Pepper Seedlings Research Articles

Evaluate the effects of rare earth elements on sweet pepper seeds germination process, seedlings growth and plants productivity

This experiment was conducted to investigate the response of pepper seeds germination process and vegetative growth traits in seedlings stages as well as plant growth and productivity of open field to rare earth elements (REEs) i.e., cerium nitrate, neodymium nitrate, and praseodymium nitrate at concentrations of 0.0, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 ppm. Among the various REEs treatments, cerium nitrate at 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 ppm were more significantly effective than others in increasing most of the seedling parameters and 1.5 ppm cerium nitrate exhibited the maximum effect in germination characteristics with no significant differences among 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 ppm cerium nitrate as well as 1.5 ppm neodymium in all germination parameters in both seasons. The superiority of vegetative growth, fruit physical and total yield as well as fruit chemical content (ascorbic acid and carbohydrates) were obtained with neodymium followed by praseodymium foliar spray applications with compared to cerium or control treatments. The foliar spray treatment of 1.5 ppm neodymium nitrate exhibited an increment up to 54.1, 23.7, 29.5, and 33.1% over that observed in the control of average fruit weight, fruit diameter, fruit length, and total yield, respectively.

Evaluate the effects of rare earth elements on sweet pepper seeds germination process, seedlings growth and plants productivity

Evaluate the effects of rare earth elements on sweet pepper seeds germination process, seedlings growth and plants productivity

Pengaruh Pemotong Daun terhadap Pertumbuhan Setek Tanaman Lada (Piper nigrum L.) pada Komposisi Media yang Berbeda

Black pepper plant is generally propagated vegetatively using cuttings. One of the problems in pepper breeding is the high mortality rate due to the transpiration rate. One of the efforts to reduce the rate of transpiration is by cutting leaves and by choosing the right composition of planting media. This study aimed to determine the effect of leaf cutting, planting medium composition, and the interaction between leaf cutting and planting medium composition on the growth of pepper cuttings. The research was conducted in a plastic house in Labuhan Dalam Village, Tanjung Seneng District, Bandar Lampung and at the Plant Science Laboratory, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Lampung, Gedong Meneng Bandar Lampung. from October 2020 to February 2021. The study was arranged in a factorial (5x3) with a completely randomized group design. The first factor was leaf cutting which consists of no cutting, ¼ cutting, ½ cutting, ¾ cutting, and full cutting. the second was the composition of the planting medium, which consists of sand + husk charcoal + manure, sand + manure, and husk charcoal + manure. The results showed that: (1) Treatment full cutting resulted in the fastest shoot emergence, lengthening of shoots, increasing number of leaves, and increasing shoots' fresh and dry weight; (2) the composition of the planting media did not affect the growth of pepper seedlings except for the length of the root of the book in the treatment of sand + husk charcoal + manure media; (3) there was no interaction between leaf cutting with different compositions of growing media Key words : Black pepper, leaf cutting, composition, growing media, and cutting

Pepper autophagy related gene CaATG8e differentially regulates plant tolerance to heat and salt stress

As a conserved protein degradation system, autophagy plays important roles in removing or degrading misfolded and denatured proteins to maintain the homeostasis in cells. As a core member of autophagy, the involvement of ATG8 in plant tolerance to abiotic stress is paid more attention. In this study, by the SMART online tool, the Atg8 conserved domain was detected in CaATG8e, and by the MEGA11 software, CaATG8e displayed closer phylogenetic relationship to the homologs from other Solanaceae species rather than another 4 CaATG8s members. The expression of CaATG8e was decreased after heat and salt stress treatments. When the expression of CaATG8e was silenced by virus induced gene silencing (VIGS) technique, the pepper seedlings presented improved tolerance to heat stress. Compared to those in control of TRV2:00, the accumulations of autophagosome punctate, H2O2, and dead cells, the increment of relative electrolyte leakage, and the decrement of chlorophyll content were reduced in TRV2:CaATG8e, while the enhancement of transcript level of CaHsfA2, CaHSP70.1, and CaHSP16.1 were strengthened. On the contrary, when CaATG8e was overexpressed by the method of floral dip, Arabidopsis displayed compromised tolerance to heat stress with the decreasing of the rate of green cotyledons and the chlorophyll content. However, CaATG8e had no obvious effects in the regulation of tolerance to salt stress in both pepper and Arabidopsis. These results suggest that CaATG8e negatively regulates the heat tolerance of pepper via increasing the H2O2 accumulations and suppressing the expression of HSR (heat shock response) related genes.

Melatonin enhanced low-temperature combined with low-light tolerance of pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) seedlings by regulating root growth, antioxidant defense system, and osmotic adjustment.

Melatonin (MT) is an important biologically active hormone that plays a vital role in plant growth and development. In particular, it has been investigated for its roles in abiotic stress management. In this study, pepper seedlings were subjected to low-temperature combined with low-light stress (LL) (15/5°C, 100 μmol m-2s-1) prior to a foliar spray of 200mM MT for 168h to investigate the protective role of MT in pepper seedlings. Our results demonstrated that LL stress negatively affected root growth, and accelerated the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), including H2O2 and , changed the osmolytes contents, and antioxidative system. However, these were reversed by exogenous MT application. MT effectively promoted the root growth as indicated by significant increase in root length, surface area, root volume, tips, forks, and crossings. In addition, MT reduced the burst of ROS and MDA contents induced by LL, enhanced the activities of SOD, CAT, POD, APX, DHAR, and MDHAR resulted by upregulated expressions of CaSOD, CaPOD, CaCAT, CaAPX, CaDHAR, and CaMDHAR, and elevated the contents of AsA and GSH, declined DHA and GSSH contents, which prevented membrane lipid peroxidation and protected plants from oxidative damages under LL stress. Furthermore, seedlings treated with MT released high contents of soluble sugar and soluble protein in leave, which might enhance LL tolerance by maintaining substance biosynthesis and maintaining cellular homeostasis resulted by high levels of osmolytes and carbohydrate in the cytosol. Our current findings confirmed the mitigating potential of MT application for LL stress by promoting pepper root growth, improving antioxidative defense system, ascorbate-glutathione cycle, and osmotic adjustment.

Evaluation of the Antifungal Activity of Bacillusamyloliquefaciens and B. velezensis and Characterization of the Bioactive Secondary Metabolites Produced against Plant Pathogenic Fungi.

Simple SummaryPlant pathogenic fungi cause serious damage in agriculture, resulting in major losses in the yield and the quality of different economic crops. Chemical fungicides are dangerous to human health and the environment. They have many harmful side effects on non-target organisms. Moreover, their residues have been found in human food. Endophytic bacteria could be a valuable and safe alternative method for the biological control of phytopathogenic fungus. The endophyte Bacillus amyloliquefaciens provides a strong prospect as a biocontrol agent against Alternaria sp. on pepper plants.Endophytic bacteria are plant-beneficial bacteria with a broad host range. They provide numerous benefits to their hosts, helping them tolerate several biotic and abiotic stresses. An interest has recently been developed in endophytic bacteria which are producing bioactive compounds that contribute to the biological control of various phytopathogens. This research paper aimed to investigate the potentiality of new local strains of endophytic bacteria such as Bacillus amyloliquefaciens and B. velezensis and the production of several antimicrobial metabolites associated with the biocontrol of Alternaria sp., which cause serious diseases and affect important vegetable crops in Egypt. Twenty-five endophytic bacteria isolates were obtained from different plants cultivated in El-Sharkia Governorate, Egypt. Dual culture technique was used to evaluate the bacterial isolates’ antagonistic potentiality against Alternaria sp. and Helminthosporium sp. The most active bacterial isolates obtained were selected for further screening. The antifungal activity of the most active endophytic bacterial isolate was assessed in vivo on pepper seedlings as a biocontrol agent against Alternaria sp. A significant antifungal activity was recorded with isolates C1 and T5 against Alternaria sp. and Helminthosporium sp. The bacterial endophyte discs of C1 and T5 showed the highest inhibitory effect against Alternaria sp. at 4.7 and 3.1 cm, respectively, and Helminthosporium sp. at 3.9 and 4.0 cm, respectively. The most active endophytic isolates C1 and T5 were identified and the 16S rRNA sequence was submitted to the NCBI GenBank database with accession numbers: MZ945930 and MZ945929 for Bacillus amyloliquefaciens and Bacillus velezensis, respectively. The deformity of pathogenic fungal mycelia of Alternaria sp. and Helminthosporium sp. was studied under the biotic stress of bacteria. The culture filtrates of B. amyloliquefaciens and B. velezensis were extracted with different solvents, and the results indicated that hexane was the most efficient. Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry revealed that Bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, Bis (2-ethylhexyl) ester, and N,N-Dimethyldodecylamine were major constituents of the endophytic crude extracts obtained from B. amyloliquefaciens and B. velezensis. The in vivo results showed that Alternaria sp. infection caused the highest disease incidence, leading to a high reduction in plant height and in the fresh and dry weights of pepper plants. With B. amyloliquefaciens application, DI significantly diminished compared to Alternaria sp. infected pepper plants, resulting in an increase in their morphological parameters. Our findings allow for a reduction of chemical pesticide use and the control of some important plant diseases.

Effects of LED Light Quality on the Growth of Pepper (Capsicum spp.) Seedlings and the Development after Transplanting

In this study, the effects of different light conditions on the growth of pepper seedlings and the development of these pepper seedlings after transplanting were explored. Based on the control light, pepper seedlings were grown under radiation with different proportions of added blue, UV-A, and far-red light for 18 days. Compared with the control, supplementation with UV-A and far-red light increased the seedling height whereas blue light decreased. Blue and UV-A treatments increased seedling compactness and the seedling index while far-red light treatments have obvious inhibitory effects. The chlorophyll content of the UV-A treated seedlings was significantly increased, but far-red light reduced the carotenoid content. Far-red light increased the activities of SOD and CAT and decreased the MDA content of seedlings. After transplanting, there was no obvious difference in the flowering time of all treated pepper plants. An increase in pepper yield was discovered when pepper seedlings were supplemented with blue and UV-A light. Overall, our results demonstrated that proper supplementation of UV-A and blue light at the seedling stage positively produces strong and healthy pepper seedlings, and could increase the yield of pepper plants after transplanting.

The participation of nitric oxide in hydrogen sulphide-mediated chromium tolerance in pepper (Capsicum annuum L) plants by modulating subcellular distribution of chromium and the ascorbate-glutathione cycle

The promising response of chromium-stressed (Cr(VI)–S) plants to hydrogen sulphide (H2S) has been observed, but the participation of nitric oxide (NO) synthesis in H2S-induced Cr(VI)–S tolerance in plants remains to be elucidated. It was aimed to assess the participation of NO in H2S-mediated Cr(VI)–S tolerance by modulating subcellular distribution of Cr and the ascorbate-glutathione (AsA-GSH) cycle in the pepper seedlings. Two weeks following germination, plants were exposed to control (no Cr) or Cr(VI)–S (50 μM K2Cr2O7) for further two weeks. The Cr(VI)–S-plants grown in nutrient solution were supplied with 200 μM sodium hydrosulphide (NaHS, donor of H2S), or NaHS plus 100 μM sodium nitroprusside (SNP, a donor of NO). Chromium stress suppressed plant growth and leaf water status, while elevated proline content, oxidative stress, and the activities of AsA-GSH related enzymes, as well as endogenous H2S and NO contents. The supplementation of NaHS increased Cr accumulation at root cell walls and vacuoles of leaves as soluble fraction to reduce its toxicity. Furthermore it limited oxidative stress, improved plant growth, modulated leaf water status, and the AsA-GSH cycle-associated enzymes’ activities, as well as it further improved H2S and NO contents. The positive effect of NaHS was found to be augmented on those parameters in the CrS-plants by the SNP supplementation. However, 0.1 mM cPTIO, the scavenger of NO, inverted the prominent effect of NaHS by decreasing NO content. The supplementation of SNP along with NaHS + cPTIO reinstalled the positive effect of NaHS by restoring NO content, which suggested that NO might have a potential role in H2S-induced tolerance to Cr(VI)–S in pepper plants by stepping up the AsA-GSH cycle.

Effects of Chlorella extracts on growth of Capsicum annuum L. seedlings

The long-term application of chemical fertilizers has caused to the farmland soil compaction, water pollution, and reduced the quality of vegetable to some extent. So, its become a trend in agriculture to find new bio-fertilizers. Chlorella extract is rich in amino acids, peptides, nucleic acids, growth hormones, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc ions, vitamin E, B1, B2, C, B6, folic acid, free biotin and chlorophyll. Chlorella extract can promote biological growth, mainly by stimulating the speed of cell division, thereby accelerating the proliferation rate of cells and playing a role in promoting plant growth. Whether Chlorella extract can be used to improve the growth of pepper (Capsicum annuum), needs to be verified. In current study, a pepper variety 'Chao Tian Jiao' was used as experiment material, by determining the changes of the related characteristics after spraying the seedlings with Chlorella extract, and its effect on growth of Capsicum annuum plants was investigated. The results showed that the Chlorella extract significantly increased plant height of pepper seedlings (treatment: 32.2 ± 0.3 cm; control: 24.2 ± 0.2 cm), stem diameter (treatment: 0.57 ± 0.02 cm; control: 0.41 ± 0.03 cm) and leaf area (treatment: 189.6 ± 3.2 cm2; control: 145.8 ± 2.5 cm2). Particularly, the pepper seedlings treated with Chlorella extract, developed the root system in better way, significantly increased the chlorophyll a, and the activities of SOD, POD and CAT enzymes were also improved significantly. Based on our results, we can speculate that it is possible to improve the growth of Capsicum annuum seedlings and reduce the application of chemical fertilizers in pepper production by using Chlorella extract.

Comparative Physiological and Transcriptomic Analyses of Two Contrasting Pepper Genotypes under Salt Stress Reveal Complex Salt Tolerance Mechanisms in Seedlings.

As a glycophyte plant, pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) is widely cultivated worldwide, but its growth is susceptible to salinity damage, especially at the seedling stage. Here, we conducted a study to determine the physiological and transcriptional differences between two genotype seedlings (P300 and 323F3) with contrasting tolerance under salt stress. The P300 seedlings were more salt-tolerant and had higher K+ contents, higher antioxidase activities, higher compatible solutes, and lower Na+ contents in both their roots and their leaves than the 323F3 seedlings. During RNA-seq analysis of the roots, more up-regulated genes and fewer down-regulated genes were identified between salt-treated P300 seedlings and the controls than between salt-treated 323F3 and the controls. Many ROS-scavenging genes and several SOS pathway genes were significantly induced by salt stress and exhibited higher expressions in the salt-treated roots of the P300 seedlings than those of 323F3 seedlings. Moreover, biosynthesis of the unsaturated fatty acids pathway and protein processing in the endoplasmic reticulum pathway were deeply involved in the responses of P300 to salt stress, and most of the differentially expressed genes involved in the two pathways, including the genes that encode mega-6 fatty acid desaturases and heat-shock proteins, were up-regulated. We also found differences in the hormone synthesis and signaling pathway genes in both the P300 and 323F3 varieties under salt stress. Overall, our results provide valuable insights into the physiological and molecular mechanisms that affect the salt tolerance of pepper seedlings, and present some candidate genes for improving salt tolerance in pepper.

Multidemensional Scaling Benih Lada Bersertifikat di Provinsi Kalimantan Barat

<p><em><em>West Kalimantan Province is one of Indonesia's seven largest pepper-producing provinces and was solicited to be a pioneer and advocate of the national pepper development program. This study aimed to analyze the sustainability status of certified pepper seedlings in West Kalimantan. The sustainability of the seeds system was analyzed using the multidimensional scaling (MDS) method in four districts with seed orchard and pepper seedlings producers: Bengkayang District, Sambas District, Sanggau District, and Sintang District. The research stages were an analysis of the sustainability status based on the dimensions of ecology, economy, socio-culture, technology, and infrastructure, as well as legal and institutional, followed by an MDS analysis of 50 attributes related to the sustainability index scale based on values ranging from 0–100. The ecological, socio-cultural, technological, and infrastructural dimensions were quite sustainable in the certified pepper seedlings supply system, while the economic, legal, and institutional dimensions were less sustainable. 34 out of 50 attributes were influential and sensitive to the sustainability status of certified pepper seedlings. The dominant attributes were drought/dry season (ecology), low awareness of farmers in using certified seeds (social-culture) related to low demand </em><em>for certified pepper seedlings (economy), production planning and seed distribution (technology and infrastructure), and the necessity to cooperate with a research institution and seed orchard (legal and institutional). Therefore, special efforts were required from the local government to increase the pepper seedlings' availability and provide information on good pepper cultivation management to farmers and pepper seedlings managers.</em></em></p>

The Sodium/Calcium Exchanger PcNCX1-Mediated Ca2+ Efflux Is Involved in Cinnamaldehyde-Induced Cell-Wall Defects of Phytophthora capsici

Phytophthora capsici is one of the devastating pathogens, causing foliar blight, root rot, and fruit rot in peppers. Cinnamaldehyde (CA) is a natural compound coming from Cinnamomum cassia. The medicinal properties of CA have been widely identified. Limited knowledge is known about the application of CA in agriculture. In this study, CA significantly inhibited P. capsici, which further suppressed Phytophthora blights in both pepper seedlings and pepper fruits. Treatment with CA resulted in collapsed and fragmented hyphae, accompanying the increase in MDA (malondialdehyde) content and the decrease in intercellular glycerol content in hyphae. CA also inhibited the growth of wild type yeast. The yeast mutant ΔYvc1 with a deletion of Yvc1 (a Ca2+ transporter) showed decreased sensitivity to CA. The transformation of PcNCX1, a sodium/calcium exchanger from P. capsici, into ΔYvc1 restored its sensitivity to CA. The transformant carrying PcNCX1 also showed restored Ca2+ efflux upon CA treatment. RNA-seq analysis showed that CA treatments resulted in the down-regulation of a set of genes encoding for calcium-related proteins. Collectively, our study demonstrates that the antifungal activity of CA against P. capsici may be associated with PcNCX1-mediated Ca2+ efflux. Our results provide crucial insights into the antimicrobial action of CA.

Physiological and Biochemical Responses of Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) Seedlings to Nickel Toxicity.

Globally, heavy metal pollution of soil has remained a problem for food security and human health, having a significant impact on crop productivity. In agricultural environments, nickel (Ni) is becoming a hazardous element. The present study was performed to characterize the toxicity symptoms of Ni in pepper seedlings exposed to different concentrations of Ni. Four-week-old pepper seedlings were grown under hydroponic conditions using seven Ni concentrations (0, 10, 20, 30, 50, 75, and 100 mg L–1 NiCl2. 6H2O). The Ni toxicity showed symptoms, such as chlorosis of young leaves. Excess Ni reduced growth and biomass production, root morphology, gas exchange elements, pigment molecules, and photosystem function. The growth tolerance index (GTI) was reduced by 88-, 75-, 60-, 45-, 30-, and 19% in plants against 10, 20, 30, 50, 75, and 100 mg L–1 Ni, respectively. Higher Ni concentrations enhanced antioxidant enzyme activity, ROS accumulation, membrane integrity [malondialdehyde (MDA) and electrolyte leakage (EL)], and metabolites (proline, soluble sugars, total phenols, and flavonoids) in pepper leaves. Furthermore, increased Ni supply enhanced the Ni content in pepper’s leaves and roots, but declined nitrogen (N), potassium (K), and phosphorus (P) levels dramatically. The translocation of Ni from root to shoot increased from 0.339 to 0.715 after being treated with 10–100 mg L–1 Ni. The uptake of Ni in roots was reported to be higher than that in shoots. Generally, all Ni levels had a detrimental impact on enzyme activity and led to cell death in pepper seedlings. However, the present investigation revealed that Ni ≥ 30 mg L–1 lead to a deleterious impact on pepper seedlings. In the future, research is needed to further explore the mechanism and gene expression involved in cell death caused by Ni toxicity in pepper plants.

The Virome of Piper nigrum: Identification, Genomic Characterization, Prevalence, and Transmission of Three New Viruses of Black Pepper in China.

Viral diseases are one of the main categories of diseases that cause substantial yield losses in black pepper. Disease symptoms in black pepper are generally complex and are often caused by both known and undescribed viruses. To identify and clarify the etiology of viral diseases in black pepper in Hainan, China, we conducted high-throughput sequencing (HTS) by targeting purified double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) and ribosomal RNA depleted total RNA (rRNA-depleted totRNA). Analysis of the data revealed the presence of one known virus, piper yellow mottle virus (PYMoV), and three newly identified viruses: black pepper virus F (BPVF) in the genus Fabavirus, black pepper virus E (BPVE) in the genus Enamovirus, and black pepper virus B (BPVB) in the genus Badnavirus. The dominant viruses in P. nigrum sampled in Hainan are PYMoV, with an incidence of 100%, followed by BPVF (84%, 133 of 158) and BPVB (66%, 105 of 158). Mechanical inoculation of sap extracts from source plants containing PYMoV, BPVF, and BPVB gave negative results on both herbaceous and woody host plants 60 days postinoculation (dpi). BPVF and PYMoV were successfully transmitted to virus-free seedlings of black pepper through bark grafting, while BPVB was experimentally undetectable up to 150 dpi. Seed transmission experiments showed that no target viruses were present in all 59 germinated seedlings. This study provides information on diagnosis, prevalence, and transmission of black-pepper-associated viruses.

Melatonin enhances the low-temperature combined low-light tolerance of pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) seedlings by regulating photosynthesis, carotenoid, and hormone metabolism

Low temperature combined with low light (LL) is severe abiotic stress to plant growth and yield. However, little is known about the physiological mechanisms of the melatonin (MT) involved in the adaptation of pepper ( Capsicum annuum L.) to LL. In this study, pepper seedlings subjected to LL stress (15 ℃/5 ℃, 100 µmol photons m −2 s −1 ) were pre-sprayed with 200 µmol L −1 MT to investigate the protective role of MT in photosynthesis, carotenoid metabolism, as well as hormones of pepper ( Capsicum annuum L.) seedling. Our results indicated that the application of exogenous MT reduced the negative effect on plant growth inhibition of pepper seedlings caused by LL stress, significantly increased chlorophyll contents and photosynthetic capacity as result of improved photosynthesis rate, upregulated the relative expressions of PSΠ reaction center proteins genes ( CaPsb A , CaPsb B , CaPsb C , and CaPsb S ), reduced NPQ, 1-qP, and qN, as well as increased Fv/Fm, qP, Y(Ⅱ), and electron transport rate (ETR) after 7 days. In addition, MT significantly enhanced abscisic acid metabolism and biosynthesis of indoleacetic acid, gibberellin 3, and zeatin-type cytokinins after 6 h, 12 h, 24 h, 48 h, and 168 h. Markedly, MT increased the contents of zeaxanthin, which is induced by the down-regulation of CaZEP , by 149.55%. Our findings confirmed the mitigating potential of MT application for LL stress by maintaining plant growth, improving the photosynthetic characteristics, regulating carotenoids, and hormone metabolism. • Melatonin mitigates LL-induced stress in pepper by maintaining normal morphology and photosynthesis. • Melatonin alleviates LL-induced stress mediated by regulating relative expressions of psb A, psb B, psb C , and psb S . • Melatonin alleviates LL-induced stress mediated by enhancing zeaxanthin contents induced by downregulation of CaZEP . • Melatonin alleviates LL-induced stress mediated by significantly increasing GA3, IAA, and ZT accumulation while decrease ABA.

Microencapsulated biofertilizer formulation: product development and effect on growth of green pepper seedlings

Aim of the study: This study aimed to formulate a novel, commercially applicable biofertilizer, to optimize the microencapsulation procedure of Bacillus subtilis NCIM 2063 and examine the stability and phytostimulatory effects of obtained formulation. Area of the study: Southestern Serbia. Material and methods: Microbial powder formulations were prepared using spray drying with maltodextrin as a carrier. The spray drying conditions were set according to Box-Benkhen experimental desing. The effect of the formulation was tested on green pepper (Capsicum annuum) seeds in controled conditions. Main results: Response surface models were developed. All of the models were statistically significant, adequately fitted and reproducible. The maximum achieved values of viability and yield in a formulation were 1.99·109 CFU/g and 96.8%, respectively, whilst the driest formulation had 1.44% moisture. The following optimum conditions were proposed for the spray drying procedure: an inlet air temperature of 133 °C, maltodextrin concentration of 50 g/L and a feed flow rate of 6.5 mL/min. The obtained microbial formulation had a high survival rate after being stored at room temperature over a 1--year period. Its application on green pepper seeds had beneficial effect on plant height, leaf dry weight and chlorophyll content of the seedlings. Research highlights: B. subtilis was successfully microencapsulated on maltodextrin as a carrier. Interaction effects between the process variables were fully explained and statistically significant models were developed. In addition to biocontrol properties formulation had a phytostimulatory effect, excellent stability and satisfactory physical properties.

Design and experiment of flexible clamping device for pepper plug seedlings

At present, there are leakage and injury of pepper seedlings in the process of seedling transplantation. Based on the mechanical properties of pepper stem, a clamping mechanism with the function of crab pincers is designed using bionics principle. The clamping mechanism uses the CAM device to drive the gear and rack meshing. The control clamping gripper’s opening and closing stroke is 2–30 mm. The stroke of CAM gear is 1.94 mm, obviously save the clamping time. In order to achieve flexible clamping and reduce seedling injury, elastic silicone, rubber, and nylon materials were used as clamping materials. The finite element analysis was carried out to simulate the force in the clamping process, and the stress of the silicone gripper was found to be the minimum, and the stress range was 1.53 × 10−4–1.42 MPa. The results of clamping damage test and seedling picking migration test showed that the clamping damage rate of the silicone gripper was 3.28%. The clamping damage degree was the lowest, which is consistent with the theoretical analysis. The seedling leakage rate was 5.86%. The success rate of seedling picking was 94.14%, and the success rate of migration was 83.20%. It proved that flexible clamping device designed in this study had reliable working performance and good transplanting effect.

Effect of the media type and auxin concentration on the growth of cuttings seedlings of pepper (Piper nigrum)

Abstract. Amanah S, Budiastuti MTHS, Sulistyo A. 2022. Effect of the media type and auxin concentration on the growth of cuttings seedlings of pepper (Piper nigrum). Cell Biol Dev 6: 32-40. Pepper (Piper nigrum L.) is an export commodity and has become one of the Indonesian sources of income. It is necessary to develop the best cultivation for increasing pepper production. Vegetative propagation has been chosen in this research, using manure as part of the media and auxin as a growth hormone. The research aims to find the best media and auxin concentration for the ideal growth of pepper grafting. The research conducted in Manyaran Wonogiri, Indonesia, with RCB design consists of two factors arranged in the factorial method. The first factor is the kind of media (soil, soil + manure, soil + manure + husk), and the second is auxin's concentration (0 g/L, 12.5 g/L, 25 g/L, 37.5 g/L; 50 g/L). Observation variables are bud growth time, number of buds, length of bud, number of leaves, leaf width, number of roots, length of root, and life percentage of cuttings. Data were analyzed by F test at 1% and 5% and continued with DMRT at 5% if the treatment had a significant effect. It is also continued with regression if there was an interaction between treatments. The longest bud was found on soil + manure + husk (12.28 cm) and followed by soil + manure (10.57 cm) and soil (6.15 cm) in the low level, respectively. The study revealed that the bud length and the number of roots were influenced by auxin concentration. The longest bud was found using 12.5 g/L of auxin (15.14 cm), followed by 50 g/L, 25 g/L, 0 g/L, and 37.5 g/L in the low level, respectively (12.05 cm, 7.72 cm, 7.67 cm, 5.75 cm). The highest number of roots was found on 0 g/L and 12.5 g/L of auxin (7.78), followed by 50 g/L, 25 g/L, and 37.5 g/L in the low level, respectively (4, 3.43, 2.33). The number of roots and percentage of life cuttings showed an interaction between the two factors. The number of roots on the soil shows a parabolic response with auxin. In the beginning, the number of roots decreased and then increased with increasing auxin concentration. The number of roots on soil + manure and soil + manure + husk showed the same pattern with auxin concentration. Almost 100% of life cuttings have been found on all media and auxin concentrations. Soil + manure with 25 g/L auxins and soil + manure + husk with 50 g/L auxins caused 33.33% and 66.67% life cuttings, respectively.

The effect of olive pomace and seaweed extract on the growth of pepper seedling

The effect of olive pomace and seaweed extract on the growth of pepper seedling

The effect of olive pomace and seaweed extract on the growth of pepper seedling

In recent years, environmental pollution problems have increased due to organic wastes. The use of organic wastes as fertilizer plays an important role in reducing environmental pollution and improving the physical, chemical and biological properties of the soil. This study was carried out to determine the effect of unprocessed olive pomace (OP) which is a by-product of olive oil industry and seaweed (SW) on the growth of pepper seedlings. In the study, 4 different pomace ratios (5% OP + 95% peat, 10% OP + 90% peat, 15% OP + 85% peat and 20% OP + 80% peat V:V) and 4 different SW extract doses ( 0% 0.5%, 1% and 2% ) were used. In the study, parameters such as plant height, stem diameter, leaf area, plant fresh and dry weights, and chlorophyll index were investigated. According to the results of the study, OP applications significantly decreased the stem diameter, leaf area, leaf number, leaf dry weight, stem dry weight, root dry weight, chlorophyll content, stem-root ratio and total plant dry weight, while root length increased. On the other hand, SW applications had no an important effect on plant growth but partially imporoved in the zero OP application.