NuMex Sweet

NuMex Sweet is a New Mexico State University paprika-type Capsicum annuum cultivar developed for the semi-arid southwestern United States. It was released in 1990 and originated as a single-plant selection from an open-pollinated population of New Mexico 6-4. The breeding work then continued through three generations of self-pollination in an insect-proof greenhouse, after which the selected line was increased and tested in field plots for multiple years.

Its core identity is that of a low-heat New Mexican-type chile shaped for paprika production rather than for fresh-market bell or jalapeño use. Official NMSU descriptions characterise the fruit as round-shouldered, pointed, smooth, two-loculed, and high in extractable colour, with a rating of 157 ASTA. The pods are described in current Chile Pepper Institute sales material as about 13.0 to 15.0 cm long, ripening from green to dark red, and the original release paper reports comparatively thin fruit walls at 3.2 mm, a trait selected to improve field drying for paprika production.

The plant was selected for uniformity and field performance. NMSU describes it as having a strong single main stem and sturdy branching that gives good foliage cover, helping protect fruit from sunscald while supporting a heavy set. The original release paper reports plants at about 61 cm tall and 76 cm wide. Reimer Seeds also describes the stems and leaves as green and the flowers as white.

NuMex Sweet was bred specifically around traits paprika processors wanted, including high yield, high colour, low moisture at harvest, and low pungency. The official release paper reports a dry red fruit yield averaging 11.0 tonnes per hectare, and NMSU’s cultivar history states that single-harvest dry red yield reached 7,781 lb/acre, about 40% greater than NuMex R Naky. Capsaicinoid testing in the release paper measured it at 302 ± 56 SHU, while the Chile Pepper Institute store describes it in practical terms as having no heat. A taste panel described it as having no off-flavours or bitterness.

Culturally and commercially, NuMex Sweet belongs to the long New Mexico chile-breeding tradition centred on specialised pod types for regional agriculture and processing. It was created as a paprika chile for red harvest and dehydration, and current NMSU and Chile Pepper Institute material still present it that way, with the mature dark red pods valued for paprika production rather than for high heat.