The effect of distance between parents on the yield of sweet pepper x hot pepper hybrids, Capsicum annuum L. in a single harvest.

Crosses between a cytoplasmic male-sterile sweet pepper and 14 hot pepper lines were often heterotic for the traits yield/plant and red yield/plant. All the f1 crosses were fertile and hot. All other F1 traits were intermediate to the parents' values. Phenotypic diversity among parents is not related to heterotic yield performance. Superior crosses must be found by trial and error.