Abstract
Piquin pepper (Capsicum annuum var. glabriusculum) is an important species that supports the economy of rural households; it is part of Mexican gastronomy and it is a highly valuable phytogenetic resource. There has been recent interest in domesticating and exploiting piquin pepper commercially, which has been limited until now due to the low germination rate, and this work had the purpose of promoting germination and determining the physiological capacity of genotypes. Ten piquin pepper genotypes from different geographical origins in Mexico were submitted to 11 pre-germination treatments. A completely randomized experimental design was carried out with arrangement in split-plot. The large plot had the treatments and the small plot had the genotypes. The results showed differences (p < 0.01) among treatments, genotypes, and treatment–genotype interaction. On one hand, treatments gibberellic acid (GA) and mechanical scarification + gibberellic acid (MSGA) increased the physiological potential of genotypes, reaching the highest values of germination speed (GS), germination index (IG) and germination percentage (GP); as well as the lowest values of dead seeds (DS) and hard Seeds (HS). In turn, the genotypes that presented the same condition were G8, G7, and G10. Regarding the interaction, each variable had a different condition. In conclusion, we can increase the physiological potential and solve the dormancy of piquin pepper seed by applying gibberellic acid. Likewise, the best genotypes were G8 and G10.
Highlights
Piquin pepper (Capsicum annuum var. glabriusculum) has several names, including “chiltepín”,“chile de monte”, and “chile silvestre”, among others [1]
It is known that piquin pepper seeds have a natural dormancy mechanism that acts as a potential blockage to complete germination [3]
We differed with the results reported by Cano et al [3] who reported that hydrogen peroxide and potassium nitrate applied to 16 collections of piquin pepper did not modify the germination percentage, as compared to the witness
Summary
Piquin pepper (Capsicum annuum var. glabriusculum) has several names, including “chiltepín”,“chile de monte”, and “chile silvestre” (wild pepper), among others [1]. The importance of piquin pepper lies in the fact that it is the main source of income for many people and households in rural areas, who make their living from picking of the fruit of wild populations. The great acceptance of piquin pepper by consumers is due to its pleasant flavor, and even when it is very spicy (50,000–100,000 SHU), that sensation disappears quickly from the mouth and does not irritate the digestive system [7]. It is a highly valuable resource in breeding programs, since it is considered the ancestor of all Capsicum annuum [8,9]. From an agronomic management standpoint, this is the main problem of piquin pepper; the dormancy mechanism results in low and uneven germination at planting [7]
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