The invention provides seed and plants of pepper hybrid DRP 1630 and the parent lines thereof. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of pepper hybrid DRP 1630 and the parent lines thereof, and to methods for producing a pepper plant produced by crossing such plants with themselves or with another pepper plant, such as a plant of another genotype. The invention further relates to seeds and plants produced by such crossing. The invention further relates to parts of such plants, including the fruit and gametes of such plants.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of plant breeding and, more specifically, to the development of pepper hybrid DRP 1630 and the inbred pepper lines SBO 182 AUS and SBR 182 TRALIA.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The goal of vegetable breeding is to combine various desirable traits in a single variety/hybrid. Such desirable traits may include any trait deemed beneficial by a grower and/or consumer, including greater yield, resistance to insects or disease, tolerance to environmental stress, and nutritional value.

Breeding techniques take advantage of a plant's method of pollination. There are two general methods of pollination: a plant self-pollinates if pollen from one flower is transferred to the same or another flower of the same plant or plant variety. A plant cross-pollinates if pollen comes to it from a flower of a different plant variety.

Plants that have been self-pollinated and selected for type over many generations become homozygous at almost all gene loci and produce a uniform population of true breeding progeny, a homozygous plant. A cross between two such homozygous plants of different genotypes produces a uniform population of hybrid plants that are heterozygous for many gene loci. Conversely, a cross of two plants each heterozygous at a number of loci produces a population of hybrid plants that differ genetically and are not uniform. The resulting non-uniformity makes performance unpredictable.

The development of uniform varieties requires the development of homozygous inbred plants, the crossing of these inbred plants, and the evaluation of the crosses. Pedigree breeding and recurrent selection are examples of breeding methods that have been used to develop inbred plants from breeding populations. Those breeding methods combine the genetic backgrounds from two or more plants or various other broad-based sources into breeding pools from which new lines and hybrids derived therefrom are developed by selfing and selection of desired phenotypes. The new lines and hybrids are evaluated to determine which of those have commercial potential.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, the present invention provides a pepper plant of the hybrid designated DRP 1630, the pepper line SBO 182 AUS or pepper line SBR 182 TRALIA. Also provided are pepper plants having all the physiological and morphological characteristics of such a plant. Parts of these pepper plants are also provided, for example, including pollen, an ovule, scion, a rootstock, a fruit, and a cell of the plant.

In another aspect of the invention, a plant of pepper hybrid DRP 1630 and/or pepper lines SBO 182 AUS and SBR 182 TRALIA comprising an added heritable trait is provided. The heritable trait may comprise a genetic locus that is, for example, a dominant or recessive allele. In one embodiment of the invention, a plant of pepper hybrid DRP 1630 and/or pepper lines SBO 182 AUS and SBR 182 TRALIA is defined as comprising a single locus conversion. In specific embodiments of the invention, an added genetic locus confers one or more traits such as, for example, herbicide tolerance, insect resistance, disease resistance, and modified carbohydrate metabolism. In further embodiments, the trait may be conferred by a naturally occurring gene introduced into the genome of a line by backcrossing, a natural or induced mutation, or a transgene introduced through genetic transformation techniques into the plant or a progenitor of any previous generation thereof. When introduced through transformation, a genetic locus may comprise one or more genes integrated at a single chromosomal location.

The invention also concerns the seed of pepper hybrid DRP 1630 and/or pepper lines SBO 182 AUS and SBR 182 TRALIA. The pepper seed of the invention may be provided as an essentially homogeneous population of pepper seed of pepper hybrid DRP 1630 and/or pepper lines SBO 182 AUS and SBR 182 TRALIA. Essentially homogeneous populations of seed are generally free from substantial numbers of other seed. Therefore, seed of hybrid DRP 1630 and/or pepper lines SBO 182 AUS and SBR 182 TRALIA may be defined as forming at least about 97% of the total seed, including at least about 98%, 99% or more of the seed. The seed population may be separately grown to provide an essentially homogeneous population of pepper plants designated DRP 1630 and/or pepper lines SBO 182 AUS and SBR 182 TRALIA.

In yet another aspect of the invention, a tissue culture of regenerable cells of a pepper plant of hybrid DRP 1630 and/or pepper lines SBO 182 AUS and SBR 182 TRALIA is provided. The tissue culture will preferably be capable of regenerating pepper plants capable of expressing all of the physiological and morphological characteristics of the starting plant, and of regenerating plants having substantially the same genotype as the starting plant. Examples of some of the physiological and morphological characteristics of the hybrid DRP 1630 and/or pepper lines SBO 182 AUS and SBR 182 TRALIA include those traits set forth in the tables herein. The regenerable cells in such tissue cultures may be derived, for example, from embryos, meristems, cotyledons, pollen, leaves, anthers, roots, root tips, pistils, flowers, seed and stalks. Still further, the present invention provides pepper plants regenerated from a tissue culture of the invention, the plants having all the physiological and morphological characteristics of hybrid DRP 1630 and/or pepper lines SBO 182 AUS and SBR 182 TRALIA.

In still yet another aspect of the invention, processes are provided for producing pepper seeds, plants and fruit, which processes generally comprise crossing a first parent pepper plant with a second parent pepper plant, wherein at least one of the first or second parent pepper plants is a plant of pepper line SBO 182 AUS or pepper line SBR 182 TRALIA. These processes may be further exemplified as processes for preparing hybrid pepper seed or plants, wherein a first pepper plant is crossed with a second pepper plant of a different, distinct genotype to provide a hybrid that has, as one of its parents, a plant of pepper line SBO 182 AUS or pepper line SBR 182 TRALIA. In these processes, crossing will result in the production of seed. The seed production occurs regardless of whether the seed is collected or not.

In one embodiment of the invention, the first step in “crossing” comprises planting seeds of a first and second parent pepper plant, often in proximity so that pollination will occur for example, mediated by insect vectors. Alternatively, pollen can be transferred manually. Where the plant is self-pollinated, pollination may occur without the need for direct human intervention other than plant cultivation.

A second step may comprise cultivating or growing the seeds of first and second parent pepper plants into plants that bear flowers. A third step may comprise preventing self-pollination of the plants, such as by emasculating the flowers (i.e., killing or removing the pollen).

A fourth step for a hybrid cross may comprise cross-pollination between the first and second parent pepper plants. Yet another step comprises harvesting the seeds from at least one of the parent pepper plants. The harvested seed can be grown to produce a pepper plant or hybrid pepper plant.

The present invention also provides the pepper seeds and plants produced by a process that comprises crossing a first parent pepper plant with a second parent pepper plant, wherein at least one of the first or second parent pepper plants is a plant of pepper hybrid DRP 1630 and/or pepper lines SBO 182 AUS and SBR 182 TRALIA. In one embodiment of the invention, pepper seed and plants produced by the process are first generation (F1) hybrid pepper seed and plants produced by crossing a plant in accordance with the invention with another, distinct plant. The present invention further contemplates plant parts of such an F1hybrid pepper plant, and methods of use thereof. Therefore, certain exemplary embodiments of the invention provide an F1hybrid pepper plant and seed thereof.

In still yet another aspect, the present invention provides a method of producing a plant derived from hybrid DRP 1630 and/or pepper lines SBO 182 AUS and SBR 182 TRALIA, the method comprising the steps of: (a) preparing a progeny plant derived from hybrid DRP 1630 and/or pepper lines SBO 182 AUS and SBR 182 TRALIA, wherein said preparing comprises crossing a plant of the hybrid DRP 1630 and/or pepper lines SBO 182 AUS and SBR 182 TRALIA with a second plant; and (b) crossing the progeny plant with itself or a second plant to produce a seed of a progeny plant of a subsequent generation. In further embodiments, the method may additionally comprise: (c) growing a progeny plant of a subsequent generation from said seed of a progeny plant of a subsequent generation and crossing the progeny plant of a subsequent generation with itself or a second plant; and repeating the steps for an additional 3-10 generations to produce a plant derived from hybrid DRP 1630 and/or pepper lines SBO 182 AUS and SBR 182 TRALIA. The plant derived from hybrid DRP 1630 and/or pepper lines SBO 182 AUS and SBR 182 TRALIA may be an inbred line, and the aforementioned repeated crossing steps may be defined as comprising sufficient inbreeding to produce the inbred line. In the method, it may be desirable to select particular plants resulting from step (c) for continued crossing according to steps (b) and (c). By selecting plants having one or more desirable traits, a plant derived from hybrid DRP 1630 and/or pepper lines SBO 182 AUS and SBR 182 TRALIA is obtained which possesses some of the desirable traits of the line/hybrid as well as potentially other selected traits.

In certain embodiments, the present invention provides a method of producing food or feed comprising: (a) obtaining a plant of pepper hybrid DRP 1630 and/or pepper lines SBO 182 AUS and SBR 182 TRALIA, wherein the plant has been cultivated to maturity, and (b) collecting at least one pepper from the plant.

In still yet another aspect of the invention, the genetic complement of pepper hybrid DRP 1630 and/or pepper lines SBO 182 AUS and SBR 182 TRALIA is provided. The phrase “genetic complement” is used to refer to the aggregate of nucleotide sequences, the expression of which sequences defines the phenotype of, in the present case, a pepper plant, or a cell or tissue of that plant. A genetic complement thus represents the genetic makeup of a cell, tissue or plant, and a hybrid genetic complement represents the genetic make up of a hybrid cell, tissue or plant. The invention thus provides pepper plant cells that have a genetic complement in accordance with the pepper plant cells disclosed herein, and seeds and plants containing such cells.

Plant genetic complements may be assessed by genetic marker profiles, and by the expression of phenotypic traits that are characteristic of the expression of the genetic complement, e.g., isozyme typing profiles. It is understood that hybrid DRP 1630 and/or pepper lines SBO 182 AUS and SBR 182 TRALIA could be identified by any of the many well known techniques such as, for example, Simple Sequence Length Polymorphisms (SSLPs) (Williams et al.,Nucleic Acids Res.,1 8:6531-6535, 1990), Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNAs (RAPDs), DNA Amplification Fingerprinting (DAF), Sequence Characterized Amplified Regions (SCARs), Arbitrary Primed Polymerase Chain Reaction (AP-PCR), Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms (AFLPs) (EP 534 858, specifically incorporated herein by reference in its entirety), and Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) (Wang et al.,Science,280:1077-1082, 1998).

In still yet another aspect, the present invention provides hybrid genetic complements, as represented by pepper plant cells, tissues, plants, and seeds, formed by the combination of a haploid genetic complement of a pepper plant of the invention with a haploid genetic complement of a second pepper plant, preferably, another, distinct pepper plant. In another aspect, the present invention provides a pepper plant regenerated from a tissue culture that comprises a hybrid genetic complement of this invention.

Any embodiment discussed herein with respect to one aspect of the invention applies to other aspects of the invention as well, unless specifically noted.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description. It should be understood, however, that the detailed description and any specific examples provided, while indicating specific embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides methods and compositions relating to plants, seeds and derivatives of pepper hybrid DRP 1630, pepper line SBO 182 AUS and pepper line SBR 182 TRALIA.

Sweet pepper hybrid, DRP 1630, also known as “Red Mountain”, develops medium to strong plant with good leaf cover. The hybrid produces a rather early set of uniform, medium to large sized, smooth, non-cracking blocky fruits. The fruit mature from green to light to medium dark red color. The hybrid has a regular set of blocky fruits that color quickly all through the season. Hybrid DRP 1630 is resistant to Tobamo virus (Tm 0, 1, 1.2) and tomato spotted wilt virus. The hybrid is intended for heated protected glasshouse environment for mature red fruit production.

A. Origin and Breeding History of Pepper Hybrid DRP 1630

The parents of hybrid DRP 1630 are SBO 182-AUS-GMS and SBR 182-TRALIA. The parents were developed at the Monsanto Bergschenhoek, NL station. This initial selection to make SBO 182-AUS-GMS was in Year 8, while the initial cross to make SBR 182-TRALIA was in Year 1. Both the lines SBO 182-AUS-GMS and SBR 182-TRALIA received their finished code AUS and TRALIA, respectively, in Year 12. The original cross for DRP 1630 was made at the Bergschenhoek station in the autumn of Year 10. The hybrid has been trialed at the Bergschenhoek station in Year 11, 12, 13, and 14. It has been trialed by several growers during the Year 12, 13, and 14 seasons in the Netherlands and in Korea during the Year 14 season.

SBO 182-AUS-GMS was developed at the De Ruiter Breeding Station in Bergschenhoek.

The crossing and selections were made as follows:Year 8 Planted the F2 population 04VY0034 under field number 05PNL2765, where plant 11 was selected. The plant exhibited orange colour, good setting, an acceptable fruit shape. The fruit was not soft at the time of harvest.Year 9 Planted the F3 inbred line 05OM0146 under field number 06PNL0719, where plant 8 was selected. The plant exhibited good setting, fruit shape, dark orange colour, no old age spots.Year 10 Planted the F4 inbred line 06PM0019 under field number 07PNL0142, where plant 1 was selected. The plant exhibited good setting, shape and other quality traits as firmness.Year 10 Planted the F5 inbred line 07OM0001 under field number 07PNL2683, where plant 1 was selected. The plant exhibited good setting, and good fruit quality traits like shape and firmness.Year 11 Planted the F6 inbred line 07OM0089 under field number 08PNL0727. The plant exhibited good setting, and quick turning of the colour.Year 12 Planted the F7 inbred line 08OM0080 under field number 09PNL1047 and later bulked to create the F8 that was submitted to Foundation Seed. The plant exhibited good setting, and fruit quality with quick turning of the colour.Year 12 The seeds of 09OM0116 were submitted to Foundation Seed under the name of SBO 182-AUS-GMS. It was bulked under field number 09PNL1047.

SBO 182-TRALIA was developed at the De Ruiter Breeding Station in Bergschenhoek.

The crossing and selections were made as follows:Year 5 The plant 6 in field number 8820 was crossed with 01PA5268b and created the F1 02PA3139.Year 6 The F1 02PA3139 was planted and selfed to create the F2, 03YF0031 under field number 03PNL7660.Year 6 The line 03YF0031 was crossed with 01PA4973a to create 03YF0119, BC1 population.Year 7 Planted the BC1 03YF0119 under field number 04PNL2853 and plant 3 was crossed with 01PA4973a and created 04RF0023. The plant with red fruits was selected. It exhibited good setting and fruit shape.Year 7 Planted the BC2 inbred line 04RF0023 under field number 04PNL6252, where plant 8 was selected.Year 9 Planted the BC2S1 inbred line 04RF0143 under field number 06PNL0082, where plant 3 was selected.Year 10 Planted the BC2S2 inbred line 06RF0002 under field number 07PNL0145, where plant 7 was selected. The plant exhibited good setting, nice fruit shape, and good firmness.Year 10 Planted the BC2S3 inbred line 07RF0010 under field number 07PNL2666, where plant 3 was selected. The plant exhibited regular and continuous setting, and good fruit quality traits with good resetting ability.Year 11 Planted the BC2S4 inbred line 07RF0148 under field number 08PNL2771, where it was bulked. The plant exhibited good setting and fruit quality traits.Year 12 Planted the BC2S5 inbred line 08RF0292 under field number 09PNL2803, where plant 3 was selected. The plant exhibited good setting, regular shape, but slower turning of colour.Year 12 Planted BC2S6 seeds under field number 10PNN1480 where it was bulked and later submitted to Foundation Seed under the name SBR 182-TRALIA.

The parent lines are uniform and stable, as is a hybrid produced therefrom. A small percentage of variants can occur within commercially acceptable limits for almost any characteristic during the course of repeated multiplication. However no variants are expected.

B. Physiological and Morphological Characteristics of Pepper Hybrid DRP 1630, Pepper Line SBO 182 AUS and Pepper Line SBR 182 TRALIA

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a plant having the physiological and morphological characteristics of pepper hybrid DRP 1630 and the parent lines thereof. A description of the physiological and morphological characteristics of such plants is presented in Tables 1-3.

C. Breeding Pepper Plants

One aspect of the current invention concerns methods for producing seed of pepper hybrid DRP 1630 involving crossing pepper lines SBO 182 AUS and SBR 182 TRALIA. Alternatively, in other embodiments of the invention, hybrid DRP 1630, line SBO 182 AUS, or line SBR 182 TRALIA may be crossed with itself or with any second plant. Such methods can be used for propagation of hybrid DRP 1630 and/or the pepper lines SBO 182 AUS and SBR 182 TRALIA, or can be used to produce plants that are derived from hybrid DRP 1630 and/or the pepper lines SBO 182 AUS and SBR 182 TRALIA. Plants derived from hybrid DRP 1630 and/or the pepper lines SBO 182 AUS and SBR 182 TRALIA may be used, in certain embodiments, for the development of new pepper varieties.

The development of new varieties using one or more starting varieties is well known in the art. In accordance with the invention, novel varieties may be created by crossing hybrid DRP 1630 followed by multiple generations of breeding according to such well known methods. New varieties may be created by crossing with any second plant. In selecting such a second plant to cross for the purpose of developing novel lines, it may be desired to choose those plants which either themselves exhibit one or more selected desirable characteristics or which exhibit the desired characteristic(s) when in hybrid combination. Once initial crosses have been made, inbreeding and selection take place to produce new varieties. For development of a uniform line, often five or more generations of selfing and selection are involved.

Uniform lines of new varieties may also be developed by way of double-haploids. This technique allows the creation of true breeding lines without the need for multiple generations of selfing and selection. In this manner true breeding lines can be produced in as little as one generation. Haploid embryos may be produced from microspores, pollen, anther cultures, or ovary cultures. The haploid embryos may then be doubled autonomously, or by chemical treatments (e.g. colchicine treatment). Alternatively, haploid embryos may be grown into haploid plants and treated to induce chromosome doubling. In either case, fertile homozygous plants are obtained. In accordance with the invention, any of such techniques may be used in connection with a plant of the invention and progeny thereof to achieve a homozygous line.

Backcrossing can also be used to improve an inbred plant. Backcrossing transfers a specific desirable trait from one inbred or non-inbred source to an inbred that lacks that trait. This can be accomplished, for example, by first crossing a superior inbred (A) (recurrent parent) to a donor inbred (non-recurrent parent), which carries the appropriate locus or loci for the trait in question. The progeny of this cross are then mated back to the superior recurrent parent (A) followed by selection in the resultant progeny for the desired trait to be transferred from the non-recurrent parent. After five or more backcross generations with selection for the desired trait, the progeny have the characteristic being transferred, but are like the superior parent for most or almost all other loci. The last backcross generation would be selfed to give pure breeding progeny for the trait being transferred.

The plants of the present invention are particularly well suited for the development of new lines based on the elite nature of the genetic background of the plants. In selecting a second plant to cross with DRP 1630 and/or pepper lines SBO 182 AUS and SBR 182 TRALIA for the purpose of developing novel pepper lines, it will typically be preferred to choose those plants which either themselves exhibit one or more selected desirable characteristics or which exhibit the desired characteristic(s) when in hybrid combination. Examples of desirable traits may include, in specific embodiments, high seed yield, high seed germination, seedling vigor, high fruit yield, disease tolerance or resistance, and adaptability for soil and climate conditions. Consumer-driven traits, such as a fruit shape, color, texture, and taste are other examples of traits that may be incorporated into new lines of pepper plants developed by this invention.

D. Performance Characteristics

As described above, hybrid DRP 1630 exhibits desirable traits, as conferred by pepper lines SBO 182 AUS and SBR 182 TRALIA. The performance characteristics of hybrid DRP 1630 and pepper lines SBO 182 AUS and SBR 182 TRALIA were the subject of an objective analysis of the performance traits relative to other varieties. The results of the analysis are presented below.

TABLE 5Comparison of Yield (kg/m2) of DRP 1630 and Comparative variety SAPORRO# ofVarietylocationsMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberDRP 1630160.83.68.312.217.721.225.127.5SAPORRO91.14.09.312.918.522.927.129.0UNITS OF YIELD (kg/m2)

E. Further Embodiments of the Invention

In certain aspects of the invention, plants described herein are provided modified to include at least a first desired heritable trait. Such plants may, in one embodiment, be developed by a plant breeding technique called backcrossing, wherein essentially all of the morphological and physiological characteristics of a variety are recovered in addition to a genetic locus transferred into the plant via the backcrossing technique. The term single locus converted plant as used herein refers to those pepper plants which are developed by a plant breeding technique called backcrossing, wherein essentially all of the morphological and physiological characteristics of a variety are recovered in addition to the single locus transferred into the variety via the backcrossing technique. By essentially all of the morphological and physiological characteristics, it is meant that the characteristics of a plant are recovered that are otherwise present when compared in the same environment, other than an occasional variant trait that might arise during backcrossing or direct introduction of a transgene.

Backcrossing methods can be used with the present invention to improve or introduce a characteristic into the present variety. The parental pepper plant which contributes the locus for the desired characteristic is termed the nonrecurrent or donor parent. This terminology refers to the fact that the nonrecurrent parent is used one time in the backcross protocol and therefore does not recur. The parental pepper plant to which the locus or loci from the nonrecurrent parent are transferred is known as the recurrent parent as it is used for several rounds in the backcrossing protocol.

In a typical backcross protocol, the original variety of interest (recurrent parent) is crossed to a second variety (nonrecurrent parent) that carries the single locus of interest to be transferred. The resulting progeny from this cross are then crossed again to the recurrent parent and the process is repeated until a pepper plant is obtained wherein essentially all of the morphological and physiological characteristics of the recurrent parent are recovered in the converted plant, in addition to the single transferred locus from the nonrecurrent parent.

In one embodiment, progeny pepper plants of a backcross in which a plant described herein is the recurrent parent comprise (i) the desired trait from the non-recurrent parent and (ii) all of the physiological and morphological characteristics of pepper the recurrent parent as determined at the 5% significance level when grown in the same environmental conditions.

New varieties can also be developed from more than two parents. The technique, known as modified backcrossing, uses different recurrent parents during the backcrossing. Modified backcrossing may be used to replace the original recurrent parent with a variety having certain more desirable characteristics or multiple parents may be used to obtain different desirable characteristics from each.

With the development of molecular markers associated with particular traits, it is possible to add additional traits into an established germ line, such as represented here, with the end result being substantially the same base germplasm with the addition of a new trait or traits. Molecular breeding, as described in Moose and Mumm, 2008 (Plant Physiology, 147: 969-977), for example, and elsewhere, provides a mechanism for integrating single or multiple traits or QTL into an elite line. This molecular breeding-facilitated movement of a trait or traits into an elite line may encompass incorporation of a particular genomic fragment associated with a particular trait of interest into the elite line by the mechanism of identification of the integrated genomic fragment with the use of flanking or associated marker assays. In the embodiment represented here, one, two, three or four genomic loci, for example, may be integrated into an elite line via this methodology. When this elite line containing the additional loci is further crossed with another parental elite line to produce hybrid offspring, it is possible to then incorporate at least eight separate additional loci into the hybrid. These additional loci may confer, for example, such traits as a disease resistance or a fruit quality trait. In one embodiment, each locus may confer a separate trait. In another embodiment, loci may need to be homozygous and exist in each parent line to confer a trait in the hybrid. In yet another embodiment, multiple loci may be combined to confer a single robust phenotype of a desired trait.

Many single locus traits have been identified that are not regularly selected for in the development of a new inbred but that can be improved by backcrossing techniques. Single locus traits may or may not be transgenic; examples of these traits include, but are not limited to, herbicide resistance, resistance to bacterial, fungal, or viral disease, insect resistance, modified fatty acid or carbohydrate metabolism, and altered nutritional quality. These comprise genes generally inherited through the nucleus.

Direct selection may be applied where the single locus acts as a dominant trait. For this selection process, the progeny of the initial cross are assayed for viral resistance and/or the presence of the corresponding gene prior to the backcrossing. Selection eliminates any plants that do not have the desired gene and resistance trait, and only those plants that have the trait are used in the subsequent backcross. This process is then repeated for all additional backcross generations.

Selection of pepper plants for breeding is not necessarily dependent on the phenotype of a plant and instead can be based on genetic investigations. For example, one can utilize a suitable genetic marker which is closely genetically linked to a trait of interest. One of these markers can be used to identify the presence or absence of a trait in the offspring of a particular cross, and can be used in selection of progeny for continued breeding. This technique is commonly referred to as marker assisted selection. Any other type of genetic marker or other assay which is able to identify the relative presence or absence of a trait of interest in a plant can also be useful for breeding purposes. Procedures for marker assisted selection are well known in the art. Such methods will be of particular utility in the case of recessive traits and variable phenotypes, or where conventional assays may be more expensive, time consuming or otherwise disadvantageous. Types of genetic markers which could be used in accordance with the invention include, but are not necessarily limited to, Simple Sequence Length Polymorphisms (SSLPs) (Williams et al.,Nucleic Acids Res.,1 8:6531-6535, 1990), Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNAs (RAPDs), DNA Amplification Fingerprinting (DAF), Sequence Characterized Amplified Regions (SCARs), Arbitrary Primed Polymerase Chain Reaction (AP-PCR), Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms (AFLPs) (EP 534 858, specifically incorporated herein by reference in its entirety), and Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) (Wang et al.,Science,280:1077-1082, 1998).

F. Plants Derived by Genetic Engineering

Many useful traits that can be introduced by backcrossing, as well as directly into a plant, are those which are introduced by genetic transformation techniques. Genetic transformation may therefore be used to insert a selected transgene into a plant of the invention or may, alternatively, be used for the preparation of transgenes which can be introduced by backcrossing. Methods for the transformation of plants that are well known to those of skill in the art and applicable to many crop species include, but are not limited to, electroporation, microprojectile bombardment,Agrobacterium-mediated transformation and direct DNA uptake by protoplasts.

To effect transformation by electroporation, one may employ either friable tissues, such as a suspension culture of cells or embryogenic callus or alternatively one may transform immature embryos or other organized tissue directly. In this technique, one would partially degrade the cell walls of the chosen cells by exposing them to pectin-degrading enzymes (pectolyases) or mechanically wound tissues in a controlled manner.

An efficient method for delivering transforming DNA segments to plant cells is microprojectile bombardment. In this method, particles are coated with nucleic acids and delivered into cells by a propelling force. Exemplary particles include those comprised of tungsten, platinum, and preferably, gold. For the bombardment, cells in suspension are concentrated on filters or solid culture medium. Alternatively, immature embryos or other target cells may be arranged on solid culture medium. The cells to be bombarded are positioned at an appropriate distance below the macroprojectile stopping plate.

An illustrative embodiment of a method for delivering DNA into plant cells by acceleration is the Biolistics Particle Delivery System, which can be used to propel particles coated with DNA or cells through a screen, such as a stainless steel or Nytex screen, onto a surface covered with target cells. The screen disperses the particles so that they are not delivered to the recipient cells in large aggregates. Microprojectile bombardment techniques are widely applicable, and may be used to transform virtually any plant species.

Agrobacterium-mediated transfer is another widely applicable system for introducing gene loci into plant cells. An advantage of the technique is that DNA can be introduced into whole plant tissues, thereby bypassing the need for regeneration of an intact plant from a protoplast. ModernAgrobacteriumtransformation vectors are capable of replication inE. colias well asAgrobacterium, allowing for convenient manipulations (Klee et al.,Bio-Technology,3(7):637-642, 1985). Moreover, recent technological advances in vectors forAgrobacterium-mediated gene transfer have improved the arrangement of genes and restriction sites in the vectors to facilitate the construction of vectors capable of expressing various polypeptide coding genes. The vectors described have convenient multi-linker regions flanked by a promoter and a polyadenylation site for direct expression of inserted polypeptide coding genes. Additionally,Agrobacteriumcontaining both armed and disarmed Ti genes can be used for transformation.

In those plant strains whereAgrobacterium-mediated transformation is efficient, it is the method of choice because of the facile and defined nature of the gene locus transfer. The use ofAgrobacterium-mediated plant integrating vectors to introduce DNA into plant cells is well known in the art (Fraley et al.,Bio/Technology,3:629-635, 1985; U.S. Pat. No. 5,563,055).

A number of promoters have utility for plant gene expression for any gene of interest including but not limited to selectable markers, scoreable markers, genes for pest tolerance, disease resistance, nutritional enhancements and any other gene of agronomic interest. Examples of constitutive promoters useful for plant gene expression include, but are not limited to, the cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) P-35S promoter, which confers constitutive, high-level expression in most plant tissues (see, e.g., Odel et al.,Nature,313:810, 1985), including in monocots (see, e.g., Dekeyser et al.,Plant Cell,2:591, 1990; Terada and Shimamoto,Mol. Gen. Genet.,220:389, 1990); a tandemly duplicated version of the CaMV 35S promoter, the enhanced 35S promoter (P-e35S); 1 the nopaline synthase promoter (An et al.,Plant Physiol.,88:547, 1988); the octopine synthase promoter (Fromm et al.,Plant Cell,1:977, 1989); and the figwort mosaic virus (P-FMV) promoter as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,378,619 and an enhanced version of the FMV promoter (P-eFMV) where the promoter sequence of P-FMV is duplicated in tandem; the cauliflower mosaic virus 19S promoter; a sugarcane bacilliform virus promoter; a commelina yellow mottle virus promoter; and other plant DNA virus promoters known to express in plant cells.

Many hundreds if not thousands of different genes are known and could potentially be introduced into a pepper plant according to the invention. Non-limiting examples of particular genes and corresponding phenotypes one may choose to introduce into a pepper plant include one or more genes for insect tolerance, such as aBacillus thuringiensis(B.t.) gene, pest tolerance such as genes for fungal disease control, herbicide tolerance such as genes conferring glyphosate tolerance, and genes for quality improvements such as yield, nutritional enhancements, environmental or stress tolerances, or any desirable changes in plant physiology, growth, development, morphology or plant product(s). For example, structural genes would include any gene that confers insect tolerance including but not limited to aBacillusinsect control protein gene as described in WO 99/31248, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety, U.S. Pat. No. 5,689,052, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,500,365 and 5,880,275, herein incorporated by reference in their entirety. In another embodiment, the structural gene can confer tolerance to the herbicide glyphosate as conferred by genes including, but not limited toAgrobacteriumstrain CP4 glyphosate resistant EPSPS gene (aroA:CP4) as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,633,435, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety, or glyphosate oxidoreductase gene (GOX) as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,463,175, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Alternatively, the DNA coding sequences can affect these phenotypes by encoding a non-translatable RNA molecule that causes the targeted inhibition of expression of an endogenous gene, for example via antisense- or cosuppression-mediated mechanisms (see, for example, Bird et al.,Biotech. Gen. Engin. Rev.,9:207, 1991). The RNA could also be a catalytic RNA molecule (i.e., a ribozyme) engineered to cleave a desired endogenous mRNA product (see for example, Gibson and Shillito,Mol. Biotech.,7:125, 1997). Thus, any gene which produces a protein or mRNA which expresses a phenotype or morphology change of interest is useful for the practice of the present invention.

In the description and tables herein, a number of terms are used. In order to provide a clear and consistent understanding of the specification and claims, the following definitions are provided:

Backcrossing: A process in which a breeder repeatedly crosses hybrid progeny, for example a first generation hybrid (F1), back to one of the parents of the hybrid progeny. Backcrossing can be used to introduce one or more single locus conversions from one genetic background into another.

Crossing: The mating of two parent plants.

Diploid: A cell or organism having two sets of chromosomes.

Emasculate: The removal of plant male sex organs or the inactivation of the organs with a cytoplasmic or nuclear genetic factor or a chemical agent conferring male sterility.

Enzymes: Molecules which can act as catalysts in biological reactions.

F1Hybrid: The first generation progeny of the cross of two nonisogenic plants.

Genotype: The genetic constitution of a cell or organism.

Haploid: A cell or organism having one set of the two sets of chromosomes in a diploid.

Marker: A readily detectable phenotype, preferably inherited in codominant fashion (both alleles at a locus in a diploid heterozygote are readily detectable), with no environmental variance component, i.e., heritability of 1.

Phenotype: The detectable characteristics of a cell or organism, which characteristics are the manifestation of gene expression.

Resistance: As used herein, the terms “resistance” and “tolerance” are used interchangeably to describe plants that show no symptoms to a specified biotic pest, pathogen, abiotic influence or environmental condition. These terms are also used to describe plants showing some symptoms but that are still able to produce marketable product with an acceptable yield. Some plants that are referred to as resistant or tolerant are only so in the sense that they may still produce a crop, even though the plants are stunted and the yield is reduced.

Regeneration: The development of a plant from tissue culture.

Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) color chart value: The RHS color chart is a standardized reference which allows accurate identification of any color. A color's designation on the chart describes its hue, brightness and saturation. A color is precisely named by the RHS color chart by identifying the group name, sheet number and letter, e.g., Yellow-Orange Group 19A or Red Group 41B.

Self-pollination: The transfer of pollen from the anther to the stigma of the same plant.

Single Locus Converted (Conversion) Plant: Plants which are developed by a plant breeding technique called backcrossing, wherein essentially all of the morphological and physiological characteristics of a pepper variety are recovered in addition to the characteristics of the single locus transferred into the variety via the backcrossing technique and/or by genetic transformation.

Substantially Equivalent: A characteristic that, when compared, does not show a statistically significant difference (e.g., p=0.05) from the mean.

Tissue Culture: A composition comprising isolated cells of the same or a different type or a collection of such cells organized into parts of a plant.

Transgene: A genetic locus comprising a sequence which has been introduced into the genome of a pepper plant by transformation.

H. Deposit Information

A deposit of pepper hybrid DRP 1630 and inbred parent lines SBO 182 AUS and SBR 182 TRALIA, disclosed above and recited in the claims, has been made with the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC), 10801 University Blvd., Manassas, Va. 20110-2209. The date of deposit was Dec. 14, 2011. The accession numbers for those deposited seeds of pepper hybrid DRP 1630 and inbred parent lines SBO 182 AUS and SBR 182 TRALIA are ATCC Accession No. PTA-12331, ATCC Accession No. PTA-12333, and ATCC Accession No. PTA-12332, respectively. Upon issuance of a patent, all restrictions upon the deposits will be removed, and the deposits are intended to meet all of the requirements of 37 C.F.R. §1.801-1.809. The deposits will be maintained in the depository for a period of 30 years, or 5 years after the last request, or for the effective life of the patent, whichever is longer, and will be replaced if necessary during that period.

Although the foregoing invention has been described in some detail by way of illustration and example for purposes of clarity and understanding, it will be obvious that certain changes and modifications may be practiced within the scope of the invention, as limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

All references cited herein are hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference.