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Heterosis has been exploited in Capsicum annuum commercial hybrids; however, the use of heterosis in C. baccatum still remains to be explored, and studies related to the genetics and breeding of this species are scarce. The present study aimed to estimate the combining ability of five parents of C. baccatum var. pendulum , representatives of two distinct types of fruits (namely, lady's finger and cambuci), to calculate heterosis and to evaluate the agronomic potential of the hybrids for yield and fruit quality. The hybrids were produced from a complete diallel without reciprocals. The parents and hybrids were evaluated under field conditions in a randomized block design with three replications, and the following traits were assessed: number of fruits per plant, fruit weight, yield per plant, fruit length, fruit diameter and soluble solids. All traits were significant for general and specific combining ability, indicating that additive and non-additive effects are involved in the genetic control of these traits. The hybrid combinations between the types lady's finger and cambuci provided elongated fruits with smaller diameters and greater weight compared with the parents of the cambuci type. However, these factors did not lead to a significant increase in the yield per plant due to the decreased number of fruits except in hybrid UENF 1616 x UENF 1732. Considering only the parents and hybrids within each type of fruit, the genitor UENF 1624 (lady's finger) and the hybrid UENF 1639 x UENF 1732 (cambuci x cambuci) stood out for achieving a high yield per plant.

Heterosis has been exploited in Capsicum annuum commercial hybrids; however, the use of heterosis in C. baccatum still remains to be explored, and studies related to the genetics and breeding of this species are scarce. The present study aimed to estimate the combining ability of five parents of C. baccatum var. pendulum , representatives of two distinct types of fruits (namely, lady's finger and cambuci), to calculate heterosis and to evaluate the agronomic potential of the hybrids for yield and fruit quality. The hybrids were produced from a complete diallel without reciprocals. The parents and hybrids were evaluated under field conditions in a randomized block design with three replications, and the following traits were assessed: number of fruits per plant, fruit weight, yield per plant, fruit length, fruit diameter and soluble solids. All traits were significant for general and specific combining ability, indicating that additive and non-additive effects are involved in the genetic control of these traits. The hybrid combinations between the types lady's finger and cambuci provided elongated fruits with smaller diameters and greater weight compared with the parents of the cambuci type. However, these factors did not lead to a significant increase in the yield per plant due to the decreased number of fruits except in hybrid UENF 1616 x UENF 1732. Considering only the parents and hybrids within each type of fruit, the genitor UENF 1624 (lady's finger) and the hybrid UENF 1639 x UENF 1732 (cambuci x cambuci) stood out for achieving a high yield per plant. Embora heterose seja bem explorada na produção de híbridos comerciais de C. annuum, em C. baccatum, o uso da heterose permanece como um potencial e estudos relacionados à genética e ao melhoramento dessa espécie são escassos. Os objetivos deste trabalho foram estimar a capacidade combinatória entre cinco genitores de C. baccatum var. pendulum , representantes de dois grupos distintos de tipos de frutos (dedo-de-moça e cambuci); calcular a heterose e avaliar o potencial agronômico dos híbridos produzidos em termos de produção e qualidade dos frutos. Os híbridos foram produzidos a partir de um dialelo completo, sem recíprocos. Os genitores e os híbridos foram avaliados em condições de campo, no delineamento de blocos ao acaso, com três repetições, sendo avaliadas as seguintes características: número de frutos por planta, massa média do fruto, produção por planta, comprimento do fruto, diâmetro do fruto e teor de sólidos solúveis. Todas as características foram significativas para a capacidade geral e específica de combinação, indicando que efeitos aditivos e não-aditivos estão envolvidos no controle genético dessas características. As combinações híbridas entre os tipos dedo-de-moça e cambuci proporcionaram frutos alongados, com menores diâmetros e maior peso, quando comparado com os genitores do tipo cambuci. Contudo, esses fatores não favoreceram um aumento expressivo na produção por planta em virtude da diminuição do número de frutos, com exceção para o híbrido UENF 1616 x UENF 1732. Considerando somente os genitores e os híbridos dentro de cada tipo de fruto, destaca-se a linhagem UENF 1624 (dedo-de-moça) e o híbrido UENF 1639 x UENF 1732 (cambuci x cambuci) em relação à produção por planta.