Correlation between floral bud development and the uninucleate to binucleate stage in Capsicum chinense "ají mochero"

Abstract

Capsicum chinense, is a species of chili native to Peru, considered a culinary symbol in the La Libertad region, for its culinary characteristics, such as its distinctive aroma, high heat, uniform fruits, attractive color and significant resistance to pests, in addition to require little care during cultivation. Given the need to carry out research that favors the improvement of cultivable species, the research objective was to determine the correlation between the development of the floral bud and the stage from uninucleate to binucleate in Capsicum chinense "ají mochero". This activity was carried out by staining the anthers of 200 randomly selected ají mochero floral buds with the acetic orcein dye. The results revealed that the floral buds of Capsicum chinense "ají mochero" that are related to the uninucleate microspore phase have lengths ranging between 3.744 and 3.976 millimeters, with diameters of 2.644 to 2.828 millimeters. Similarly, the floral buds associated with the binucleate microspore phase are found in the length range of 4.674 to 4.917 millimeters and diameters of 2.923 to 3.001 millimeters. It is concluded that There is a positive correlation between the development of the floral bud and the binucleate stage of C. chinense "ají mochero", therefore, buds that have a corolla slightly smaller than the calyx are ideal for initiating an androgenesis process, which would contribute to the genetic improvement of C. chinense by obtaining pure lines.