Recurrent selection has been used as a breeding method to improve traits
having low heritability such as earliness, fruit yield and fruit weight. The objective of
this study was to measure the progress of two cycles of recurrent selection ¡n
increasing the productivity of sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum L.). To realize this
objective, interest was also gÑen for the estimation of the variability in the original
population and the correlation coefficients among the studied characters.
Most studied characters especially plant height, number of branches / plant,
early yield and total yield reflected high variability in the original population. The
estimation of phenotypic correlation among the possible pairs of studied characters
showed that significant or highly significant and positive correlation between early and
total yield with number of fruits / plant, average fruit weight, fruit length , fruit diameter
and fruit wall thickness. Total yield exhibited positive and highly significant correlation
with earLy yield, number of fruits f plant and average fruit weight. Highly significant, but
negative correlation between number of fruits / plant and average fruit weight. Highly
significant positive correlation between average fruit weight, fruit length and fruit
diameter.
After two successive cycles of recurrent selection, the improvement over the
base population (Co) were 60.3, 67.5, 27.3 and 13.6% for total yield per plant, number
of fruits per plant, average fruit weight and fruit diameter, respectively. Therefore, the
successive cycles of the recurrent selection seem to have an obvious effect on
improving such characters.