Temporal Relationship between Calcium and Fruit Growth and Development in Bell Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.)

Abstract

<jats:p>Bell peppers (<jats:italic>Capsicum annuum</jats:italic> L.) are ranked eighth in value for vegetable production in the United States (USDA-NASS, 2019). Due to the high value of bell peppers, disorders such as blossom-end rot (BER) can cause significant losses in yield by up to 35% for growers. BER is the symptom of a calcium (Ca<jats:sup>2+</jats:sup>) deficiency that may occur during periods of cell expansion when the supply of Ca<jats:sup>2+</jats:sup> may be lower than demand. In this study, we determined the temporal patterns of the fruit Ca<jats:sup>2+</jats:sup>concentration ([Ca<jats:sup>2+</jats:sup>]) and accumulation in three separate studies under field and greenhouse conditions. In the three experiments, [Ca<jats:sup>2+</jats:sup>] during fruit development showed varied patterns: it remained constant, decreased transiently during the cell expansion phase, or displayed a more gradual sustained decrease. However, in the three experiments, fruit Ca<jats:sup>2+</jats:sup> accumulation increased during development as fruit size increased. In two experiments, the distal part of the fruit had lower [Ca<jats:sup>2+</jats:sup>] than the proximal end. However, there was no correlation between [Ca<jats:sup>2+</jats:sup>] in various fruit sections with BER incidence. Seeds and placental tissue had increased [Ca<jats:sup>2+</jats:sup>] and several other macro- and micronutrients; this spatial distribution of Ca<jats:sup>2+</jats:sup> coupled with subcellular Ca<jats:sup>2+</jats:sup> distribution should be explored in future studies. The temporal pattern of Ca<jats:sup>2+</jats:sup> accumulation in this study suggests that fruit Ca<jats:sup>2+</jats:sup> uptake continues throughout fruit development. Therefore, Ca<jats:sup>2+</jats:sup> application during bloom and early fruit development may prevent or minimize Ca<jats:sup>2+</jats:sup> deficiency disorders in bell pepper.</jats:p>

Strontium as a tracer for calcium: uptake, transport and partitioning within tomato plants

“…Ca 2+ is a major structural and regulatory plant nutrient whose function strongly determines and regulates the structural properties of plant cell walls (de Freitas et al 2012a;Martins et al 2018). The low mobility of Ca 2+ in the phloem can lead to several nutritional disorders such as BER in tomato and pepper, internal rust in potato and bitter pit in apples (de Freitas et al 2010;Palta 2010;de Freitas and Mitcham 2012;Hagassou et al 2019;Mayorga-Gómez et al 2020). Therefore, it is crucial to monitor and understand the factors governing the Ca 2+ allocation within the plant, for which Ca 2+ or Sr 2+ stable isotopes are the most common tracer tool (Kalcsits et al 2017;Song et al 2018).…”

“…Insu cient Ca 2+ supply may cause membrane and cell wall breakdown, leading to the onset of various physiological disorders and shorter shelf life (Gerasopoulos and Drogoudi, 2005;de Freitas et al, 2012). The most widely recognised Ca 2+ related disorders are blossom end rot (BER) in bell peppers and tomato (Hagassou et al, 2019;Mayorga-Gómez et al, 2020), bitter pit in apples (de Freitas et al 2010) or internal rust in potato (Palta 2010). BER is a widespread disorder in tomato production, causing substantial economic damage.…”

Improving Bell Pepper Crop Performance and Fruit Quality under Suboptimal Calcium Conditions by Grafting onto Tolerant Rootstocks

“…With a cultivated area of approximately 2 million hectares and an annual global production of almost 35 million tons, peppers (Capsicum annum L.) are currently among the most widely cultivated vegetable crops [1][2][3]. Calcium deficiency in pepper induces "blossom-end rot" (BER) in fruits which is the main physiological disorder that causes a reduction in yield [4][5][6][7]. Interestingly, its incidence has increased significantly, driven primarily by climate change [5].…”

“…Environmental (temperature and vapour pressure deficit), genetic, and physiological (photosynthetic activity) factors significantly influence the uptake and transport of this element in the plant [5]. The establishment of conditions that limit Ca 2+ translocation to developing fruits triggers the development of BER [4].…”

Análisis de la variabilidad genética del género Capsicum frente a estreses abióticos para su uso como portainjertos. Estudio de los mecanismos fisiológicos de tolerancia, del comportamiento agronómico y de la calidad del fruto

“…En estas condiciones, el transporte de calcio a los órganos con baja transpiración, entre ellos los frutos, puede verse afectado, aunque se ha suguerido que puede no ser debido al contenido total de calcio de la fruta, sino una partición y distribución anormal de calcio dentro del fruto lo que conduce a una deficiencia localizada y por lo tanto la aparición de BER (Saure, 2001. Los síntomas de esta fisiopatía están asociados a la perdida de solutos celulares, plasmólisis celular y ruptura de la membrana (López-Serrano et al, 2022;Mayorga-Gómez et al, 2020). La sintomatología del BER se caracteriza en primer lugar porque la superficie del fruto en la parte distal exhibe síntomas de reblandecimiento y aguado, y finalmente este tejido se decolora y se necrosa.…”