In 1888, horticulturist Fabian Garcia, working at what was then known as the New Mexico College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, began a series of groundbreaking experiments to develop more standardized chile varieties. Early in the 1900s, he released “New Mexico 9,” the first variety with a dependable pod size and heat level. New Mexico’s chile industry now boasts varieties aplenty— greens, reds, jalapenos, cayennes and paprikas. New Mexico State University researchers recently unveiled several new chile varieties. Last fall, they released “NuMex Nematador,” a new cayenne that’s resistant to a devastating pest called the root-knot nematode. The pervasive parasitic worms thrive in New Mexico’s productive Mesilla Valley and attack chile plants’ roots. Nematador is expected to boost profits by reducing expensive fumigation. Earlier this year New Mexico State chile breeders developed a gem of a new paprika variety called “NuMex Garnet” that produces the reddest pigment commercially available. Throughout the world, red coloring is commonly extracted from paprika powder and used in a stunning range of consumer products from lipstick to pepperoni. “Just about any type of product that needs to be red can be colored with chile,” said Stephanie Walker, a New Mexico State research specialist who conducted most of the new variety’s field trials. Use of chile as a natural coloring agent began almost two decades ago, when the federal government banned a widely used red dye because of cancer risks. Meanwhile, tired of seeing the poinsettia hog all the yuletide cheer, New Mexico State chile breeders are developing colorful lines of ornamental chile peppers sure to warm the coldest Grinch’s heart. Ornamental chiles can have long fruit, short fruit, purple fruit, red, green, yellow, orange, all the different colors. Bosland and his research team have produced several varieties of miniature chile pepper plants that can be raised in 4-inch pots and grow from 4 to 6 inches high indoors. Pods in several of the varieties are about the size of fat jellybeans. If things go well for Christmas peppers, other holidays can be spiced up. Bosland is already working on a Halloween version with purple foliage and small black and orange chiles, as well as a Valentine variety with peppers that turn from white to red. Other New Mexico State researchers are looking at chile processing. For instance, the New Mexico Chile Pepper Task Force has identified mechanical harvesting of chile as key to the survival of the industry in the state. Hand harvesting of chile accounts for 40 to 60 percent of the total farm costs of chile pepper production for New Mexico. New Mexico growers pay a minimum of $5.15 per hour, while foreign competitors pay as little as $1 a day. “The United States can compete in every area of growing and processing chile—except for the harvest,” said Ed Hughs, research leader in harvest cleaning equipment at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Southwestern Cotton Ginning Research Laboratory. Last year the U.S. Department of Energy’s Sandia National Laboratories, which often does research on advanced weapon design, agreed to aim its engineering horsepower at improving mechanical chile cleaning equipment. Under a new agreement, the New Mexico Chile Pepper Task Force and Sandia will focus on a troublesome problem farmers have as chile is harvested: too much of the plant is picked along with the peppers. “These people may not know the chile industry, but they do know a lot about engineering and physics, and that might be helpful in separating trash from good chile,” said Richard Phillips, a project manager with New Mexico State’s Cooperative Extension Service and coordinator of the task force. Formed in 1998, the Las-Crucesbased organization works to ensure that New Mexico’s chile industry is cost-effective enough to be competitive in a global marketplace. The focus is on best management practices and developing effective drip irrigation practices and mechanical harvesting capabilities. Other recent areas of interest include Web site development, the effect of soil salinity on stand establishment and an economic assessment of the chile industry. Now, more than 15 New Mexico State scientists work directly with the crop, along with a number of staff members and students. The program includes breeding new varieties, improving farming practices and studying insect and disease control measures. Today, even after a profoundly parched summer, chile remains an agricultural bright spot. This season’s mild, gradually warming weather gave the current chile crop a rolling start. “With no disease and insect problems, southern New Mexico’s chile crop looks very promising this year,” said Bob Bevacqua, a vegetable specialist with New Mexico State’s Cooperative Extension Service. Our advice— get’em while they’re hot.
Story and photos by Norman Martin
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