Phenotypic and Molecular Characterization of Brazilian Capsicum Germplasm

Bruna Dias Gomes Brilhante,Samuel Henrique Kamphorst,Fernanda Vargas Valadares,Monique Moreira Moulin,José Dias Souza Neto,Talles De Oliveira Santos,Rafael Nunes De Almeida,Rosana Rodrigues,Leandro Heitor Rangel,Alexandre Cristiano Santos Júnior,Pedro Henrique Araújo Diniz Santos

doi:10.3390/agronomy11050854

Abstract

Population growth and the high demand for food production has caused environmental degradation losses in biodiversity. The conservation of genetic resources is the most appropriate strategy for maintaining the variability of species of great importance, such as Capsicum. In this study, we describe the characterization of 69 pepper accessions of four Capsicum species from different regions of Brazil on the basis of qualitative and quantitative descriptors and ISSR markers. The 11 quantitative descriptors grouped the 69 populations into five clades. The fruit traits had the greater discrimination power. A strong correlation was detected between some pairs of quantitative descriptors: petiole and fruit length, fruit diameter and fresh fruit mass, leaf length and leaf width, canopy and plant height, stem diameter and plant height, stem diameter and canopy diameter. A negative correlation was also observed between plant height and pericarp thickness. Moreover, the molecular analysis grouped accessions into five clades. The morpho-agronomic and molecular characterization were efficient to estimate the genetic diversity between accessions, being important tools for the knowledge and use of accessions. This study is of great importance to preserve pepper germplasm and to provide data to facilitate the process of the selection in breeding programs.

Highlights

The genus Capsicum (Solanaceae) is home to peppers, a culture extremely relevant to Brazil and grown all over the world
Studies related to genetic resources—such as the collection, characterization, and conservation of germplasm—of Capsicum are of great relevance for the preservation of the genetic diversity of the genus and for its use in breeding programs [37,38,54,55,56,57]
Our results report a great phenotypic variation for those descriptors related to flowers, and according to Baral and Bosland [60], to differentiate between the species of Capsicum, the descriptors related to inflorescence are essential, such as the position of the flower and the presence of annular constriction of the calyx, which are used to distinguish the accessions of C. frutescens and C. chinense

Summary

Introduction

The genus Capsicum (Solanaceae) is home to peppers, a culture extremely relevant to Brazil and grown all over the world. The genus has about 42 described species [1]. Five species are classified as domesticated: Capsicum annuum L., Capsicum baccatum L. var. Pendulum, Capsicum pubescens Ruiz and Pav., Capsicum frutescens L. and Capsicum chinense Jacq. The other species are considered semi-domesticated and wild. Pepper is considered to be one of the most important vegetables in the world. This is attributed to its versatility, since its use is used in the culinary, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics industry [2]. The most pungent varieties have great appeal in the markets of Southeast Asia, South America, and in Africa, while sweet peppers and non-pungent varieties are more consumed in North America and Europe [3]

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