Morphological characterization and yield of pepper (Piper nigrum L.) types grown in Morogoro District, Tanzania

Abstract

Background Pepper (Piper nigrum L.) is among key spice crops grown in Morogoro district of Tanzania. Most of the pepper types grown in the district are only known by their local names as Babu kubwa, Babu ndogo, Babu kati and Ismailia. This may limit information on germplasm collection or genetic resource for plant improvement and trade in markets with variety specifications. The aim of this study was to generate preliminary information of the pepper types based on their morphological characteristics for easy comparison with other known pepper varieties in the spices industry. Methods The evaluation of pepper morphological characters was conducted following a randomized complete block design with three replications and four treatments (pepper types). Observations were recorded with respect to 28 characters (9 qualitative and 19 quantitative) which entail vegetative (8) and reproductive (20) traits. The quantitative data for vegetative, inflorescence and berry characters were subjected to analysis of variance. Mean separation test was conducted using Turkey’s Honest Significance Test at (α = 0.05). Correlation and regression analyses were performed to explore the relationship between yield and yield attributes of pepper. Results Babu kubwa and Babu ndogo pepper types were characterized by erect and horizontal branching habit, whereas the others showed hanging habit. Babu kubwa had longer spikes (12.4 cm), leaves blade (17.9 cm), leaf petiole (2.8 cm), wider leaves (12.9 cm) and larger berries (5.8 mm) than all other pepper types. Babu kubwa and Babu kati had cordate and acute leaf bases, respectively while other types had round leaf base shapes. The highest number of flowers was recorded on Babu kubwa (93.5) and Ismailia (90.7) with spikes weighing 7.6 g and 7.5 g, respectively compared to other types. Babu ndogo and Ismailia had compact spikes, while other types had medium loose spikes. Babu kati had the highest number of spikes kg−1 (282.6) due its lower spike weight compared to other types. The highest weight of 100 fresh spikes (704.3 g) and 1000 fresh berries (164.2 g) was recorded on Ismailia. Spike length was significantly positively correlated to yield (r = 0.23, R2 = 0.08, p < 0.001). However, yield had a significant negative correlation with the number of spikes kg−1 (r = −0.85, R2 = 0.017, p = 0.001) and fresh weight of 1000 berries (r = −0.91, R2 = 0.003, p = 0.04). Conclusions The pepper types grown in Morogoro district differed significantly based on most of the evaluated traits. This information can be used to formulate methods and strategies for conservation and in turn genetic improvement of the crop. Despite that the pepper types literary matched with characters of some well-known commercial varieties, confirmation of genetic relatedness is yet needed. Further studies need to be conducted in consecutive years and involve assessment of internal quality attributes. Other studies should encompass wider range of pepper types from other producing areas in Tanzania in order to establish their morphological distinctness, genetic diversity and interrelationships in relation to the globally known commercial varieties.

Exploring agro-morphological diversity of Algerian hot pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) accessions using multivariate statistics

“…Differences in growth and yield characters have been reported among pepper genotypes elsewhere (Adetula and Olakojo 2006;Zanklan et al, 2018; Shango et al, 2021). Regarding our results, traits describing the plant and fruits showed various and interesting associations.…”

“…Significant variations in many morphological characters were strikingly demonstrated indicating that genotypes analyzed were different. Compared to others findings on hot pepper (Bharath et al, 2013 and2014;Nsabiyerao et al, 2013;Virga et al 2020;Padilha et al 2016;Orobiyi et al 2018;Gurung, et al, 2020;Bozokalfa et al, 2011;Shango et al, 2021;Waongo et al, 2021) or other species (Bedjaoui, 2019, Bedjaoui andBenbouza, 2020;Ganopoulos et al 2015;Ghosh et al, 2013;Sun et al, 2019), the obtained results of both descriptive and multivariate analyses pointed out the presence of distinguished landraces in the set of evaluated genotypes of hot pepper in Algeria, which corroborate the findings of various authors.…”

“…The observed heterogeneity of the studied accessions is proportional to the extent of the explored area and could primary be explained by the different agro-climatic conditions in Algeria. In this regard, Shango et al (2021) claimed that the variation in plant characters among pepper populations may be attributed to a variety of considerations including genetic variations, edaphic characteristics and environment impact. Moreover, rainfall distribution, diseases incidence and spike shedding could also be at the source of variation in pepper varieties development and performance (Bhagavantagoudra et al, 2008;Preethy et al, 2018) On the other hand, genetic diversity level within and between crops is determined by their reproductive behavior (Geleta et al, 2005).…”

Prospect of The Black Pepper (Piper nigrum L.) as Natural Product Used to an Herbal Medicine

“…The leaves are 5-20 cm long and 3-6 cm wide, with a length of 5-20 cm and a breadth of 3-6 cm. According to Shango et al [41], the leaves blade (17.9 cm), leaf petiole (2.8 cm), and wider leaves (12.9 cm) are all from Tanzania. Leaf laminae can be cordate, oblong, ovate-lanceolate, or ovate-elliptic.…”

“…The berries are divided into three categories: Large (5.8 mm), middle (>4.26 mm), and little (<4.26 mm) (4.8 mm). The quantity of berries per spike was classified as few (fewer than 25), medium , or many (more than 50) [41]. It's picked when the fruit is still green and immature; black pepper is picked when the fruit is fully matured but still green and shiny; and white pepper is picked when the fruit is somewhat riper [44].…”