Determination of Salinity Tolerance on Cayenne Genotypes Based on Leaf Damage Symptoms

Abstract

Capsicum sp. Has been reported as a salt-sensitive crop. Therefore, using salt-tolerant varieties will be a wise solution for maintaining crop production in coastal areas. Source of saline-tolerance controlling genes are needed to develop saline-tolerant genotypes. The objective of this study was to evaluate the tolerance of cayenne accessions to salinity stress during the vegetative phase based on the leaf damage symptoms. The experiment was carried out using a hydroponic technique with a solution of macro and micronutrients AB mix supplemented by 6000 ppm NaCl. A total of 20 genotypes of cayenne pepper were evaluated in a completely randomized design with three replications. Each experimental unit consisted of two plants grown in polybags with sand media. To determine the tolerance level of plants to salinity stress, the tolerance index (TI) was calculated based on the score of leaf symptoms. The results showed that genotypes A21 and A32 exhibited better vegetative growth performance in leaf greenness, number of leaves, and stem diameter compared to other genotypes. There was no saline-tolerant genotype found. All genotypes showed abnormal symptoms on the leaves. However, the sensitivity index indicated that genotypes A21 and A32 were classified as moderately tolerant with the mildest symptoms.

In silico and computational analysis of zinc finger motif-associated homeodomain (ZF-HD) family genes in chilli (Capsicum annuum L)

“…However, CaZHD3 showed an intriguing up-regulation specifically in response to NaCl stress, suggesting it may have a distinct role in enhancing salt tolerance. Further investigations are needed to uncover the precise functions and regulatory mechanisms of CaZHD3 in the root system, contributing to a comprehensive understanding of salt stress adaptation in chili plants [ 55 , 60 – 62 ]. Though some of the miRNA functions are still not found, we need to explore to know the more complex mechanisms.…”

“…8 and 9 ). In addition, as the CaZHD genes' cis-regulatory elements control the phytohormonal signaling and abiotic stress tolerance mechanism, we can predict that these genes' microRNAs are also correlated with them as they are sequence-specific [ 62 , 67 , 68 ].…”