1. Development of NM Green Chile Cultivars for Mechanization
Dr. Stephanie Walker
Extension Vegetable Specialist
Dept. of Extension Plant Sciences

2. Green Chile is currently 100% hand-harvested
Usually two or more harvests
Photo courtesy of Paul Funk

3. Introduction
NM-type green chile is historically a labor-intensive crop
Depending on the current situation, adequate labor is not always available when needed
Labor represents greater than 50% of total production costs in hand-harvested system
Developed countries - with relatively high wages - are at a disadvantage in producing labor intensive crops compared to countries with low wages
Mechanization is one of the key methods to level the playing field & help to ensure a timely harvest
However, we’re forced to play ‘catch up’ following years of little funding for specialty crop mechanization.
Cooperative Extension Service

4. Green Chile - Challenges to Mechanical Harvest
Fruit are not uniform & don’t ‘roll’ making them difficult to orient
Destemming is important, but mechanically difficult
Fruit are easily damaged when mechanically harvested
Currently available varieties were not developed for a mechanized system
Potential yield loss with once-over mechanical harvest. Woody stems in the processed product are both a quality defect, but also a safety hazard. With hand harvested green chile, stems are popped off the fruit in the field at the same time they’re picked. So research efforts in mechanical harvest have been ongoing in several areas; agricultural engineers have evaluated different picking heads types, evaluated methods to orient & mechanically remove chile stems.

5. Chile Mechanization Research
Collaboration between agricultural engineers, crop physiologists and chile breeders is critical for advancing green chile mechanization
Past efforts identified an Etgar (Bet-Lehem-Haglillet, Israel) mechanical chile harvester for efficient pick of NM green chile with less fruit damage
Since inception of the Chile Task Force/ now the NM Chile Association, New cultivars need to be tested with new or improved mechanical developments

6. Breeding Goals for NM-type Green Chile for Mechanized System
Determinate fruit set
Upright habit; fruit off ground
Fruit resistance to breakage
Strong, single stem
Fruit borne on outside of the canopy
Well anchored root system For Mechanical Destemming:
Uniform, straight fruit & easy destemming
‘NuMex Joe E. Parker’
Including protruded calyx

7. Green Chile Cultivar Development for Mechanical Harvest
Goal: Open-pollinated, high yielding cultivars that are highly efficient for mechanical harvest and destemming
Originated from cross between easy destemming line and ‘NuMex Joe E. Parker’
: Field selections made for -yield -fruit size -fruit straightness -easy destemming -flavor & heat

8. Green Chile Mechanical Harvest –Breeding Line Evaluation - 2016
Conducted at NMSU’s Ag. Science Center in Los Lunas
Five green chile breeding lines (101W16, 102W16, 103W16, 104W16, 105W16) and ‘NuMex Joe Parker’ (control) / Also five observational lines (107W16-111W16)
Five replications, randomized complete block design
Furrow-irrigated; direct seeded 04/14/16; harvested 08/31/16
Harvested using an Etgar Series MOSES (Bet-Lehem-Haglillet, Israel)

9. Results

10. Green Chile Mechanical Harvest – Breeding Line Evaluation - Results
With the exception of ‘103W16’, all breeding lines provided more marketable green yield than ‘JEP’, although the differences were not statistically significant
‘Joe E. Parker’ left significantly more fruit in the field compared to all breeding lines evaluated
The breeding lines show great promise for use in a mechanized system; trials will be repeated in Los Lunas and Las Cruces in 2017 for potential release

11. Additional NMSU / USDA-ARS Green Chile Mechanical Harvest Research Activities in Poster Presentations:
Comparison of Six New Mexican Type Green Chile (Capsicum annuum L) cultivars on Harvest Efficiency with an Etgar® Picker -I. Calsoyas, S. Walker, P. Funk, and R. Steiner Chile Stand Management for Mechanical Green Chile Harvest -C. Havlik, S. Walker, M. Marsalis, B. Schutte, P. Funk and J. Degnan

12. Thank You! Questions?
Research conducted in collaboration with: -Dr. Paul Funk & USDA-ARS Cotton Ginning Lab. crew -NMSU, Los Lunas Ag. Science Center crew -Israel Calsoyas and Charles Havlik, graduate students
Funding provided by NM Chile Commission NM Chile Association NMSU, Ag. Experiment Sta.

13. ++++++++++++++++++++++++ Dr. Stephanie J. Walker
Contact Information:
Dr. Stephanie J. Walker
Extension Vegetable Specialist
New Mexico State University
Office: (575)
Cooperative Extension Service