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Bumps, lumps, stingers, and etc.

Are bumps, lumps, stingers, etc really related to heat or are they like fins on a Chevy?
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More than likely, the gene(s) responsible for bumpy surface texture are probably very close on the chromosome physically to the gene(s) that encode the enzymes for capsaisin synthesis. In genetic terminology, this would make them "linked."
Than would that apply only to chinese since other species shape seems less important to heat like thai and related chilis?
 
Than would that apply only to chinese since other species shape seems less important to heat like thai and related chilis?

I was talking about surface texture, not shape. Bumpy seems to correlate with superhot status, as if whatever genetic loci are responsible for both traits are linked. I'm sure there are other possiblities.
 
I was talking about surface texture, not shape. Bumpy seems to correlate with superhot status, as if whatever genetic loci are responsible for both traits are linked. I'm sure there are other possiblities.
Still thai and related are all smooth inspite differences in heat, and are a different species than chinese hinting that the "linking" applies to only that species.
 
Still thai and related are all smooth inspite differences in heat, and are a different species than chinese hinting that the "linking" applies to only that species.

Who knows? I was just throwing out a thought. No plans to debate it.
 
The bhut jolokias (chinese) i grow have "spikes". This was the first year my lemon drops developed them and they are capsicum baccatum.

 
The bhut jolokias (chinese) i grow have "spikes". This was the first year my lemon drops developed them and they are capsicum baccatum.


My Aji Limons had spikes this summer when the temperature was blazing. They, along with even my superhots, have "smoothed out" as the weather has cooled off. I think hotter temperatures stress the plants more, and when plants get stressed, they also tend to get hotter. Seems reasonable to relate bumpiness to heat level.
 
The bhut jolokias (chinese) i grow have "spikes". This was the first year my lemon drops developed them and they are capsicum baccatum.

my Lemon Drops also developed spikes, tips are sweet and citriusy, the end of the pod is very perfume-like and really hot.

but yeah I believe bumps, spikes, correlates to heat.
 
Wait aren't the Tepin, Bird's eye (Thai) only 500,000 Sc but when it comes to the Naga's they are mostly 1,000,000 Sc and bumpy!? So yeah I think the Thai's are hot but not past the million's where they seem to start getting actual heat bumps! :fireball:
 
I think it would be safer to look at the corelation between heat and texture as more of a generalization than actual genetics, I mean its a fairly true stereotype that peppers within a certain heat range produce a certain texture, although it may be genetic I don't think anyone here has done any genetic research on this perticular acpect, although I could be wrong there. I recently read a book by Dr. Paul Bosland of the Chile Pepper Institute and he wrote that one of the biggest factors affecting heat is stress on the plant, he mentioned that one good way to stress your plant is to let it completely dry out before watering, although caution would need to be taken to aviod just killing your pepper. Maybe someone should do an observation study?
 
Yeah I get what you are saying! Well I was just making a example without really getting into it and covering all grounds, all I was pointing out is that everyone talks about the bird's eyes when they talk about the top heats but that used to be a top heat and maybe of it's variety yes it could be the top! But with how diverse the pepper gene pool has gone lately the real hot ones probably most only have bumps because somewhere they were crossed with a variety with bumps and maybe that stepping stone pepper that creates all the hotter varieties is just a bumpy pepper ! And the heat and bumps with that phenotype is a linked gene which is dominate while breeding but with further breeding that stain out you can breed the bumpy trait out if a plant or unlink heat from the bumpy gene anything is really possible when it comes to breeding!

I love everything to do with genetics. I do micro propagation of orchid and a couple other plants just never tried with peppers yet but will pretty soon once I move my laminar flow hood from the back room! But I grow mostly aeroponics and hydroponics which would let me breed plant a # of times during a season and make a million crosses the main thing is just space!! 8( But I know a way faster way to get a true breeding plant but don't know why people breed it out to F8 when in my opinion and this is not proven because the plants I worked with had a male and female version . So with a pepper having both organs on one plant I understand where the confusion comes in! I will make a post and break it down when I have time though way better ! Best luck to all!
 
No correlation in my opinion. Fataliis are smooth bih jolokia are smooth, some bhut jolokia var. are smooth, naga morich is relatively smooth, and then my bishops crown last season had spikes yet was mild at best. Its genetic and may be linked to the hotter varieties in some way, but is not inherently linked to heat levels themselves in my opnion, more likely simply environmental evolution.
 
I have sampled enough individual peppers that have convinced me that bumps and lumps equal heat. I have compared lumpy peppers and rather more smooth peppers coming from the exact same plant and the same time, and the lumpier ones were WAY hotter.
This doesn't mean that a smooth pepper can't have heat, and I won't even start to talk about genetics, but I will be trying to make the lumpiest peppers I can. Tom
 
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