conference attendees. For more information, contact Javier Vargas at (505) 525-6649.

Siamese Twin Habaiiero

Ron and Cathy Bolick dis- covered an interesting fruit on one of the 18 chile pepper plants in their garden this past summer-a "Siamese- twin" habafiero.

The Bolick's say that, in five years of growing chile

peppers near their home in Sevierville, Tenn., they have never seen a double fruit like this one before.

The habafiero enthusiasts sent half the seeds from the double to the Chile Pepper Institute and are planning to grow out the remaining seeds next year.

"Siamese-twin" hbafiero (bottom row, middle).

Twin h b f ~ W o memtmd ~ ~ W l z l f 60 mm X& prim -

and weighed 0.7'5 oz.

The Chile Pepper Institute Newsletter

- - - --- *

. -

+ j: - . -

< ,b -. : ., . ,- . fi

1 , . ' 1 . I r '-c - - Horticultural Sciences, Florida Mra* Co-On ep&rconference Fruit and Vegetable Associa- -

tion, Florida Pepper Exchange, Margaret L. Stevenson The 1996 National Pepper the University of Florida, and from Herndon, Va., was in-

Conference will be held Dec. Pickle Packers, International. correctly identified in the 8-11 at the Naples Beach & For more information, contact Chile Pepper Institute direc- Hotel Golf Club in Naples, Fla. Don Maynard tory as Margaret Stevens. We

The aim of this conference is University of Florida apologize for the error. to bring together individuals 5007 60 St. E. with an interest in the latest re- Bradenton, FL 34203-9324

I search, technology, and uses (941) 751-7636 of Capsicum. Some of the top- e-mail: bra@gnv.ifas.ufl.edu ics addressed will include or germplasm evaluation and Dan Cantliffe utilization, crop physiology University of Florida and ecology, quality stan- Dept. of Hort Science dards, postharvest technol- P.O. Box 110690 ogy, pest management, and Gainesville, FL 32611-0690 chile pepper economics. (904) 392-1928 ext. 203

The event is co-sponsored e-mail: djc@gnv.ifas.ufl.edu by the American Society of

Don't Lose Your News

Memberships will be expir- ing in December 1996. Check your mailing label for your membership expiration date. Renew by mailing the form on the back page.

Don't miss out on the next issue of The Chile Pepper Insti- tute Nmsletter!

Capsicum: A Comprehensive medicine. It is available on - Bibliography by Paul W. Bosland, h cently been updated b inclusion of 350 more cit tions. It now contains abo 5,400 technical citations in categories including ta genetics, breeding, biochemis- and varieties, $7.50 each or try, production, and disorders. $100 postpaid for the set. It is available on 3.5-inch dis- kette, 5.25-inch diskette, or hard copy for $50 postpaid. . ' . Proceedings of the 12th

% , , >, ,Qdgqia1 National Pepper 7 - " .91~1yt"erzi~~

Chile Peppers: Aug. 1994, Las Cruces, NM, A $elected Bibliography of hard copy, $15 postpaid. the Capsicums by David A. DeWitt, has more than 1,100 citations p~imarily Freezing Green Chile concerned with non-technical booklet, $1.25 postpaid. articles and books on the his- tory and culinary arts of Cap- sicums, with other sections Canning Green Chile on gardening and nutrition/ booklet, $1.25 postpaid.

k -

Volume V, Number 3, Fall 199

I Chile: Preparation and Recipes booklet, $2 postpaid.

, . : , - ;,;-!i~l.!:kiG$j G'' . ,, "fi-, 8 !I':k.',dM,' .. - . I.,.* k.

Capsicum Pepper Varieties and Classification booklet, $2.50 postpaid.

Weed Manaaement in Chile I booklet, $4 postpaid. ;,Y:c',~;~;~I$J

,. . = .,$jy<-- k, % .

,. . , - 9?qF - - :- -:,,,:~,l=:::-.."v; . . ..+

To order publications or slides, indicate format desired. Make checks payable to: NMSU Foundation/Chile Pepper In- stitute, and send them to The Chile Pepper Institute, W U , Box 30003, Dept. 3Q, Las Cruces, NM 88003.

Other pztblications are also avail- able; please w r i f e for details.