Red Pepper Fruits Research Articles

Unveiling the Synergistic Effects of Phosphorus Fertilization and Organic Amendments on Red Pepper Growth, Productivity and Physio-Biochemical Response under Saline Water Irrigation and Climate-Arid Stresses.

In regions facing water scarcity and soil salinity, mitigating these abiotic stresses is paramount for sustaining crop production. This study aimed to unravel the synergistic effects of organic matter and phosphorus management in reducing the adverse effect of saline water for irrigation on red pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) production, fruit quality, plant physiology, and stress tolerance indicators. The study was carried out in the arid Tadla region of Morocco and involved two key experiments: (i) a field experiment during the 2019 growing season, where red pepper plants were subjected to varying phosphorus fertilizer rates (120, 140, and 170 kg of P2O5.ha-1) and saline water irrigation levels (0.7; 1.5; 3; and 5 dS.m-1); and (ii) a controlled pot experiment in 2021 for examining the interaction of saline water irrigation levels (EC values of 0.7, 2, 5, and 9 dS.m-1), phosphorus rates (30, 36, and 42 kg of P2O5.ha-1), and the amount of organic matter (4, 8, 12, and 16 t.ha-1). The field study highlighted that saline irrigation significantly affected red pepper yields and fruit size, although phosphorus fertilization helped enhance productivity. Additionally, biochemical markers of stress tolerance, such as proline and glycine betaine, along with stomatal conductance, were impacted by increasing salinity levels. The pot experiment showed that combining organic amendments and phosphorus improved soil properties and stimulated red pepper growth and root weight across all salinity levels. The integration of phosphorus fertilization and organic amendments proved instrumental for counteracting salinity-induced constraints on red pepper growth and yield. Nonetheless, caution is necessary as high salinity can still negatively impact red pepper productivity, necessitating the establishment of an irrigation water salinity threshold, set at 5 dS.m-1.

The role of environmental air and microwave drying on colour values, bioactive properties and phenolic compounds of jalapeno pepper

SummaryIn this study, the effect of dehydration of some physico‐chemical characteristics, total phenol, flavonoids, antioxidant capacity and phenolic compounds of green and red jalapeno pepper fruits was investigated. The total carotenoid contents of red and green jalapeno pepper samples were reported to be between 14.15 (fresh) and 129.00 μg/g (540 and 720 W) to 2.8 (fresh) and 27.25 μg/g (720 W), respectively. Total phenolic results of red and green jalapeno pepper samples were recorded between 205.83 (fresh) and 343.93 mg GAE/100 g (540 W) to 81.69 (fresh) and 309.88 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/100 g (air drying), respectively. The highest decrease in L* results (brightness) of both red (32.33) and green (36.45) peppers was determined with air drying. Gallic acid, catechin and kaempferol were the predominant phenolic compounds of jalapeno peppers. Gallic acid amounts of red and green jalapeno pepper samples changed between 3.23 (fresh) and 16.20 mg/100 g (air) to 2.41 (fresh) and 9.30 mg/100 g (air), respectively. Also, catechin amounts of both red and green dehydrated jalapeno pepper fruits were determined between 3.24 (fresh) and 106.33 mg/100 g (900 W) to 2.89 (fresh) and 90.05 mg/100 g (air), respectively. Both conventional and microwave drying has caused the reduction of redness for red pepper and greenness for green pepper. The phenolic components of red jalapeno peppers were partially higher than the green ones.

Comparative metabolomics reveals complex metabolic shifts associated with nitrogen-induced color development in mature pepper fruit.

Pigments derived from red pepper fruits are widely used in food and cosmetics as natural colorants. Nitrogen (N) is a key nutrient affecting plant growth and metabolism; however, its regulation of color-related metabolites in pepper fruit has not been fully elucidated. This study analyzed the effects of N supply (0, 250, and 400 kg N ha-1) on the growth, fruit skin color, and targeted and non-target secondary metabolites of field-grown pepper fruits at the mature red stage. Overall, 16 carotenoids were detected, of which capsanthin, zeaxanthin, and capsorubin were the dominant ones. N application at 250 kg ha-1 dramatically increased contents of red pigment capsanthin, yellow-orange zeaxanthin and β-carotene, with optimum fruit yield. A total of 290 secondary metabolites were detected and identified. The relative content of most flavonoids and phenolic acids was decreased with increasing N supply. Correlation analysis showed that color parameters were highly correlated with N application rates, carotenoids, flavonoids, phenolic acids, lignans, and coumarins. Collectively, N promoted carotenoid biosynthesis but downregulated phenylpropanoid and flavonoid biosynthesis, which together determined the spectrum of red color expression in pepper fruit. Our results provide a better understanding of the impact of N nutrition on pepper fruit color formation and related physiology, and identification of target metabolites for enhancement of nutritional quality and consumer appeal.

Comparative Transcriptomics Analysis Reveals the Differences in Transcription between Resistant and Susceptible Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) Varieties in Response to Anthracnose.

Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) is a herbaceous plant species in the family Solanaceae. Capsicum anthracnose is caused by the genus Colletotrichum. spp., which decreases pepper production by about 50% each year due to anthracnose. In this study, we evaluated the resistance of red ripe fruits from 17 pepper varieties against anthracnose fungus Colletotrichum capsici. We assessed the size of the lesion diameter and conducted significance analysis to identify the resistant variety of B158 and susceptible variety of B161. We selected a resistant cultivar B158 and a susceptible cultivar B161 of pepper and used a transcription to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the plant's resistance to C. capsici, of which little is known. The inoculated fruit from these two varieties were used for the comparative transcription analysis, which revealed the anthracnose-induced differential transcription in the resistant and susceptible pepper samples. In the environment of an anthrax infection, we found that there were more differentially expressed genes in resistant varieties compared to susceptible varieties. Moreover, the response to stimulus and stress ability was stronger in the KANG. The transcription analysis revealed the activation of plant hormone signaling pathways, phenylpropanoid synthesis, and metabolic processes in the defense response of peppers against anthracnose. In addition, ARR-B, AP2-EREBP, bHLH, WRKY, and NAC are associated with disease resistance to anthracnose. Notably, WRKY and NAC were found to have a potentially positive regulatory role in the defense response against anthracnose. These findings contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the resistance mechanisms of red pepper fruit to anthracnose infection, providing valuable molecular insights for further research on the resistance mechanisms and genetic regulations during this developmental stage of pepper.

First Report of Fruit Rot Caused by Fusarium incarnatum-equiseti species complex on Greenhouse Bell Pepper in Malaysia.

In Malaysia, bell pepper (Capsicum annuum var. grossum), also known as sweet pepper or paprika, is one of the highly imported vegetable crops. In 2021 alone, Malaysia imported nearly 74 thousand metric tons of its chilies, including bell peppers, from other countries (DOSM, 2022). Often, farmers grow the bell peppers in moderate to cool conditions within highland regions for local commercial purposes. In June 2022, the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) in Serdang, Selangor, conducted a research study to grow lowland bell peppers under a glasshouse rain protection system. A disease inspection carried out found fruit rot on approximately 30% of mature bell pepper fruits in the greenhouse. Symptoms appeared as firm and sunken black lesions covered with white to light pink spore masses on the outer surface, which eventually fell off. Infected fruit parts were disinfected with 10% hypochlorite (NaOCl) for 2 min, followed by double washing with sterile distilled water, air-dried, and placed onto potato dextrose agar (PDA). After 3 days of incubation, the fungal colonies that grew from the symptomatic tissue pieces were transferred onto new PDA to obtain pure cultures. The pure fungal colony appeared dense, whitish aerial mycelium that slowly became cream to pinkish-orange after 7 days of incubation at room temperature (25±2 °C). To examine the morphology features, the pure cultures were subbed onto carnation leaf agar (CLA) and incubated at 25±2°C for 14 days. Macroconidia were abundant, slightly curved with tapered apical cells, 3- to 5-septate, and ranged between 21.8 and 34.0 x 3.0 and 5.1 μm. Microconidia were single-celled, often 1-septate, and ranged between 10.0 and 12.6 x 2.1 and 3.4 μm. Chlamydospores were globose and in chains. The fungus was identified as Fusarium sp. according to Fusarium key by Leslie and Summerell (2006). PCR amplification and DNA sequencing were performed using primers EF1F/EF2R and ITS1/ITS4 (O'Donnell et al., 1998; White et al., 1990) to amplify the partial elongation factor 1-alpha (TEF1-α) gene and internal transcribed spacer region (ITS), respectively. The TEF1-α and ITS sequences of this isolate were deposited in GenBank as OQ672911 and OR349657. BLAST analysis with TEF1-α gene sequences revealed 99.74% and 99.33% sequence identity with F. pernambucanum (accession no. ON330424) and Fusarium isolate NRRL 25134 (accession no. JF740755), respectively; both belonged to the Fusarium incarnatum-equiseti species complex (FIESC). BLAST search of the TEF1-α sequence in the database of the International Mycological Association (www.mycobank.org) showed 99.18% identity with FIESC (NRRL 36548). The ITS sequences were 100% identical to those of F. incarnatum (MT563420, MT563419, and MT563418). Pathogenicity test was conducted on three unwounded and three wounded mature red bell pepper fruits (SP299 Red Masta variety). Two healthy bell peppers were used as controls for each treatment. Prior to inoculation, the fruits were surface-sterilized by dipping in 70% ethanol and rinsed twice with sterile distilled water. Unwounded fruits were inoculated with fungal mycelium disks (5 mm diameter), whereas control fruits were inoculated with sterile PDA agar disks. For wound method, 6 µl of spore suspension (1x106 spores/ml) was obtained from 7-day-old cultures and injected (1 mm depth) into the fruit wall using a sterile syringe needle. Control fruits were inoculated with sterile distilled water only. Each fruit was inoculated with the inoculum at three distinct spots and kept in a humid chamber at a temperature of 25±2 °C. The pathogenicity test was done twice. Five days post-inoculation, the control fruits showed no symptoms, whereas all inoculated wounded and non-wounded fruits developed necrotic lesions with white mycelium growing on the inoculation points. The pathogen was successfully re-isolated from the infected fruits and morphologically identified as FIESC, fulfilling Kochs postulates. It has been reported previously that the members of FIESC are responsible for the fruit rot of bell peppers under greenhouse conditions (Ramdial et al., 2016). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of FIESC causing fruit rot on greenhouse bell peppers in Malaysia. This fruit rot disease may impose significant constraints on bell pepper production in Malaysia; hence, effective strategies to control the pathogen and prevent disease dispersal should be implemented.

Identification of carotenoids and candidate genes shaping high pigment chili pepper variety

Pepper (Capsicum spp.) is a major vegetable grown and consumed worldwide. Fruit color is an important exterior quality of fresh and processed peppers. The typical red color of pepper fruit is mainly determined by the content of capsanthin and capsorubin. The biosynthetic pathway of capsanthin and capsorubin has been largely clarified, but the regulators of this pathway remain to be investigated. To decipher the regulatory mechanism of high pigment accumulation in mature red pepper (C. annuum) fruit, carotenoid and transcriptome profiling were performed on two red chili peppers with distinct levels of capsanthin and capsorubin. The total carotenoids of high-pigment genotype (GB23) increased by 168 times during fruit ripening, especially carotenoid compounds such as zeaxanthin, β-cryptoxanthin and capsanthin. Moreover, the difference in the transcript level of genes encoding phytoene synthase 1 (PSY1), β-carotene hydroxylase 1 (BCH1), and capsanthin-capsorubin synthase (CCS) was consistent with the difference in carotenoid accumulation between GB23 and GB42 (low-pigment genotype). Further investigation revealed several transcription factors exhibiting similar expression patterns and correlated with capsanthin accumulation. Utilizing weighted gene co-expression network analysis, we identified eight transcription factors, namely bHLH13, Zinc finger protein ZFP3, MADS-RIN, NAC68, PIF3, and WRKY6, as potential regulators of PSY1, BCH1, or CCS genes. Yeast one-hybrid and luciferase reporter assays demonstrated that ZFP3 activates PSY1 and CCS while WRKY6 activates CCS through promoter binding. This comprehensive study sheds light on the regulatory mechanism underlying capsanthin accumulation in chili pepper, offering new insights into this important trait.

Assessment of Heavy Metal Contents in Some Common Spices Available in the Local Market of North Shewa Zone, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia.

The objective of this study was to determine the contents of heavy metals in some common spices commercially available in the North Shewa Zone, Oromia region, Ethiopia. Korarima seed (Aframomum corrorima), ginger rhizome (Zingiber officinale), red pepper fruit (Capsicum annum), and turmeric rhizome (Curcuma longa) samples were randomly collected from the Fiche open market. These spice samples were digested using a mixture of 3mL of HNO3 (69-72%) and 1mL of HClO4 (70%), where organic components are assumed to decompose into gaseous forms while other heavy metal elements are left in the solution. The contents of heavy metals (Fe, Zn, Cu, Cr, Mn, Ni, Cd, and Pb) in the spices were determined by inductively coupled plasma‒optical emission spectrometry (ICP‒OES). The results obtained showed that the concentrations of heavy metal in the korarima, red pepper, ginger, and turmeric samples in milligrammes per kilogramme of dry weight were in the range of Fe (38.7-98.9), Mn (10.5-257), Zn (7.30-29.2), Cu (1.70-6.50), Cr (5.40-9.70), Cd (1.50-2.90), Pb (14.5-28.4), and Ni (3.90-6.70). The heavy metal contents in korarima, red pepper, ginger, and turmeric samples were compared with the maximum values given by the World Health Organization (WHO). Accordingly, the Fe, Zn, Cu, Cr, Mn, and Ni values in the spice samples were found to be lower than the maximum limit of the WHO, while the levels of Pb and Cd in four spice samples and Mn (only in ginger) were higher than the WHO permissible limit. Thisstudyshowsthatthe consumption of korarima, red pepper, ginger, and turmeric may pose a serious health threat to consumers due to the high content of lead, cadmium, and manganese (only in ginger) in spices. Therefore, it is suggested that further study be conducted on spice samples based on the origin of cultivation to determine which hotspot is responsible for high levels of contamination of lead, cadmium, and manganese to protect consumers.

Identification and characterization of Brevibacillus halotolerans B-4359: a potential antagonistic bacterium against red pepper anthracnose in Korea.

Our study aimed to identify potential biocontrol agents (BCAs) against major phytopathogens under in vitro conditions by screening the Freshwater Bioresources Culture Collection (FBCC), Korea. Of the identified 856 strains, only 65 exhibited antagonistic activity, among which only one representative isolation, Brevibacillus halotolerans B-4359 was selected based on its in vitro antagonistic activity and enzyme production. Cell-free culture filtrate (CF) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of B-4359 were shown to be effective against the mycelial growth of Colletotrichum acutatum. Notably, B-4359 was found to promote spore germination in C. acutatum instead of exhibiting a suppressive effect when the bacterial suspension was mixed with the spore suspension of C. acutatum. However, B-4359 showed an excellent biological control effect on the anthracnose of red pepper fruits. Compared to other treatments and untreated control, B-4359 played a more effective role in controlling anthracnose disease under field conditions. The strain was identified as B. halotolerans using BIOLOG and 16S rDNA sequencing analyses. The genetic mechanism underlying the biocontrol traits of B-4359 was characterized using the whole-genome sequence of B-4359, which was closely compared with related strains. The whole-genome sequence of B-4359 consisted of 5,761,776 bp with a GC content of 41.0%, including 5,118 coding sequences, 117 tRNA, and 36 rRNA genes. The genomic analysis identified 23 putative secondary metabolite biosynthetic gene clusters. Our results provide a deep understanding of B-4359 as an effective biocontrol agent against red pepper anthracnose for sustainable agriculture.

Analysis of endogenous hormones in different organs reveals the critical role of phthalanilic acid in the yield and quality of pepper (Capsicum annuum) fruits

Phthalanilic acid (PPA), a plant growth regulator, has advantageous biological effects on fruit trees. However, little is known about its effects on vegetables. Thus, field trials were conducted on pepper (Capsicum annuum) plants by spraying with PPA at concentrations of 133.3, 200.0, and 266.7 mg·L−1. The key physiological indicators of peppers were investigated, including the number of flowers and fruits, yield, yield components, quality, and endogenous hormones. Results showed that PPA greatly boosted the number of flowers and fruits on pepper plants. The fruit shape index, dry matter content, single fruit weight, and yield in the PPA treatment of 133.3 mg·L−1 were particularly higher than those of the control, with increasing rates of 28.73%, 22.97%, 26.85%, and 35.75%, respectively. PPA considerably decreased the levels of titratable acid and nitrate while noticeably increasing the levels of soluble protein, soluble sugar, l-ascorbic acid, and capsaicin in mature green or red pepper fruits. PPA may also increase the levels of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) in flowers, buds, and leaves, elevate the levels of abscisic acid (ABA) in leaves, raise the levels of zeatin riboside (ZR) in young fruits, but decrease the ABA content in buds. PPA actively controls fruit quality and yield in the concentration range of 133.3–200.0 mg·L−1. This beneficial outcome might ultimately be connected to the regulation of endogenous hormones.

Preparation and potential of nanoparticles containing curcuminoids to control fungal diseases in tropical fruits

Colletotrichum species cause anthracnose in various tropical crops in both cultivation and postharvest periods. The current synthetic fungicides to treat anthracnose sometime show toxic effects for farmers, residues on foods, and environmental impacts. In this work, turmeric extract containing curcuminoids was used as an active ingredient and formulated into a nanoemulsion to control anthracnose in red pepper and tomato fruits. The nanoparticles containing turmeric extract (25 %) were successfully prepared by encapsulation using Tween-80 and PEG 400 as emulsifiers. Out of the three main curcuminoids in the turmeric extract, BDMC was determined as the most abundant constituent via HPLC analysis. Turmeric nanoparticles showed an average particle size of 203 nm, polydispersity index (PI) of 0.322, and zeta potential of -92.7 mV. In the in vitro antifungal bioassay, this nanoformulation significantly inhibited the mycelial growth of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and Colletotrichum orbiculare in a dose-dependent manner. Red pepper anthracnose was also consistently suppressed by turmeric nanoparticles but the tomato anthracnose was resistant to this formulation at 10 mg/mL in vivo. The study results proved the effectiveness of turmeric nanoparticles to control red pepper anthracnose in postharvest preservation and suggested developing the innovative nanoformulation as a green fungicide.

Cytochrome b Gene-Based Assay for Monitoring the Resistance of Colletotrichum spp. to Pyraclostrobin.

Resistance to pyraclostrobin due to a single nucleotide polymorphism at 143rd amino acid position on the cytochrome b gene has been a major source of concern in red pepper field infected by anthracnose in Korea. Therefore, this study investigated the response of 24 isolates of C. acutatum and C. gloeosporioides isolated from anthracnose infected red pepper fruits using agar dilution method and other molecular techniques such as cytochrome b gene sequencing, polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP), and allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The result showed that four isolates were resistant to pyraclostrobin on agar dilution method and possessed GCT (alanine) codon at 143rd amino acid position, whereas the sensitive isolates possessed GGT (glycine). Furthermore, this study illustrated the difference in the cytochrome b gene structure of C. acutatum and C. gloeosporioides. The use of cDNA in this study suggested that the primer Cacytb-P2 can amplify the cytochrome b gene of both C. acutatum and C. gloeosporioides despite the presence of various introns in the cytochrome b gene structure of C. gloeosporioides. The use of allele-specific PCR and PCR-RFLP provided clear difference between the resistant and sensitive isolates. The application of molecular technique in the evaluation of the resistance status of anthracnose pathogen in red pepper provided rapid, reliable, and accurate results that can be helpful in the early adoption of fungicide-resistant management strategies for the strobilurins in the field.

Cross-resistance of Colletotrichum acutatum s. lat. to Strobilurin Fungicides and Inhibitory Effect of Fungicides with Other Mechanisms on C. acutatum s. lat. Resistant to Pyraclostrobin

Colletotrichum acutatum s. lat. 20JDS8 sensitive and 20CDJ6 resistant to pylaclostrobin were used to investigate the cross-resistance with fungicides belonging to the strobilurins and the characteristics of fungicidal controlling activities with different mechanisms against the isolate resistant to the fungicide. The resistant isolate of 20CDJ6 also showed the resistance to azoxystrobin, trifloxystrobin, and kresoxim-methyl, suggesting that there is a cross-resistance relationship. All fungicides with different action mechanisms inhibited mycelial growth of both susceptible and resistant isolates of C. acutatum s. lat., but their disease control effects in fruits were different according to the fungicides. The disease control effect of isopyrazam against 20JDS8 and 20CDJ6 was very low, and fluazinam showed a control effect of 91.9% and 88.1% against 20JDS8 and 20CDJ6 only when it was treated before inoculation by spraying spore suspensions on pepper fruits without wounds. Tebuconazole and prochloraz effectively inhibited not only the mycelial growth of 20JDS8 and 20CDJ6 on potato dextrose agar medium, but also disease incidence in red pepper fruits. As a result of this study, C. acutatum s. lat. 20CDJ6 resistant to pyraclostrobin showed cross-resistance with other strobilurin fungicides. In addition, we think that fluazinam, tebuconazole, and prochloraz can be recommended as alternative fungicides for the control of red-pepper pyranthracnose pathogens resistant pyraclostrobin. However, fluazinam can be effective only if it is treated protectively before the occurrence of the disease.

Effect of Phytobiotic Composition on Production Parameters, Oxidative Stress Markers and Myokine Levels in Blood and Pectoral Muscle of Broiler Chickens.

Simple SummaryIntensive rearing of broiler chickens is accompanied with pathological processes occurring in muscle tissue that decrease meat quality. The application of common spices as feed additives for chickens may improve the birds’ health and prevent the development of myopathies. Therefore, the aim of the study was to examine the effect of the dietary level of a phytobiotic composition on the production parameters, oxidative stress markers and myokine levels in the blood and pectoral muscle of broiler chickens. The composition consisted of red pepper fruit, white mustard seed, soapwort root, calamus rhizome, and thymol, and it was tested at two levels, i.e., 60 and 100 mg/kg diet. The results showed that dietary supplementation with phytobiotic composition at the level of 100 mg/kg diet improved feed efficiency in broiler chickens and might improve the quality and economy of broiler meat production. The plant constituents exerted their beneficial effects on meat via decreasing tumor necrosis factor-α concentration in pectoral muscle and increasing interleukin-6 content in the blood of chickens.The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of dietary level of a phytobiotic composition (PBC) on production parameters, oxidative stress markers and cytokine levels in the blood and breast muscle of broiler chickens. The experiment was performed on 48 one-day-old female Ross 308 broiler chickens divided into three groups (n = 16) fed the control diet (without PBC), and a diet supplemented with 60 or 100 mg/kg of PBC. After 35 days of feeding, blood and breast muscle samples were collected for analyses. There was no effect on final body weight and feed intake but PBC addition (100 mg/kg) improved feed efficiency as compared to the control. Also, this dietary level of PBC contributed to an increase in interlukin-6 content in blood and a reduction in tumor necrosis factor-α concentrations in pectoral muscle in comparison with the control group. In conclusion, the addition of 100 mg/kg PBC improved the production parameters of broiler chickens and beneficially influenced the regeneration and protection of pectoral muscle against pathophysiological processes that may occur during intensive rearing.

Investigation of genetic factors regulating chlorophyll and carotenoid biosynthesis in red pepper fruit.

Chlorophylls and carotenoids are synthesized in the chloroplast and chromoplast, respectively. Even though the two pigments are generated from the same precursor, the genetic correlation between chlorophyll and carotenoid biosynthesis has not yet been fully understood. We investigated the genetic correlation of chlorophyll and carotenoid biosynthesis during fruit ripening. Two recombinant inbred lines populations, “Long Sweet” × “AC2212” (“LA”) RILs derived from a cross between Capsicum annuum “Long Sweet” with light-green and light-red fruit and C. annuum “AC2212” with dark-green and brown-fruit and “3501 (F)” × “3509 (C)” (“FC”) RILs from C. annuum “3501” with dark-green and dark-red fruit and C. annuum “3509” with intermediate green and light-red fruit, were used. As the fruit ripened, three accessions produced high levels of xanthophyll. The dark-green immature fruit accumulated more total carotenoids than the light-green fruit. This trend corresponded to the expression pattern of 1-deoxy-d-xylulose 5-phosphate synthase (DXS) and CaGLK2 genes during fruit development. The expression levels of DXS and CaGLK2 in the dark-green accession “3501” were significantly higher than those of “3509” and “Long Sweet” during the early stages of fruit development. Furthermore, the genotype analysis of the transcription factor controlling chloroplast development (CaGLK2) in LA RILs revealed that CaGLK2 expression affected both carotenoid and chlorophyll contents. The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) linkage maps were constructed using genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) for the two populations, and QTL analysis was performed for green fruit color intensity and carotenoid content. The QTL (LA_BG-CST10) for capsanthin content in LA RILs located at 24.4 to 100.4 Mbp on chromosome 10 was overlapped with the QTL (FC15-Cap10) for capsanthin content in FC RILs. Three QTLs for capsanthin content, American spice trade association (ASTA) value, and immature green fruit color intensity were also overlapped from 178.2 to 204 Mbp on chromosome 10. At the location, 151.6 to 165 Mbp on chromosome 8, QTLs (FC15-tcar8, FC17-ASTA8.1, and FC17-ASTA8.2) for total carotenoid content and ASTA value were discovered, and this region contained 2-C-methyl-d-erythritol 4-phosphate cytidylyltransferase (MCT), which is involved in the MEP pathway. This result is the first report to show the correlation between carotenoid and chlorophyll biosynthesis in pepper. This research will expand our understanding of the mechanism of the chloroplast-to-chromoplast transition and the development of high pigment pepper varieties.

Influence of Feeding Natural and Synthetic Lycopene on Performance, Egg Quality and Serum Parameters of Japanese Quail Layers

Background: This study was conducted to investigate the effects of natural and synthetic sources of lycopene on performance, egg quality and some blood characteristics of Japanese quail layers. Methods: The 252 eight-week-old quail hens were randomly divided into seven treatments with three replication. The first treatment was fed basal diet (control). Second and third treatments were given diets containing tomato fruit powder (TOM) at a level of 17 and 34 g/kg equal to 50 and 100 mg/kg lycopene, fourth and fifth treatments were given red bell pepper fruit powder (RBP) at level 16.23, 32.46 g/kg equal to 50 and 100 mg/kg lycopene, while synthetic lycopene powder at a rate of 50, 100 (mg/kg) was supplemented to sixth and seventh respectively. Result: The final body (T4-T6), hen day egg production (except for T3 and T6), egg weight, egg mass (T4, T5), feed intake, FCR were improved as compared to control. Significant effect on the weight of eggshell, yolk, albumen and albumen (height and diameter). Yolk (height, diameter, index) improved as compared to control. Significant (P≤0.05) increase in total protein and HDL, while cholesterol (except T2 and T7), triglycerides (except T2) and LDL were decreased significantly (P≤0.05). It could be concluded that supplementary TOM, RBP and LY, have beneficial effects on laying performance, egg quality traits and some biochemical indices of quails.

Photoprotective, Anti-Fungal Activity and Cytotoxicity of Capsanthin from Capsicum Annum Fruits on Mouse Skin Melanoma and AQP-3 Gene Expression in Human Keratinocyte HaCaT Cells

Background: Phytochemicals utilization in the cosmetics are the current trend in the beauty and fashion. Most women prefer the cosmetics derived from natural products over synthetic chemicals, as the natural products are devoid of undesirable side effects. Skin protection has become not only aesthetic, but also linked to health. Therefore, exploring the use of phytochemicals in cosmetic dermatology is essential. Objective: In the current in vitro studies, we investigated the skin-protection properties of capsanthin 50%w/w crystals (CAP-50CR) and capsanthin 1.5% w/w soft extract (CAP-1.5SE) obtained from red bell pepper fruits, out of which one is an industrial by-product on sunburn, melanin inhibition, tyrosinase inhibition, anti-fungal activity and, gene expression of Aquaporin 3 (AQP-3) in the human keratinocyte cell line. Methodology: The two extracts, obtained by solvent extraction, super critical extract purification, saponification, characterized, and examined on their dermatological activities. Results: Capsanthin 50%w/w crystals (CAP-50CR) showed a sun protection factor (SPF) value of 34.44 whereas capsanthin 1.5% w/w soft extract (CAP-1.5SE) showed a value of 20.63. Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of CAP-50CR against Malassezia furfur was 0.625 mg/mL and CAP-1.5SE showed a MIC of 5mg/mL. Both CAP-50CR and CAP-1.5SE showed the same MIC against Candida albicans which is 2.5 mg/mL. In the MTT assay on mouse skin melanoma cells (B16F10), the test substance CAP-50CR showed a CTC50 value of 98.44±2.55 µg/mL whereas the test substance CAP-1.5SE exhibited a CTC50 value greater than 1000 µg/mL. Further, the non-toxic concentrations of the test items were evaluated for forskolin-induced melanin inhibition activity. For CAP-50CR, the non-toxic concentration of 7 and 3 µg/mL showed the melanin inhibition of 48.73±0.75% and 42.29±5.2% and for CAP-1.5SE the melanin inhibition was found to be 55.84%±1.47 and 46.44%±1.05 for the non-toxic concentration of 50 and 25µg/mL. The CAP-50CR extract showed 43.78% and 39.37% tyrosinase inhibition at the tested concentrations of 7 and 3 µg/mL. Similarly, CAP-1.5SE showed the tyrosinase inhibitions as 34.6% and 22.9% for the concentrations of 50 and 25 µg/mL. The test substances CAP-50CR and CAP-1.5SE exhibited a CTC50 value of 76.59±3.25 μg/mL and 664.95±2.88 µg/mL on the HaCaT cells. In the gene expression study, both the test substances showed an increase in the levels of AQP-3 mRNAs at lower and higher concentrations as compared to the control in the semi-quantitative RT-PCR procedure. Conclusion: CAP-50CR and CAP-1.5SE showed skin protection from UV radiation and hyperpigmentation. Also exhibits anti-fungal, skin brightening, anti-wrinkle and moisturizing properties. These results suggests that capsanthin from red bell pepper fruit can be employed as cosmetic active ingredient in skin guard formulations and as a potential therapeutic agent for variety of dermatological disorders. This study breaks new ground by investigating the potential of capsanthin in the management of skin protection for the first time.

First Report of Fruit Rot of Sweet Pepper Caused by Cladosporium cladosporioides in Israel.

Sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) is an important vegetable crop grown in Israel for local and export markets. Bell pepper 'Dinamo' and sweet bite pepper exhibiting fruit spotting were observed in postharvest storage of commercial farms in Giv'at Ko'ah (32°02'21″ N; 34°56'41″ E) and Arava (30°46'41″ N; 35°14'28″ E) in July, 2021. Fruit with lesions were sporadic at each facility, however, limited numbers of packaged boxes were discarded due to a high percentage of symptomatic fruit. The spots appeared as slightly sunken dark brown or black lesions, coated by a fine velvety layer of olive-grey conidia (Suppl. Fig. 1). A fungus was routinely isolated from the fruit onto potato dextrose agar amended with 50 ppm chloramphenicol (PDAC) and was tentatively identified as a Cladosporium spp. based on colony morphology and conidial appearance (Suppl. Fig. 1). Isolates (n = 6) of the fungus were cultured on malt extract agar (MEA) and PDA for morphological observation. On MEA, the pathogen sporulated profusely and conidia measured 4.5 (3 - 7) × 3.5 (2 - 4) µm and were smooth and globose or sub-globose. Ramoconidia had 0 or 1 septations and measured 13.4 (10 - 18) × 3.9 (3 - 6) µm. Conidiophores were solitary, straight or flexous, usually unbranched, and measured 60 - 350 µm. Both macro- and micronematous conidiophores were present. Hyphae were flat and immersed, olivaceous-grey, septate and rope-like. The fungus was slow growing, reaching 41.0 mm after 10 d incubation at 20°C. To confirm species identity, the isolates were grown in potato dextrose broth and DNA was extracted from the mycelium using MasterPure DNA Purification Kit (EpiCentre, Madison, WI, USA) following the manufacturer's instructions. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region was amplified using primers ITS 1 and ITS 4, and elongation factor-1 and actin gene regions with EF1-728F/986R and ACT-512F/783R, respectively (Carbone and Kohn, 1999). The PCR products were sequenced and a BLASTn search showed 99-100% similarity to Cladosporium cladosporioides (GenBank accession nos. MW255614.1, MK416093.1, MK306457.1), a common fungal species found worldwide as a plant pathogen and saphrophyte (Bensch et al., 2012). The ITS gene sequences for a representative isolate from each location were deposited in GenBank (accession nos. OK104139.1 and OL672241.1). To confirm pathogenicity, red bell pepper fruits (n = 8) were wounded with a sterile needle and a 12 µl drop of conidial suspension (4 x 105/ml) of each isolate was pipetted onto the wound. Control fruit received sterile water. The fruit were incubated at 100% RH in sealed containers at 20-22°C. After 7-10 d incubation small dark sunken spots developed, and by 14 d lesions formed with velvety conidial growth similar to the ones originally observed. The fungus was successfully isolated again from the lesions onto PDA and confirmed as C. cladosporioides based on colony and conidial morphology. No symptoms developed on fruit inoculated with sterile water. The pathogenicity test was repeated two times with similar results. C. cladosporioides is a cosmopolitan pathogen and has been cited causing disease on numerous crops worldwide (Bensch et al., 2012). This species was reported causing tomato leaf spot in Mexico (Robles-Yerena et al., 2019) and black mould of tomato fruit in Australia (Ma et al., 2020). Cladosporium herbarum was found causing fruit rot of bell pepper in the U.S. (Ramsey and Heiberg, 1952). Sweet peppers are widely grown in Israel, and have high economic value as an export crop. Control measures to limit losses from C. cladosporioides postharvest may be necessary if conditions are favorable for disease during prolonged storage and refrigerated transport.

Widely targeted metabolomic profiling combined with transcriptome analysis provides new insights into amino acid biosynthesis in green and red pepper fruits

The type and content of amino acids in pepper are important indicators to reflect its nutritional value, largely affecting the purchasing behavior of consumers. Understanding the biosynthesis of amino acids in pepper fruit is beneficial to the development of pepper functional food. Widely targeted metabolomics, transcriptome analysis, correlation analysis, weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), and canonical correlation analysis (CCA) were used to evaluate the quality characteristics of green and red pepper amino acids. The results showed 78 kinds of amino acids and their derivatives in the fruit of pepper. The essential amino acids were comprehensive and abundant. Especially, the contents of lysine and tryptophan were high. However, significant differences were found in the ratio of essential amino acids to total amino acids in green and red pepper. The ratio of essential amino acids to total amino acids in red pepper was up to 28.88%, while that in green pepper was up to 17.69%. WGCNA and CCA analyses were performed in combination with amino acid metabolism profiling and transcriptome analysis to further identify the main contributors to amino acid synthesis in green and red pepper. The results showed PK and PFK were the genes in the backbone of the amino acid biosynthesis pathway, which had a direct impact on the synthesis of various amino acids, and were the main genes for amino acid synthesis in pepper fruit. In this study, the amino acid biosynthesis rules for two kinds of pepper were analyzed by amino acid metabolism profiling and transcriptome analysis, which provided the basis for the development of amino acid nutritional supplements and pepper functional food.

Mitochondrial protein expression during sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) fruit ripening: iTRAQ-based proteomic analysis and role of cytochrome c oxidase

The physiological process of fruit ripening is associated with the late developmental stages of plants in which mitochondrial organelles play an important role in the final success of this whole process. Thus, an isobaric tag for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ)-based analysis was used to quantify the mitochondrial proteome in pepper fruits in this study. Analysis of both green and red pepper fruits identified a total of 2284 proteins, of which 692 were found to be significantly more abundant in unripe green fruits as compared to red fruits, while 497 showed lower levels as the ripening process proceeded. Of the total number of proteins identified, 2253 (98,6%) were found to share orthologs with Arabidopsis thaliana. Proteomic analysis identified 163 proteins which were categorized as cell components, the major part assigned to cellular, intracellular space and other subcellular locations such as cytosol, plastids and, to a lesser extent, to mitochondria. Of the 224 mitochondrial proteins detected in pepper fruits, 78 and 48 were more abundant in green and red fruits, respectively. The majority of these proteins which displayed differential abundance in both fruit types were involved in the mitochondrial electron transport chain (mETC) and the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. The abundance levels of the proteins from both pathways were higher in green fruits, except for cytochrome c (CYC2), whose abundance was significantly higher in red fruits. We also investigated cytochrome c oxidase (COX) activity during pepper fruit ripening, as well as in the presence of molecules such as nitric oxide (NO) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), which promote thiol-based oxidative post-translational modifications (oxiPTMs). Thus, with the aid of in vitro assays, cytochrome c oxidase (COX) activity was found to be potentially inhibited by the PTMs nitration, S-nitrosation and carbonylation. According to protein abundance data, the final segment of the mETC appears to be a crucial locus with regard to fruit ripening, but also because in this location the biosynthesis of ascorbate, an antioxidant which plays a major role in the metabolism of pepper fruits, occurs.

Bio Effect of Seven Aqueous Plant Extracts Against Khapra Beetle Trogoderma Granarium Everts

The study showed the effectiveness of the aqueous extracts of seven plant species for Clove buds (Syzygium aromaticum), Garlic seed (Allium sativum), Thyme leaves (Thymus vulgaris), Eucalyptus leaves (Eucalyptus oleosa), Sage (Salvia officinalis), Alaaya leaves (Eminium spiculatum), and red hot pepper fruits (Capsicum annuum) with five different concentrations (1.5, 3, 5, 7.5 and 10) % in some Biological aspects of the Khapra beetle larvae Trogoderma granarium Everts. The aqueous extract of sagebrush showed the highest lethal effect, as the killing rate was 100% at a concentration of 5%, and toxicity index and toxicity efficiency amounted to 100, 28, and 23, respectively, compared to the rest of the studied plants. It was noted that the aqueous extracts of plants sagebrush and sagebrush tested showed the characteristic of repelling insects and that the sagebrush plant gave the highest repelling rate of 63.33%, while the plants of garlic, hot pepper, cloves, thyme, and eucalyptus showed the characteristic of attraction and that the aqueous extract of cloves gave the highest attraction rate of 73.33.