Effect of Transplant Methods on Mechanical Harvest of a New Mexico Pod-type Green Chile Pepper Cultivar

New Mexico pod-type green chiles ( Capsicum annuum ), valued for its distinctive flavor profile, is traditionally cultivated as open-pollinated, direct-seeded cultivars. To enhance market competitiveness, producers are increasingly transitioning to hybrid production systems using greenhouse-grown transplants. This transition coincides with the industry’s broader turn toward mechanical harvesting to address the critical challenges of rising labor costs and scarcity. However, a key agronomic question arises: Can the physical architecture of transplanted chile plants match the harvest efficiency of direct-seeded systems? The objective of this study was to assess the mechanical harvestability of two different transplant treatments vs. direct-seeded New Mexico pod-type green chiles. Planting method influenced mechanical harvest efficiency, plant architecture, and root development significantly. Direct-seeded plants achieved the greatest proportion of marketable green fruit and the longest roots, although not statistically different from Q-plugs, whereas paper chain pot transplants exhibited the greatest postharvest losses. Q-plug transplants were distinguished by greater root mass and height to bifurcation compared with the other establishment methods, although planting method had limited effects on fruit width, pericarp thickness, and number of basal branches. These findings suggest that direct seeding and Q-plug transplanting are the most viable establishment methods for mechanically harvested green chiles, whereas paper chain pot transplants may compromise harvest efficiency and increase field fruit losses under these conditions.