FAQs

Why do we need a local chile? A local chile for Azusa will provide Azusa home gardeners with a well-adapted chile that doesn't require coddling, especially related to sunscald (a heat-related defect). Additionally, the Canyon City Chile will provide an additional cultural touchstone for Azusa, with both culinary and cultural significance.

What is sunscald? While chiles (C. Annuum) are thought of as a hot-weather crop, they are native to the Amazon highlands, and much of their domestication happened in high desert climates. Sunscald is a physiological response to high temperatures (not direct solar intensity) and is a frequent defect in chiles maturing in hot weather. It makes them unsaleable for market growers or either inedible or needing trimming for home growers. Because Azusa summers are 3 to 10 degrees C warmer than domestic commercial pepper growing areas, Azusa gardeners and market growers a frequently frustrated by sunscald. Additionally, warming temperatures have increased the frequency of sunscald damage in commercial pepper growing regions.

Significant research has been done investigating strategies to mitigate sunscald. Using reflective plastic mulches and shadecloth to reduce in-field temperatures have been found to be effective. However, these strategies have direct and indirect costs: material purchase, labor for installation and removal, landfilling, and concerns microplastics affecting foods. This project seeks to provide an additional strategy for growers to counter the effects of a warming climate.

Why community-based science? Most plant breeding is done in an institutional field or greenhouse, with hundreds to thousands of plants in one location. This provides consistency of growing conditions and control for the research team, but it also limits research teams to places with appropriate facilities. It also limits participation to formal researchers. Using a novel community-based plant breeding strategy allows everyone in our community to participate in a project that would not be accessible otherwise. Additionally, we plan to consider the effects of participation on participants' science efficacy (their belief that science is relevant to them and that they are capable of doing science).

What is a modern landrace? A landrace is a genetically-diverse crop population that has been selected over a period of time to perform well in a particular place. Indigenous groups in pueblos throughout the Southwestern United States, and Mexico, as well as people worldwide, have developed a variety of chile landraces that are adapted to their local climate and fit into their local culinary culture. Many of these landraces have been maintained for a few hundred to several hundred years.

A modern landrace is a genetically-diverse crop population that is selected to perform well in a particular place and meet local culinary and other cultural needs. However, it may be developed much more quickly (over about 5 years), and has not been maintained for centuries. 

How can I participate? Sign up using this form.

Can I participate if I grow other peppers in my garden? In general, we would love it if your favorite public domain or open source pepper genetics made their way into our community-based pepper. However, there are some peppers on the market with intellectual property restrictions that restrict using them for breeding. If you are growing a variety that you are not certain is in the public domain or pledged to OSSI, please allow a 30 foot separation. Also, if you grow super-hot varieties (like ghost peppers), please allow for a 30 foot separation from your Canyon City Chiles.

I'm not confident in my gardening skills. Can I still participate? Yes. The goal of this project is to develop a pepper that is more forgiving of our climate and requires less coddling, so as the project progresses, we'll especially want your input. If you would like extra support, you may want to join a group or garden club that is participating. 

I have limited space or garden in containers. Can I still participate? Yes, assuming you have space for at least six plants (about 4 to 6 square feet of garden space, or a few pots). If you grow in containers, we recommend pots with a minimum 12 inch diameter.

I use a particular growing method in my garden. Can I still participate? Very likely. Our primary requirement is that you grow in full or nearly full sun outdoors without shade cloth (starting seeds indoors is OK). We are open to conventional, organic, regenerative, and permaculture strategies. Hydroponic systems are not a good fit.

Can my public/private/home school participate? Yes! After school garden clubs at multiple AUSD campuses and some local homeschool groups are already participating. NGSS-aligned supporting materials for elementary through high school levels are in progress.

Can I save some seed for my own personal use, or do I need to send all of my seed to you? You are welcome to save some seed for your own personal use. We ask that you return the seeds from three mature peppers (at least 25 seeds, total, if you have peppers with very few seeds inside) from each plant meeting the project selection criteria.

I don't live or work in Azusa. Can I participate? We are limiting this project to gardens in Sunset Western Zones 18, 19, 20, and 21 in Southern California (map), with priority going to Azusa residents and groups. If you'd like to start your own local plant breeding project, we'll be glad to chat with you about our project.

I am working on another project. Can I use your seeds as starting material? At this time, our seed supply is limited to participants in the Canyon City Chile Project. In future years, we expect to have sufficient seed quantities to share with others doing community seed work. Send us an email about your project if you'd like to chat about sharing resources.

How will the finished pepper be distributed? We are planning to make the finished Canyon City Chile available to individuals at no cost through the Azusa Seed Library, which is housed within the Azusa City Library. We are investigating the logistics of other outlets. We are planning to pledge to the Open Source Seed Initiative.