**4. Limitations of capsicum breeding**

Crop improvement via conventional plant breeding relies on manipulating plant genomes inside the core gene pool of a genus. Hybridization and selection are used in conjunction with backcross breeding, mutagenesis, and somatic hybridization to develop novel combinations of genomes from various species. Segregating progeny phenotypic evaluations are used to identify economically significant novel characteristics. Beyond a certain point, traditional plant breeding's relevance in improving quality and output becomes exceedingly challenging. Modern breeding distinguishes itself from traditional breeding by separating phenotypes from genotypes. The phenotype is a manifestation of a person's inherited genes in a particular environment. Genotype selection and screening are focused on phenotypic expression rather than genetic variation. As a consequence, new cultivars include qualities that breeders want, but they also have undesirable characteristics that were not taken into account during the selection process, and this transfer of undesirable traits from existing to new varieties is almost always unavoidable via traditional breeding. Breeders face
