New Habanero Blasts Taste Buds -- And Pepper Pests
Science Daily — The super-hot, bright orange TigerPaw-NR habanero pepper offers extreme pungency for pepper aficionados, plus nematode resistance that will make it a hit with growers and home gardeners.
TigerPaw-NR, a new habanero pepper developed and released recently by ARS scientists, is highly resistant to many important species of root-knot nematodes and is among the spiciest peppers ever developed.
Plant geneticist Richard L. Fery and plant pathologist Judy A. Thies at the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) U.S. Vegetable Laboratory, Charleston, S.C., put the pepper through three years of greenhouse and field tests before determining, in 2006, that it was ready for commercial fields and backyard gardens.
The firm, shiny pepper gets its name from its tiger-paw-like appearance. Its "NR" initials stand for "nematode resistant," a prized trait. The pepper is the first commercial habanero pepper resistant to attack by microscopic, soil-dwelling worms known as root-knot nematodes, according to the scientists. The nematodes are named for the knots, or galls, that form on damaged roots.
So how hot is this habanero?
Tests using the standard Scoville Heat Scale show that TigerPaw-NR scores a fiery 348,634. Habaneros typically score 100,000 or higher, compared to the 3,500 to 5,000 range of jalapenos, for instance.
ARS is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research agency.
Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by USDA/Agricultural Research Service.
Science Daily — The super-hot, bright orange TigerPaw-NR habanero pepper offers extreme pungency for pepper aficionados, plus nematode resistance that will make it a hit with growers and home gardeners.
TigerPaw-NR, a new habanero pepper developed and released recently by ARS scientists, is highly resistant to many important species of root-knot nematodes and is among the spiciest peppers ever developed.
Plant geneticist Richard L. Fery and plant pathologist Judy A. Thies at the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) U.S. Vegetable Laboratory, Charleston, S.C., put the pepper through three years of greenhouse and field tests before determining, in 2006, that it was ready for commercial fields and backyard gardens.
The firm, shiny pepper gets its name from its tiger-paw-like appearance. Its "NR" initials stand for "nematode resistant," a prized trait. The pepper is the first commercial habanero pepper resistant to attack by microscopic, soil-dwelling worms known as root-knot nematodes, according to the scientists. The nematodes are named for the knots, or galls, that form on damaged roots.
So how hot is this habanero?
Tests using the standard Scoville Heat Scale show that TigerPaw-NR scores a fiery 348,634. Habaneros typically score 100,000 or higher, compared to the 3,500 to 5,000 range of jalapenos, for instance.
ARS is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research agency.
Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by USDA/Agricultural Research Service.
