Agro-Morphological, Biochemical and Antioxidant Characterization of a Tunisian Chili Pepper Germplasm Collection

Abstract

Pepper species have been described as being highly sensitive to climate change. Here, we discuss the variability of the agro-morphological and phytochemical responses of pepper cultivars in the context of ongoing climate changes during seven stages of maturity, including heat stress. The effects and interactions were calculated to determine the source of variation according to rising temperature. Capsaicin content (CAP), total phenolic (TPC) and flavonoid (TFC) levels and antioxidant activity (AA) were also determined at different harvest times (at 10, 25, 40, 55, 70, 85 and 100 days after anthesis, DAA). Agro-morphological data showed that the highest variation was recorded for fruit traits compared to flower and plant ones. In particular, calyx shape margin, calyx annular constriction, fruit shape at blossom end and fruit size had a significant impact on the morphologic diversity among accessions. Levels of bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity depended on the genotype and the harvest time. TPC and AA increased at 100 DAA, while TFC were highly detected at the early harvest. Principal component analysis (PCA) allowed us to separate three clusters with well-defined biochemical traits. In particular, regardless of harvest time, Baklouti Chébika, Baklouti Sbikha and Chaabani accessions presented higher levels of TPC, TFC and AA regardless of the considered harvest time. In conclusion, high genetic variability was noted within the analyzed pepper germplasm, thus suggesting the need for major consideration of both agro-morphological and biochemical traits for pepper breeding programs. The current research was conducted to facilitate better management under high-stress conditions due to global warming

Characterization of Diverse Pepper (Capsicum spp.) Germplasms Based on Agro-Morphological Traits and Phytochemical Contents

“…Several studies investigating the morphological and chemical traits of peppers have been conducted; however, these characteristics are usually assessed separately [6,[31][32][33]. Despite the usefulness of studying associations, few studies have attempted to establish correlations between morphological traits and phytochemicals [34,35]. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to characterize the agro-morphological traits and phytochemicals of 513 germplasms of pepper across two species, as well as to identify the relationships between the orientation and color of mature fruits and phytochemicals.…”

Influence of Seed Soaking and Foliar Application Using Ozonated Water on Two Sweet Pepper Hybrids under Cold Stress

“…It has become tremendously popular for its contents of beta-carotene, vitamin C, bioactive compounds, phytochemicals, and polyphenols [2]. It exhibits high genetic diversity in terms of shapes, sizes, antioxidant properties, and biochemical compositions [3]. Furthermore, its genotypes respond differently to the negative impacts of environmental stresses [4][5][6].…”

Quantitative and qualitative diversity of chili (Capsicum spp.) genotypes

“…The position of this chili is dropping. This can be due to the type of chili that can also affect the position of the fruit (Lahbib et al 2021). 5; 6; 7; 8; 9; 10; 11; 12; 13; 14; 15; 16; 17; 18; 19; 20; 23; 25; 26; 28; 29; 30; 33; 35; 36; 37; 38; 39 ; 12; 13; 14; 26 ; 28; 39; 5; 6; 9; 16; 19; 20; 23; 25; 33; 35; 36; 37; 40; 15; 11; 27; 32; 7; 8; 18; 29; 30; 38; 17; 31; 34; 10; 12; 13; 14; 26 ; 39; 5; 6; 9; 16; 19; 23; 25; 33; 35; 36; 37; 40; 15; 11; 27; 32; 7; 8; 18; 29; 30; 22; 28; 38; 39; 19; 23; 33; 35; 36; 37; 40; 27; 29; 20; 31; 26; 32 Semi dropping 2; 1; 24;5;6;25;11;30;34;22;21 Dropping 17;3;10;12;13;14;9;16 ;15;7;8;18;4…”