Red Pods Research Articles

Trends and critical points of Aspergillus contamination along Ethiopian chili postharvest value chain

BackgroundChili is the most commonly grown spice in Ethiopia and is a high-value crop for household consumption and sale both at domestic and export markets. However, an unsafe level of fungal toxins is becoming a problem leading to challenges in exporting. This study assessed trends, possible points of Aspergillus contamination, and contamination risk factors along the Ethiopian chili postharvest value chain (PVC).MethodsChili handling practices, value chain actors, and their respective roles were investigated along the PVC through an exploratory type of research, a participant unstructured observation. A total of 214 individual sample units composed of multiple subsamples consisting of aseptically picked matured red pods (PiPP), dried red pods (DPP), crushed chili (CP), unpacked (UpPPo), and packed chili powder (PaPPo) were randomly collected along the PVC from different major chili growing localities of Ethiopia during 2017/2018 main cropping season. Individual sample units were further homogenized into a fine powder and composited. Aspergillus was analyzed using Aspergillus flavus and parasiticus agar medium. To monitor Aspergillus contamination, trend analysis was done using the mean of count data and biological inference was made in association with stages of operations and postharvest handling practices.ResultsAspergillus was detected in 44% of PiPP, all (100%) of DPP, CP, UpPPo, and PaPPo. Counts were in the range of 5.00 × 103 to 2.10 × 105 CFU g−1 up along the PVC with fold changes of 19.6, 30, 42, and 38-fold in DPP, CP, UpPPo, and PaPPo, respectively. Nigri (99%), Flavi (85%), and Circumdati (56%) were the most detected sections with relative densities of 50, 29, and 14%, respectively. Postharvest handling practices such as harvesting, sun-drying, and transporting were generally found poor and unhygienic.ConclusionsCounts of Aspergillus showed gradually increasing trends up along the PVC. The poor and unhygienic handling practices probably contributed to the contamination. Harvesting and direct open sun-drying were likely initial and critical points of contamination while wetting and tight stacking likely contributed to aggravated growth and proliferation of aspergilli leading to further consecutive buildup. Intervention at these stages would make a significant difference.

Yield Components of Red Yardlong Bean Pod Genotypes (Vigna unguiculata (L.) ssp. sesquipedalis)

One of the legume plants with development potential is the yardlong bean. Because they have a high anthocyanin content, yardlong bean red pods are crucial for maintaining human health. There are multiple red-purple pod lines as a result of the crossing of the two parents purple pod and green pod. The purpose of this study was to assess the yield component of bean lines that were thirteen yards long. The study was carried out in Tembalang, Semarang, Central Java’s Agrotechno Park. Using genotype as the only component, the experiment used a randomized complete block design (RCBD). Agronomic characteristics such as harvesting time, number of pods, pod weight, length, number of seeds per pod, and weight of 1000 seeds were observed. The result showed that one genotype from F7 generation FPT A 3-4-10-1 had superior characters compared to the cultivar check in harvesting time, the number of pods, pod weight, and the number of seeds per pod. The agronomic characters that has been characterized can be may be used as potential donors for future hybridization programs to develop superior yard long bean variety with good yield components.

First Report of Diaporthe tulliensis and D. pseudomangiferae causing cacao pod rot in Puerto Rico.

Worldwide cacao pod rot is a devastating disease of Theobroma cacao, infected cacao pods turn necrotic reducing yield up to 30%. From July 2020 to August 2021, a survey was conducted at the USDA-ARS cacao germplasm collection located at Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. Incidence of cacao pod rot was 73.9%, observed in 142 of the 196 accessions sampled. The disease was observed at different stages of pod development (small, green, mature pods, and dry mummified large pods). Diseased tissue from three cacao pods (1 mm2) per each cacao accession was surface disinfested by immersion in 70% ethanol for one minute, rinsed with sterile-distilled-water and plated on potato dextrose agar (PDA) amended with 250 mg/L ampicillin and 60 mg/L streptomycin. After 30 days of incubation at 25°C, seven isolates developing white fast-growing colonies with black-globose pycnidia were observed. All isolates produced hyaline, one-celled, biguttulate, and cylindrical and rounded at the apex α conidia of 5.1 to 7.3 µm × 2.5 to 3.0 µm in size and were identified as Diaporthe spp. (Gomes et al. 2013; Crous et al. 2015). To determine the species identity, seven isolates were sequenced of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS), sections of β-tubulin (BT) and translation elongation factor 1 alpha (EF1-α) and compared using the BLASTn with Diaporthe spp. type specimens deposited in NCBI GenBank. ITS, BT and EF1-α sequences of Phomocac16, Phomcac17, Phomcac18 and Phomcac21 isolates (GenBank accession nos. OL353698 to OL353701, OL412430 to OL412433, and OL412437 to OL412440 for ITS, BT and EF1-α, respectively) were grouped to the holotype BRIP 62248a (Bootstrap BS=100) of Diaporthe tulliensis R.G. Shivas, Vawdrey & Y.P. Tan. The other three isolates (Phomcac8P1, Phomcac8P3 and Phomcac8P4) were grouped to the ex-type (CBS 101339) of Diaporthe pseudomangiferae R.R. Gomes, Glienke & Crous, ITS, BT and EF1-α sequences of (GenBank accessions nos. OL353702 to OL353704, OL412434 to OL412436, and OL412441 to OL412443, for ITS, BT and EF1-α, respectively). Pathogenicity tests were conducted using isolates Phomocac16, Phomcac17, Phomcac18 and Phomcac21 of D. tulliensis and isolates Phomcac8P1, Phomcac 8P3 and Phomcac8P4 of D. pseudomangiferae on five healthy detached green, yellow and red pods of the following cacao varieties: TARS27, ICS16, ICS1, GS29, UF601, SIAL56, Amelonado, SIAL98, EET94, ICS129 and GNV58. Cacao pods were wounded and inoculated with 5-mm mycelial disks from 8-day-old pure cultures grown on PDA of each isolate and wrapped with parafilm. Untreated controls were inoculated with PDA disks only. Fruits were kept in a humid chamber for 8 days at 25°C. Tests were repeated twice. Eight days after inoculation with D. tulliensis and D. pseudomangiferae, all cacao pods turned dark brown, untreated controls showed no symptoms of pod rot, and no fungi were isolated from tissue. Both species, D. tulliensis and D. pseudomangiferae were reisolated from their respective diseased tissues fulfilling Koch's postulates. Diaporthe tulliensis has been reported from rotted stem ends of cacao pods in Australia (Crous et al. 2015), and D. pseudomangiferae was reported in a shipment of cacao seed pods in California; however, pathogenicity tests were not conducted at either location. In California D. pseudomangiferae is considered a quarantine pathogen with a temporary Q rating (Chitambar 2017). To our knowledge, this is the first report of D. tulliensis and D. pseudomangiferae causing cacao pod rot in Puerto Rico. Knowing the identity and incidence of these new cacao pathogens is the first step for developing specific control measures and potential sources for resistance to cacao pod rot caused by Diaporthe spp.

Growth and Yield Responses of Hot Pepper to Nitrogen Fertilisation in Jos-Plateau, Nigeria

The production of pepper in Nigeria has raised the living standards of many smallholder farmers. The productivity of yellow and red pods is generally low due to poor agronomic practice. There is the need to help smallholder farmers to achieve sustainable production in order to improve and secure their livelihood. This study was aimed to investigate the effects of the rate of Nitrogen fertilisation on growth and yield of pepper in the Jos-Plateau environment. The experiment was 3 x 6 factorial, comprising three varieties of pepper and six levels of N-fertilizer. The treatmentcombinations were laid out in the field using the randomised complete block design. Plant height, number of leaves, number of branches, relative growth rate and days to 50% flowering were higher in the variety F BT than in the other varieties. Leaf area index, length of fruit and fresh fruit 1 yield were higher in the variety SAFI than in the other varieties. Fruit width and the mean weight of fruit were higher in the Miango Local than in the other varieties. The application of N-fertilizer up to 150 kgN ha-1 resulted in significantly higher values in most of the parameters studied. Significant interactions of N-fertilizer rate and variety on plant height, number of leaves per plant, number of branches per plant, leaf area index, relative growth rate, mean weight of fruit and fresh fruit yield were observed. The study recommends the application of N-fertilizer up to 150 kgN ha-1 for cultivation of pepper in the Jos-Plateau environment.

Analysis of Metabolite Accumulation Related to Pod Color Variation of Caragana intermedia.

Caragana intermedia, a leguminous shrub widely distributed in cold and arid regions, is rich in secondary metabolites and natural active substances, with high nutritional and medical values. It is interesting that the pods of C. intermedia often show different colors among individual plants. In this study, 10-, 20- and 30-day-old red and green pods of C. intermedia were used to identify and characterize important metabolites associated with pod color. A total 557 metabolites, which could be classified into 21 groups, were detected in the pod extracts using liquid chromatography coupled with ESI-triple quadrupole-linear ion trap mass spectrometer (LC-ESI-MS/MS). Metabolomics analysis revealed significant differences in 15 groups of metabolites between red and green pods, including amino acids, nucleotide derivatives, flavonoids, and phytohormones. Metabolic pathway analysis showed that the shikimic acid and the phytohormone metabolic pathways were extraordinarily active in red pods, and the difference between red and green pods was obvious. Moreover, red pods showed remarkable flavonoids, cytokinins, and auxin accumulation, and the content of total flavonoids and proanthocyanidins in 30-day-old red pods was significantly higher than that in green pods. This metabolic profile contributes to valuable insights into the metabolic regulation mechanism in different color pods.

Genetics of seed related attributes in cowpea [<italic>Vigna unguiculata</italic> (L.) Walp.

An investigation to study the genetics of seed related attributes was undertaken in cowpea. Three crosses (GC 2 x PGCP 5, GC 2 x PGCP 13 and GC 516 x PGCP 1) along with its parental seed, F<sub>2</sub>, BCI and BCII made the complete set of si generations (P<sub>1</sub>, P<sub>2</sub>, F<sub>1</sub>, F<sub>2</sub>, BCI and BCII) for genetic analysis. The experiment was laid out in a Compact Family Block Design with three replications during <italic>kharif</italic> 2011. A single replication comprised of one row of parents and F<sub>1</sub>, two rows of the backcrosses generations, BCI and BCII and four rows of the F<sub>2</sub>. Genetics of seed related attributes, <italic>viz.</italic>, flower colour, seed colour, seed surface, pod beak colour, calyx pigmentation and pod colour at maturity, were studied following Chisquare test of statistical significance. The results evident that flower colour in all the three crosses studied appeared to be controlled by single gene inheritance with violet flower colour dominant over white flower colour. Similarly, seed surface, pod beak colour and calyx pigmentation also appeared to be controlled by single gene inheritance, in which smooth seed surface dominant over rough seed surface, green pod beak colour dominant over red pod beak colour and green calyx pigmentation dominant over red calyx pigmentation. The inheritance of seed colour and pod colour at maturity appeared to be controlled by two gene interactions with supplementary gene action, with dominance of black seed colour over brown and white seed colour, and black pod colour dominant to red and brown colour. Dominance expression of different characters could be utilized as a good marker for different breeding activities.

Chemical composition and <i>in vitro</i> degradation of red and white mesquite (<i>Prosopis laevigata</i>) pods

The objective of this study was to compare the chemical composition and ruminal degradation of whole pod, exomesocarp, endocarp and seed fractions of red and white mesquite pods. The pods contained on average 220 g free sugars, 78 g crude protein, 21 g fat per kg dry matter (DM), and a potential DM degradation of 163 g/kg. Contaminant fungi (mostly Aspegillus spp.) count was low. Unsaturated fatty acids, mainly linoleic acid, were the predominant (~50%) fatty acids in whole pods and seeds. Sucrose was the largest free sugar proportion. The highest fibre content was found in the endocarp, the highest free sugar was found in the exomesocarp, and the highest crude protein content was found in the seeds. Tannins were more abundant in red pods (0.4 mg/100 g DM) than in white ones. Some differences in nutritional values were found between red and white pods and their components (exomesocarp, endocarp and seeds), although both have a potentially high nutritive value. Whole pods and the endocarp can be used by ruminants; seeds can be used by simple stomach animals; and the exomesocarp can be used in human nutrition because of its low glycaemic index propertiesKeywords: Degradation rate, fatty acids, sugar, tannins

Ethephon Improved Pigmentation but Had No Effect on Cayenne Pepper Fruit Yield in Southern New Mexico

In the desert southwest of the United States, cayenne pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) is an important crop. It is used in the production of hot sauce mash, the precursor to many hot sauces. Because hand harvest is currently required to accommodate staggered crop development, more uniform maturity is desired to facilitate mechanical harvest to decrease labor costs. This study was performed over 3 years (2009–11) and in two locations in southern New Mexico, resulting in five unique year/location scenarios (environments). Four timings of ethephon (0.56 kg a.i./ha) spray applications were evaluated for their potential to increase red cayenne cv. Mesilla yields and percentage of red pods. If yield increases and pigmentation improvements occur, ethephon may facilitate a once-over mechanical harvest. Ethephon was applied once at four key cayenne growth stages based on heat units accumulated after planting (HUAP): 1400 HUAP (late June to early July), 1800 HUAP (mid-July), 2800 HUAP (late August to early September), and 3100 HUAP (mid- to late September). Application timings corresponded to early bloom, peak bloom, late physiological maturity of plants, and preharvest, respectively. A non-sprayed control was also included. Fresh red, green, and non-marketable pod weights were recorded for each treatment in a once-over simulated machine harvest in October and analyzed for statistical differences. Mid- to late-season (2800–3100 HUAP) ethephon treatments significantly decreased undesirable green pod yield and, therefore, increased red pod percentage in four of five environments. Although a red pod yield increase was only observed in one environment (a drip-irrigated plot in 2010), there were no negative impacts on red pod yield in any environment resulting from ethephon application. In addition, pepper quality (yield of unmarketable pods) was not significantly reduced by ethephon. Previous work has focused on increasing red pod yields with mixed results. The results show that ethephon may synchronize cayenne pepper red fruit maturity necessary for mechanical harvest and reduce the labor involved in removing green pods before processing.

Characterization of Lodging Differences in Paprika Pepper

Abstract Three lodging-resistant (LR) and 3 lodging-susceptible (LS) paprika pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) lines were grown from transplants at Bixby, Okla., in 1983. Stem diameter at ground level and number of lodged plants were determined monthly from July through November. Stem diameter increased gradually through 14 Oct. and then leveled off. Number of lodged plants increased sharply between 14 July and 15 Aug., and increased slowly thereafter. On all but the 1st date (14 July), stem diameter was negatively correlated with number of lodged plants. On each date, LR lines averaged larger in stem diameter and lower in number of lodged plants than LS lines. Sample plants were harvested on 28 Oct. On the average, LR plants had larger stem diameters at soil level, greater root weights, and lower shoot:root ratios than LS plants but did not differ from LS plants in shoot weight, number of marketable red pods, and cellulose and lignin content in the lowermost 8 cm of central axis stem tissue. Results should aid in breeding for lodging resistance in paprika pepper.

Natural crossing and the genetics of axil spot in cacao

1. The character Axil spot is due to two complementary factors A and B. 2. Absence of spot breeds true in a varying number of single pod progenies, while other single pod progenies show the presence of dominants due to natural crossing. 3. The amount of natural crossing in Trinidad is in the neighbourhood of 30 per cent. 4. Presence of spot is established to (a) breed true, (b) segregate into present and absent in either the 9∶7 or 3∶1 ratio. The results are partially confirmed by self and cross-fertilisations. 5. Axil spot is completely correlated with red pod. The two factors A and B also affect leaf colour and calyx colour, by producing a stronger colouration in these parts.