Widely grown in California and New Mexico, and on smaller farms in Virginia, peppers support both large-scale agriculture and local food systems.
But existing cultivars are bred for open-field production, making them ill-suited to controlled environment agriculture (CEA), where compact plants with short growth cycles are essential. Progress toward CEA-adapted peppers has been slow, limited by gaps in genetic tools and resources.
Dr. Bingyu Zhao, a Virginia Tech professor, is working to change that. His research integrates plant breeding and genomics to develop crops suited for evolving agricultural demands. As part of a broader effort to build a plant gene library, Zhao uses advanced biotechnologies to identify, map and predict genetic traits, laying the groundwork for crops with improved resilience, yield and market value.
His current project, supported in part by USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, focuses on improving CEA-adapted pepper varieties with clear benefits for Virginia growers. Indoor pepper cultivars could reduce reliance on West Coast shipments, improve freshness for East Coast markets and create new economic opportunities for local farmers.
“Peppers are a good model organism,” Zhao said. “No matter where they’re grown, outside or in a CEA, they face disease challenges.”
While indoor systems shield plants from weather and many pests, warm, humid environments and dense spacing can accelerate disease spread. New cultivars must balance resistance with consumer expectations for flavor, while also fitting the compact, fast-growing requirements of indoor systems.
Traditional plant breeding, which includes growing and screening large plant populations for desirable traits, can take five years or more. Zhao’s approach uses biotechnology, such as genome editing, to accelerate that timeline. By identifying genes linked to flavor, structure and stress tolerance, his team can introduce improvements more precisely and in far less time.
“We want to preserve desirable traits consumers expect and replace less favorable ones,” Zhao said. “We have techniques that can make that happen in as little as a year.”
These improvements rely on both naturally occurring genetic variation and induced mutations. Breeding strategies can then be applied to remove unwanted genetic components while retaining the desired traits.
Zhao is also collaborating with Virginia Tech horticulturalist Kaylee South on another USDA project focused on disease control in CEA systems. Their work explores RNA-based fungicides to manage gray mold in hydroponic strawberries, offering a non-synthetic alternative for greenhouse and vertical farm production.
“We’re exploring disease management strategies that are effective and practical for indoor systems to grow vegetables, fruit and herbs,” South said.
The team can evaluate disease resistance in new plant cultivars, bred specifically for soilless greenhouse and vertical farm systems. Together, Zhao and South are contributing to a Virginia Cooperative Extension publication on pathogen management in CEA, due out this Fall.
Virginia has a rich history of growing protected crops dating back to colonial times. “Edible CEA crops are a growing sector as technologies improve and become more economically accessible,” South said. “It’s another ag tool we can use to address our biggest ag challenges.”
“It won’t replace traditional farming,” South said, “but it can help address challenges like water use and food access, while diversifying what farmers produce and what consumers eat.”