Abstract
The micromorphology of the epidermis as well as the anatomy of the pericarp and fruit pedicle in <i>Capsicum annuum</i> L., cv. 'Red Knight F<sub>1</sub>', were studied using light and scanning electron microscopy. The pericarp was found to consist of an epidermis with strongly thickened outer walls, several layers of tangential and angular collenchyma as well as multi-layered parenchyma composed of cells of varying size in which very large lobed nuclei were observed. Chromoplasts were found in the cells of the above-mentioned tissues. The inner epidermis of the pericarp was characterized by thick cell walls and numerous straight pits. Among the tissues of the fruit pedicle, we observed epidermis with numerous stomata, collenchyma, chlorenchyma with very large intercellular spaces, small clusters of sclerenchyma, secondary phloem and xylem as well live and dead cells of the pith which were characterized by the presence of thin walls with numerous pits. The structural traits of the pericarp of the red pepper cultivar under study show adaptations to significantly reduced transpiration, which is an important feature during storage. At the same time, the strongly thickened and cutinized walls of the fruit contribute to a reduction in its digestibility and impede nutrient penetration in non-root feeding.
Highlights
Sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) is native to Mexico and Guatemala
The aim of this paper is to show the micromorphology and internal structure of the pericarp and fruit pedicle of sweet pepper, since sparse data have been found on this issue in the literature
The present study investigated the structure of the fruit and pedicle of Capsicum annuum L., cv
Summary
Sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) is native to Mexico and Guatemala. It belongs to the oldest cultivated plants in America and is known to have been cultivated since prehistoric times. Red pepper is grown on a large-scale in the hot and warm temperate climate zones. In Poland sweet pepper in grown in shade houses and in open field (Podbielkowski , 1992). Sweet pepper is used as a vegetable as well as a spice, medicinal, and ornamental plant. The fruit of sweet pepper is a not very juicy berry with a leathery outer coat up to 15 cm long and 4 cm wide (Szweykowscy , 2003). The authors of the above-mentioned paper defined the morphological and anatomical characters of these additional fruits in Capsicum chinense
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