Chile Peppers - Capsicum Breeding and Genetics

Dr. Stephanie Walker is the Extension Vegetable Specialist at New Mexico State University.

Her primary research interests include genetics and breeding of chile peppers, vegetable mechanization, enhancing pigment content, post-harvest quality and irrigation efficiency.

She earned her M.S. in Horticulture and Ph.D. in Agronomy from NMSU, and has extensive experience in the food processing industry.

She serves on the advisory board for the Chile Pepper Institute and is the Western SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program) Professional Development Coordinator for New Mexico

About the Chile Pepper Institute
Established in 1888 by Dr. Fabian Garcia, the Chile pepper Breeding and Genetics program at New Mexico State University is considered to be the longest continuous program for the improvement of Chile pepper in the world.

Between 1913 and 2016, the chile pepper breeding program at NMSU has released over 50 varieties of New Mexican, ornamental, 'Cayenne', and 'Habanero' pod type chile peppers.

The breeding program is currently affiliated with the Chile Pepper Institute, founded in 1992, and regarded as "the only international, non-profit organization devoted to education and research related to Capsicum, or chile peppers".

In 2019, the Dr. Paul Bosland Endowment was created to fund the chile pepper breeding program at NMSU.

Current research focus in the breeding program involves the use of different genomic, marker-assisted, and high-throughput phenotyping approaches to improve performance, increase genetic gain, and facilitate release of chile pepper varieties in New Mexico.