'BRS Mari' is a new hot pepper cultivar suitable for processing as sauce or dehydrated flakes, ordinarily known in Brazil as 'calabresa' type, as well as for fresh market. Hot pepper cv. 'BRS Mari' was obtained from population 'CNPH 0039', through six cycles of mass selection with controlled selfing of selected plants. The new multiple-disease resistant, open pollinated cultivar has an intermediate habit growth, reaching 90 cm in height and 1.25 m in width; it is highly resistant to Pepper Yellow Mosaic Virus (PepYMV) and to root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne javanica), and it is moderately resistant to mildew (Oidium sicula), bacterial spot (Xanthomonas spp.) and anthracnose (Colletotrichum spp.). Fruit harvest begins 70 days after transplanting. In Central Brazil, cv. 'BRS Mari' showed high plant uniformity, excellent fruit quality and high potential yield, reaching 35 t ha-1 in six months. Fruits are pendant and elongated, typical of 'dedo-de-moça' type, 6.0 cm in length, 1.4 cm in width and 1.7 mm thick. Fruit color changes from light green to yellow with anthocyanin and orange when immature and to intense red when fully ripe. The most important trait of 'BRS Mari' is the high capsaicin content, approximately 90,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU), which is higher than other Brazilian cultivars of the same group.
Capsicum baccatum var. pendulum; resistance; processing; capsaicin
