Anthracnose can cause yield losses of red bird pepper up to 80%, emphasizing the importance of developing new disease-resistant chili varieties. This research aimed to evaluate the 20 C. frutescens genotypes, comprising 11 commercial cultivars and nine advanced breeding lines, for morpho-yield-related traits and anthracnose disease resistance. The experiment layout in a randomized complete block design had three replications. The considerable correlation was evident for fruit weight per plant (0.97), fruit weight plot^-1 (0.99), and fruit per plant (0.82). The number of fruit with symptoms showed a moderate correlation (0.54) to yield. The genotype Sona achieved the highest fruit yield (15.38 t ha^-1), followed by Ori (14.57 t ha^-1), Bonita (14.19 t ha^-1), and Feira (11.00 t ha^-1). Cultivars Ori and Hiyung exhibited a disease index below 20%, suggesting considerable resistance to anthracnose and sustained grouping in the same cluster, indicating a greater genetic potential as parent lines in breeding programs. Although cultivar Feira showed the maximum fruit yield, recorded with the most number of symptomatic fruits, it obtained a susceptible classification to anthracnose. These findings provide valuable insights for the development of red bird pepper cultivars with improved fruit yield and resistance to anthracnose.

Keywords: Red bird pepper (C. frutescens L.), cultivars, advanced lines, morphological traits, fruit yield, anthracnose disease, resistant and susceptible genotypes, cluster analysis

Key findings: Red bird pepper (C. frutescens L.) cultivars Ori and Hiyung revealed the highest fruit yield and were distinct as resistant to the anthracnose disease. In contrast, Feira acquired a susceptible classification to anthracnose despite its considerable yield.