Analyze the Seed Quality of <em>Capsicum annum</em> (Clv. GROSSUM) by Maintaining an Optimum Number of Fruits Load in the Plant

Abstract

Capsicum annum, commonly known as bell pepper, belongs to the Solanaceae family, specifically the Grossum Group. Various cultivars of this plant yield fruits in diverse colors, such as red, yellow, orange, green, white, and purple. The quality of Capsicum annum seeds is closely tied to the quantity of fruits produced. It was observed that as the number of fruits per plant increases, the seed quality tends to decrease. The primary objective of this study was to examine the relationship between seed quality and the number of fruits per plant. Awareness of the optimal fruit yield achievable with high-quality seeds can reduce the cost associated with hybrid seed production. The study utilized fruit development in plants as the treatment, with fruit load categories ranging from 8–9 fruits/plant to more than 18 fruits/plant. A completely randomized design with ten replicates was employed, and hand pollination of Capsicum annum exhibited a success rate of 75–80%. Various parameters, including the dry weight of seeds per pod, seed number per pod, seed volume, dry weight of 1000 seeds, seed germination, and viability percentage, were recorded. While the number of seeds per pod, seed germination, and viability percentage remained unaffected by the fruit load of plants, other selected parameters were influenced. The seed volume was recorded as the number of seeds per gram, with the lowest value considered the best. The treatment with 13–15 fruits/plant demonstrated the highest number of fruits and the best seed quality. Observations indicated the following values for this treatment: dry weight of seed per pod (0.533g), seed number per pod (86 seeds), seed volume (147 seeds), dry weight of 1000 seeds (7.45g), seed germination percentage (85%), and viability percentage (86.33%). For Capsicum annum (Cultivar: Grossum), it is recommended to maintain 13–15 fruits per plant in a greenhouse setting to ensure the production of high-quality seeds.