New pepper variety bred in Shaxian, Fujian: the hottest pepper

On October 23, at the vegetable planting base of Ankang High Mountain Ecological Cooperative in Huyuan Township, Shaxian County, Fujian Province, more than 100 mu of “Mingjiao No. 7” pepper plants were seen laden with fruit.

“Mingjiao No. 7” is a “high-pungency” pepper bred by the Vegetable Research Institute of the Municipal Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and it is also the hottest medium-early maturing hybrid pepper variety in China, known as China's “devil pepper.” According to a pungency test by the Taiwan Pepper Botanical Garden, Mingjiao No. 7 reaches a pungency of 420,000-470,000 Scoville units.

In May this year, the “devil pepper” was trial-planted in 4 places across the city, and only Huyuan Township succeeded; this was also the first time Sanming City planted the “devil pepper” on a large scale and succeeded. Under the careful guidance of agricultural technicians and the meticulous management of the cooperative, the “devil pepper” grew promisingly in Huyuan Township, with a yield of more than 3,500 kg per mu.

Grower Deng Chunguang introduced that Mingjiao No. 7 is suitable for planting in cool places at an altitude of 700 to 800 m or more; in places that are too hot, it will not set fruit or the yield will be very low; the harvest period is generally from June to around November.

Starting in June, Ankang Cooperative brought the “devil pepper” to market through wholesale. “This pepper is mainly sold to cities within the province such as Fuzhou, Nanping and Sanming. At the best times, more than 20,000 kg can be sold wholesale at once, with a wholesale price of nearly 16 yuan per kg.” Deng Chunguang said.

Besides being spicy, what else is special about the “devil pepper”? Deng Chunguang said: “This is a seedless pepper, and it sets more fruit than ordinary peppers. Its biggest feature is that the spiciness is more fragrant, and it will not burn your lips.”