Pod shape best suited for hot weather extremes?

[b3rnd]

Hey guys,
 
Sorry for posting so many topics, but there just seems to be so much knowledge on this forum that I can't help to ask!
 
So one of my long-term goals is to create a strain of pepper that can thrive in hot, arid climates. I know with the proper care and attention all peppers can thrive, but I'm talking about thriving without the need of daily attention. In contrast to most projects, this is only about physical qualities, so flavour and hotness are not (yet) relevant here. What I want is a plant that has all the characteristics that help it handle heat, drought and clay-rich soils.
 
I've been trying to soak up as much knowledge as possible before I even start to plan this project. Mainly here on the forums, but also a bit from other websites and YouTube channels. But what I haven't been able to find out is which pod shapes are able to handle heat from the sun the best? For example I would think bell peppers are more vulnerable to the sun because of their increased surface area. The bell peppers that were here in the backyard when I moved here all get burn marks before ripening, varying from bad to really bad. Which makes me think that relatively long and thin peppers might be more favorable. Or maybe even berry-like pods? Is it the smaller the better?
 
What do you guys think? Other tips regarding anything about this project are also greatly appreciated!
 
 
 
Extra question for the grade-A students: What about leaf-size? Is bigger better because it shades the pods more?

 

[AJ Drew]

Oh no.  THANK YOU for posting many topics. 
 
On Temperature - I think your biggest challenge is flower drop.  I remember reading an article on this at CPI but dont remember exactly where.  I think you should read threw the articles there.  Even if you dont find the article on flower drop, great information over all - https://www.facebook.com/jennifer.yearwood.92/videos/10207428671863370/
 
On Soil - Have learned peppers hate clay.  But shorter variety seem to better than taller variety.  I -think- it is because they spend less energy putting down roots.  But that doesnt mean shorter variety will thrive.  They just dont suck as bad as taller variety when planted in high clay soil.

Shape - No clue.  But I imagine color might be a consideration.  I think lighter colored leaves might absorb less sunlight.  Not sure if pod color would matter.
 
Again, thanks for the posts.  This one brought up topics I have never thought of.  Great topic  Love speculation.

 

[TXCG]

Chiltepins thrive in hot arid climates and they have tiny leaves and tiny pods. They are drought tolerant, produce pods in 100+ deg heat and even survive the winter here which typically has 12 or less days of freezing temps with lows reaching upper 20s. They require almost no care and are often found growing wild here planted by birds. 
 
Due to the climate where I live I am also interested in plants that tolerate high temperatures well. While most varieties will grow just fine in the heat many will stop producing fruit & drop all their flowers when temps are too high. Some varieties though will keep producing right on through 100+F temps. Doesn't seem to be a whole lot of obvious common traits between the plants but overall pod size is definitely on the smaller end. Tepins, pequins, sweet datils, jalapenos, cayennes, most birds eye and thai types, orange habs and a few others I've grown. Others like fataliis really seem to hate high temps and only produce in spring and fall for me.

 

[b3rnd]

Oh no.  THANK YOU for posting many topics. 
 
On Temperature - I think your biggest challenge is flower drop.  I remember reading an article on this at CPI but dont remember exactly where.  I think you should read threw the articles there.  Even if you dont find the article on flower drop, great information over all - https://www.facebook.com/jennifer.yearwood.92/videos/10207428671863370/
 
On Soil - Have learned peppers hate clay.  But shorter variety seem to better than taller variety.  I -think- it is because they spend less energy putting down roots.  But that doesnt mean shorter variety will thrive.  They just dont suck as bad as taller variety when planted in high clay soil.

Shape - No clue.  But I imagine color might be a consideration.  I think lighter colored leaves might absorb less sunlight.  Not sure if pod color would matter.
 
Again, thanks for the posts.  This one brought up topics I have never thought of.  Great topic  Love speculation.

Thanks AJ! The flower drop is something I didn't think of yet. But TXCG's post suggests there are peppers that keep producing, which makes me keep positive about it.
 
In the short while I've been here I started experimenting with different soil mixtures (with clay and without clay). And I already found out that even just adding clay on a 1 to 10 ratio to my compost-peat-perlite mix has a very big impact on plant growth. Way more than I expected. Through the research I've done so far on plants that DO thrive in clay soils, I found that they almost all have very strong roots that dig through the compact clay, or as you've mentioned very shallow roots. I was thinking of trying to select on root growth, but I can't find any information about how to do that.
 
I didn't think about colour yet! Thanks for mentioning that. I would guess white pods would reflect the most sunlight of all possible pod colourations?
 

Chiltepins thrive in hot arid climates and they have tiny leaves and tiny pods. They are drought tolerant, produce pods in 100+ deg heat and even survive the winter here which typically has 12 or less days of freezing temps with lows reaching upper 20s. They require almost no care and are often found growing wild here planted by birds. 
 
Due to the climate where I live I am also interested in plants that tolerate high temperatures well. While most varieties will grow just fine in the heat many will stop producing fruit & drop all their flowers when temps are too high. Some varieties though will keep producing right on through 100+F temps. Doesn't seem to be a whole lot of obvious common traits between the plants but overall pod size is definitely on the smaller end. Tepins, pequins, sweet datils, jalapenos, cayennes, most birds eye and thai types, orange habs and a few others I've grown. Others like fataliis really seem to hate high temps and only produce in spring and fall for me.

Thanks TXCG! That clears up a lot. But I know all roads lead to Rome, and maybe small leaves and pods are just one of the ways peppers are able to handle heat. What I mean is that for example Goat's Pepper plants are covered with tiny hairs. These hairs should help reduce loss of moisture and regulate temps a bit. At least that is what my research on hairy plants said. Don't know how that translates to peppers but I think it would help. The ability to retain flowers is interesting to keep in mind though.