Chilli Seeds Research Articles

Testing the Quality of Chilli Seeds Resulting from Gamma-Ray Irradiation and Genetic Diversity

Gamma-ray irradiation is used to improve seed germination and plant seedling growth and is a way to increase plant genetic diversity. This research aims to (1) analyze the response of seed irradiation to germination and (2) identify genetic diversity. This study used a Randomized Group Design (RAK), which consisted of 6 treatment levels used, namely R0 = 0 Gry (control), R1 = 100 Gy, R2 = 200 Gy, R3 = 300 Gy, R4 = 400 Gy and R5 = 500 Gy. Each treatment had 20 replications, so there were 100 experimental units. Based on the results of this research show that the reticulum emergence test can be used as a basis for determining the germination and vigor of mutant and non-mutant chili seeds, while the use of the special molecular marker RAPD can be used to determine the level of diversity for mutant chili plants.

Boosting Capsicum annuum Growth Through Non-native Endophytic Bacterial Consortium

Abstract Organic and natural sources of bio-stimulant have a great expectancy to boost green agriculture practices for sustainable, safe, and smart cultivation of crops. In that regard, beneficial endophytic bacteria have great potential. They have unique features in promoting plant growth by colonizing and establishing well in plant roots. In this study, endophytes isolated from the roots of moringa, neem, sesbania, and chilli were screened for crop’s growth-enhancing activities, such as phosphorus (P) solubilization, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic-acid deaminase (ACC deaminase) production, and indole-acetic acid (IAA) production. The phosphorus solubilization, indole-acetic acid production, and ACC deaminase production values fall in the range of 55–88 ppm, 20–164 ppm, and 0.317–0.375 mM, respectively. Chilli seeds’ three highest vigor index (VI) values were attained by MR10 (12,457 VI), MR3 (9450 VI), and MR13 (8730 VI). MR13 showed the highest seed germination energy (221%), followed by MR1 (178%) and MR3 (156%). The promising endophytes were tested on chilli seedlings as single and mixed inoculum treatments to study the efficiency of root colonization. Mixed cultures containing CKR8 and MR13 exhibited the highest seedling height (17.0 cm), followed by MR13, MR10, and MR13 (16.8 cm) compared to the control (12.6 cm). A single culture of MR10 (109.0 g and 13.53 cm2) and a mixed culture of MR10 and MR13 (100.0 g and 13.09 cm2) showed the maximum root length and surface area, respectively. The highest relative chlorophyll content was recorded by MR10 and MR13 (40.3 SPAD value), followed by MR13, MR3, and CKR8 (36.8 SPAD value). The non-native endophytic bacteria, MR13, Streptomyces panaciradicis (GenBank accession no. OM001090), and MR3, Bacillus subtilis (GenBank accession no. OM714810), could colonize the roots and improve the growth of chilli at the seedling growth stage. Graphical Abstract

Enhancing Germination and Seedling Vigour of Interspecific F1 Hybrid Chilli Seeds through Priming with KNO3 and GA3

India is called a home for spices and also involved in the export. Chilli is an indispensable spice, essentially used in every Indian cuisine due to its pungency, taste, appealing odour and flavour. Quality seed is a key component for the successful agriculture, where the main objective is each seed should germinate and produce a vigorous seedling which ensures higher seed yield, productivity and also better storability to achieve good yield in the coming season. To achieve all the above said traits, the seed technologists have developed seed enhancement techniques. Seed enhancement techniques are post-harvest treatment of seeds to enhance the seed germination and seedling growth by facilitating the delivery of seeds with other materials at sowing time. This enhancement technique includes hydration treatments like seed priming and seed encapsulation like seed pelleting, which impacts significantly on seedling emergence and establishment. In this experiment study was conducted different priming treatments, seeds primed with KNO3 @ 1%, 2% and 3% and seeds primed with GA3 @ 50 ppm, 100 ppm and 150 ppm, the seeds treated with KNO3 @ 1% showed highest germination percentage, root, shoot, seedling length, seedling dry weight and seedling vigour index I and II which was followed by GA3 @ 50 ppm. Acknowledge of proper priming techniques in order to improve the germination in the seeds.

Green synthesis of chitosan silver nanocomposites and their antifungal activity against Colletotrichum truncatum causing anthracnose in chillies

Biopolymer-based metal nanocomposites are gaining importance due to their safety, stability, and ease of synthesis. Chitosan and silver-based nanoparticles have been found to be effective as anti-fungal agents. In this study, we tested the fungicidal effect of green synthesized chitosan silver nanocomposites (CS-AgNPs) against the chilli anthracnose pathogen Colletotrichum truncatum (syn. C. capsici). The nanoparticles were synthesized at 90 ± 1 °C under alkaline condition. Chitosan was used as a reducing and stabilizing agent in the synthesis. The formation of nanoparticles (NPs) was indicated by a change in the colour of the solution to yellow. UV-Visible spectroscopy of the synthesized nanoparticles showed a surface plasmon resonance peak between 406 and 420 nm. The synthesized silver nanoparticles were small, and the average particle size distribution was 4 nm, as characterized by TEM and FESEM. The Zeta potential measurement of the synthesized nanoparticles ranged from + 41.9 mV and + 50.5 mV. The nanoparticles were further characterized by XRD and FTIR analysis. The nanocomposites showed antifungal activity against C. truncatum in an in vitro conidial germination assay even at a concentration of 0.0005%. In vivo assay using detached chilli fruit (Capsicum annuum) showed that the nanocomposites significantly inhibited anthracnose in both preventive and curative measures. Even when applied at a concentration of 0.0625%, the nanocomposites exhibited growth-promoting activity with chilli seeds. Thus, the synthesized nanocomposites have a dual benefit of growth promotion as well as an effective antifungal agent in preventing postharvest anthracnose disease in chilli.

Budidaya Tanaman Cabe Rawit Untuk Membantu Ekonomi Penyandang Disabilitas Di Yayasan Insan Berguna Nusantara

Cayenne pepper, or chilli, is a fruit and plant belonging to the Capsicum genus. Apart from Indonesia, it also grows and is famous as a cooking spice in other Southeast Asian countries. In Malaysia and Singapore, it is called chilli padi; in the Philippines, silinglabuyo; and in Thailand, phrikkhi nu. In Kerala, India, there is a traditional dish that uses cayenne pepper and is called kantharimulagu. It is known as Thai pepper or bird's eye chilli pepper in English. Cayenne pepper pods change colour from green to red when ripe. Despite being smaller than other chilli varieties, it is moderately hot, with a spiciness of 50,000 – 100,000 on the Scoville scale. Insan Berguna Nusantara (IBNU) is one of the foundations whose members are a group of people with disabilities; they don't have regular jobs as usual like ordinary people. Therefore, they do business according to their abilities. One of them is by cultivating chilli plants to support their economy. However, the quality of their chillies has decreased and made them restless. So we from the Faculty of Agriculture provide a solution so that the rate of their chilli production increases and they can produce the chilli they want by doing direct practice on cayenne pepper cultivation. Apart from training, we also provide counselling on proper cultivation and maintenance so that chillies grow well according to their needs. Besides that, we also offer assistance in the form of materials for chilli cultivation, such as polybags, chilli seeds, chilli seeds, NPK fertilizer, manure, black soil and pesticides. After the training was carried out, there was an increase in knowledge of 100%

Forecasting Agricultural Seeds Sales System Using The Additive Holt-Winters Method

Buana Seed is an agricultural business sector that sells various kinds of agricultural seeds, such as: chilli seeds, Servo tomato seeds, and Ranti tomato seeds. The problem found was the sale of seeds that was not optimal, because the owner used the previous period's sales as a reference. Due to an error in determining the number of seeds to be sown, there is often an overstock or understock. An information system is needed to assist seeders in determining the number of seeds to be sown. The forecasting method used is the "Additive Holt-Winters" method where the data used is sales data for each seed from January 2019 to August 2021. This method is based on three elements, namely linear, trend and seasonal data elements by giving three weights respectively in their predictions, namely α, β, and γ. There were 10 combinations of alpha (α), beta (β), and gamma (γ) made in the calculation. The accuracy value will be calculated using MAPE. MAPE results from each combination are different. The results of this forecasting calculation will be a reference in determining the seeds to be sown so that sales become optimal.

Seed Bio-priming Mediated Control of Cercospora Leaf Spot and Bacterial Wilt Disease Resistance in Chilli (Capsicum annuum L.) under New Alluvial Zone

The potential bio-control agents Trichoderma harzianum, and Pseudomonas fluorescens in alone or combinationwere used as seed bio-priming for reviewing their efficacy in the reduction of the devastating diseases, theCercospora leaf spot (Cercosporacapsici) and Bacterial wilt (Ralstonia solanacearum) of chilli (Capsicum annuumL.). Considering two important seasons, the Rabi season was comparatively vital as its disease severity wasmore. In chilli, the disease index was significantly reduced in combining the Trichoderma harzianum +Pseudomonas fluorescens treated seeds, followed by the T. harzianum treatment compared to the control (hydroprimed)against cercospora leaf spot of chilli. In case of Bacterial wilt, it was found that T3 followedbyPseudomonas fluorescens treated seeds. Chilli seeds were primed with Trichoderma harzianum + Pseudomonasfluorescens revealed maximum disease protection that was displaying favour in pre-kharif and early stage(35DAS) in comparison to rabi and 60DAS of chilli production. The ability of genotype indicated variationwhere the distinct variation was noticeable in V2 (G-4) mentioning its high tolerance at 35DAS. Theapplication of combined bio-priming may be suitable to control both Cercospora leaf spot and Bacterial wiltof chilli.

Effect of seed treatments on seed germination and seedling parameters in the F2 generation of mundu chilli (Capsicum annum L.)

Germination in chilli seeds is poor and the duration taken for the germination is long. In order to overcome their problems in germination, the seeds were to be subjected to seed treatments, So that the germination would be effective. The experiment was conducted at the Department of Vegetable Science HC & RI, Tami Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), Periyakulam to study the effect of seed treatment views on the seedling character of mundu chilli. The experiment was laid in FCRD design with three replications. In this study, four F2 crosses viz., PKM CA 20 X PKM CA 08 (C1), PKM CA 32 X PKM CA 33 (C2), PKM CA 32 X PKM CA 20 (C3), PKM CA 38 X PKM CA 33 (C4) and seven treatments namely, Control (T0), Seed treatment with KNO3 0.5% (T1), Seed treatment GA3 50 ppm (T2), Seed treatment with NAA 100 ppm (T3), Hot water seed treatment at 60° C for 15 minutes (T4), Seed treatment with cow urine (T5), Seed treatment with Trichoderma viride (T6). Among all F2 crosses, PKM CA 38 X PKM CA 33 (C4) was most responsive to seed treatments in terms of the percent of seed germination and vigor index, followed by progeny PKM CA 32 X PKM CA 33 (C2) for root length and PKM CA 32 X PKM CA 20 (C3) for shoot length. The statistical analysis of the data showed the superiority of all the seed treatments over the control. The GA₃ treatment resulted in the maximum percentage of seed germination, root length, shoot length and vigor index followed by KNO3. GA3 breaks the dormancy in the seeds and induces seed germination rapidly. Thus GA3 finds its way as the seed treatment agent in chilli.

Effects of gamma irradiation on agromorphological characteristics of chili (Capsicum annuum L.) var. Kulai

The increasing demand for chilli has drawn the interest of chilli breeders to improve the production of this crop. Mutation breeding is applied in many crops improvement programs as it can rapidly create the variability of inherited traits in crops. This study evaluates the effects of irradiation doses of radioactive cobalt (60Co) γ rays on seed performances, morphological characteristics and yield of chilli (Capsicum annum L.) var. Kulai grown under laboratory and glasshouse conditions. The chilli seeds were treated with gamma radiation at 0, 20, 40, 60, 80, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500 and 600 Gy. The effect of gamma-rays was assessed towards germination, survival rate and several morphological characteristics. From the observation, seeds from all treatments were germinated (100%) in 10 days. However, the gamma radiation affects the survival rate, fruit length, fruit weight, plant height, and most of the results were lower upon exposure to higher doses particularly 100 Gy and above. Germination rate, plant height, plant survival rate and other morphological characteristics of the irradiated plant were observed to improve at lower doses (40, 60 and 80 Gy). Apparently, lower gamma-ray doses (<100 Gy) were more suitable to study the effect on seed germination as well as other morphological characters of Capsicum annuum L. especially Kulai variety. Mutagenic dose of 300 Gy was estimated as the LD50 for Kulai variety. The findings of this study provide useful information for mutation breeding in Capsicum annuum L. using gamma radiation for future breeding programmes in chilli.

Inhibitory Test of Endophtic Fungal Metabolites on the Growth of Chilli Seed-Borne Pathogenic Fungi Aspergillus fumigatus

Endophytic fungi are one of the microbes that have been widely used as biological control agents. Endophytic fungi produce metabolites that can inhibit the growth of pathogenic fungi on plants. This study aims to determine the ability of the metabolite compounds produced by endophytic fungi in inhibiting the growth of pathogenic fungi carried by chilli seeds. The method used was the culture of pathogenic fungi, the production of endophytic fungi metabolites using PDYB media and the inhibitory activity of endophytic fungi metabolites on the growth of chilli seed-borne pathogenic fungi Aspergillus fumigatus. The conclusion from the results of the study was that from 2 test isolates the percentage of CECL 38 inhibition against pathogen growth of Aspergillus fumigatus was 50,52% and CECL 19 was 1979%

Mutagenic potential of cadmium nitrate [Cd(NO3)2] and ethyl-methane sulphonate [EMS] in quantitative and cyto-physiological characters of Capsicum annum L. cultivars

Mutation breeding sustained food demand of the world through the introduction of desirable changes in the plants at the phenotypic as well as genotypic level. The study was primarily based on the aspects of beneficial and harmful effects of cadmium nitrate [Cd(NO 3 ) 2 ] and ethyl-methane sulphonate (EMS) as mutagenic agents in cyto-physiological and quantitative characters in Capsicum annum L. cultivars. The chilli seeds were treated with different concentrations of Cd(NO 3 ) 2 (0.01%, 0.02%, 0.03%, 0.04%, and 0.05%) and different concentrations of EMS (0.10%, 0.25%, 0.50%,0.75%, and 1.00%) alone to induce the cyto-physiological and quantitative changes and also to assess the mutagenicity of both chemicals. The results were revealed that Cd(NO 3 ) 2 has more toxic effects even in low concentrations than EMS with high concentrations. A high frequency of distortive chromosomes was found under treatment of Cd(NO 3 ) 2 while EMS revealed the least chromosomal effects. The physiological parameters were also recorded and results shown a decreasing trend in all the characters. The yield and yield contributing characters were recorded to moderate with increasing concentrations of Cd(NO 3 ) 2 while in EMS treated it decreased with increasing concentrations and showed some positive effects. The stomata aperture is reduced to close at high concentration of Cd(NO 3 ) 2 while EMS has little effect on stomata movement. The proline content and superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzyme activity increased with the increasing concentration of Cd(NO 3 ) 2 , whereas a small increment in proline content and SOD activity also was reported in EMS at higher concentrations. The mutagenic efficiency of a chemical mutagen can be calculated by determining the effectiveness of inducing the trait of interest in chilli crop plants having a narrow genetic base. The following changes in chilli cultivars can be further used to improve the quantitative and physiological characters through the plant breeding programs.

Engineering Properties of Chilli Fruit Relevant to the Design and Evaluation of Chilli Seed Extractor for Hilly Region of Kashmir Valley

Engineering Properties of Chilli Fruit Relevant to the Design and Evaluation of Chilli Seed Extractor for Hilly Region of Kashmir Valley

Germinability and Seedling Growth Performance of Chilli (Capsicum annuum) Seeds in Response to Different Gibberellic Acid Concentrations Pre-Treatment

Chilli seeds are always associated with physiological dormancy characteristics or endogenous dormancy that has affected their germination potential. Problems noticed on the low seed germination rate, vigour growth, further may lead to the poor seedling growth pattern of chilli crop production. Gibberellic Acid (GA3) which is usually used as a treatment solution is not a new advent of seed dormancy breaking methods for chilli. But, looking forwards to a better GA3 concentration is still needed for the discovery of this treatment potential effect on chilli seed germinability and seedling growth. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of different GA3 concentrations on seed emergence and seedling growth performance in chilli. In this experiment, chilli seeds were imbibed with 25 mg/L, 75 mg/L and 125 mg/L concentration of GA3 with three replications each; for 24 hours at room temperature (32±4°C) and the untreated seeds as a control. The data collection on final germination percentage was taken daily for 21 days after sowing. While the 15 germinated seeds were directly planted on the 5 polybags arranged in the net house of Junaidy Jonik Farm, Sabah, Malaysia. The experiment was arranged in a completely randomized design with three replications. Data were subjected to analysis of variance with SAS version 9.4 and the significant means were separated by the least significant difference test at P<0.05. Significant differences were observed in the seed germinability measured; germination rate index (GRI), mean germination time (MGT) and final germination percentage (FGP), as well as on seedling vigour index (SVI) between treated and control seeds. Conversely, plant height, number of internodes, number of leaves and fresh weight of seedlings showed no significant differences among treatments. It was concluded that the use of GA3 was able to enhance chilli seeds germinability and could display a better SVI than the control. It is recommended to use GA3 treatment at 25 mg/L of concentration, as it may give an advantage to both economic and biological importance in producing higher germinability and seedling growth performance in chilli.

Evaluation of Antifungal Activity of Some Plant Extractives

In vitro antifungal activity of thirty two extractives of seven plants obtained using hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol were tested against the mycelial growth of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. Among these extractives, ethyl acetate extractives of onion seeds, chilli seeds and chilli pericarps and methanol extractives of chilli seeds and chilli pericarps exhibited more than 20 % mycelial growth inhibition at a concentration of 0.5 % level. Methanol extractives of Solanum viarum berries and ethyl acetate extractive of soybean leaves exhibited more than 20 % mycelial growth inhibition at a concentration of 1.0 % level. Thin layer chromatographic bioautography showed that hexane and ethyl acetate extractives of onion seeds, chilli seeds and chilli pericarps exhibited spore germination inhibition of Cladosporium cucumerinum at a dose of 1.0 mg.

Germinability and Seedling Growth Performance of Chilli (Capsicum annuum) Seeds in Response to Different Gibberellic Acid Concentrations Pre-Treatment

Chilli seeds are always associated with physiological dormancy characteristics or endogenous dormancy that has affected their germination potential. Problems noticed on the low seed germination rate, vigour growth, further may lead to the poor seedling growth pattern of chilli crop production. Gibberellic Acid (GA3) which is usually used as a treatment solution is not a new advent of seed dormancy breaking methods for chilli. But, looking forwards to a better GA3 concentration is still needed for the discovery of this treatment potential effect on chilli seed germinability and seedling growth. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of different GA3 concentrations on seed emergence and seedling growth performance in chilli. In this experiment, chilli seeds were imbibed with 25 mg/L, 75 mg/L and 125 mg/L concentration of GA3 with three replications each; for 24 hours at room temperature (32±4°C) and the untreated seeds as a control. The data collection on final germination percentage was taken daily for 21 days after sowing. While the 15 germinated seeds were directly planted on the 5 polybags arranged in the net house of Junaidy Jonik Farm, Sabah, Malaysia. The experiment was arranged in a completely randomized design with three replications. Data were subjected to analysis of variance with SAS version 9.4 and the significant means were separated by the least significant difference test at P<0.05. Significant differences were observed in the seed germinability measured; germination rate index (GRI), mean germination time (MGT) and final germination percentage (FGP), as well as on seedling vigour index (SVI) between treated and control seeds. Conversely, plant height, number of internodes, number of leaves and fresh weight of seedlings showed no significant differences among treatments. It was concluded that the use of GA3 was able to enhance chilli seeds germinability and could display a better SVI than the control. It is recommended to use GA3 treatment at 25 mg/L of concentration, as it may give an advantage to both economic and biological importance in producing higher germinability and seedling growth performance in chilli.

Biopriming chilli seeds with Trichoderma asperellum: A study on biopolymer compatibility with seed and biocontrol agent for disease suppression

In this study, the biocontrol agent, Trichoderma asperellum, was bioprimed onto chilli seeds using several biopolymers (sodium alginate, carboxymethylcellulose, gum arabic, xanthan gum). T. asperellum showed >60 % growth inhibition towards Fusarium solani and Pythium ultimum, and is used subsequently for all tests. The compatibility of biopolymers to seed and T. asperellum, and the performance of the bioprimed seeds in tolerating disease is then assessed. Results showed that 1.5 % w:v sodium alginate (SA1.5) (imbibed for 1 h) has the highest compatibility with chilli seeds, with percentage of germination at 77.78 ± 4.44 %, seed vigour index at 320.79 ± 58.14 and germination rate at 1.27 ± 0.06. This treatment (SA1.5) also resulted in high coating efficacy, retaining 83.17 % of viable spores on chilli seeds and maintaining spore viability (4.08 ± 0.03 log spore/seed) after 24 h post-biopriming. SEM observations revealed high distribution of spores on chilli seeds with the use of SA1.5. With a treatment of just 102 spores/mL, the bioprimed seeds were able to suppress disease severity (DS) by F. solani in potted trials (27.33 ± 4.04 % DS). This is attributed to mycoparasitic properties of T. asperellum. Under F. solani infection, low proline level was recorded in bioprimed seedlings (0.94 ± 0.01 µmol/g fr. wt.) compared to non-bioprimed seedlings (5.05 ± 0.13 µmol/g fr. wt.), suggesting T. asperellum protected seedlings from pathogen. By contrast, the formulation of T. asperellum was less effective towards P. ultimum, as relatively high proline level (3.37 ± 0.05 µmol/g fr. wt.) and a lower total phenolic content (99.61 ± 4.29 mg GAE/100 g fr. wt.) were recorded. To conclude, our results revealed the compatibility of biopolymers, specifically sodium alginate with chilli seeds and T. asperellum, leading to enhanced efficacy in seed biopriming and seed tolerance to infection by F. solani.

EFFECT OF INDIVIDUAL AND COMBINED APPLICATION OF Trichoderma sp. AND VERMICOMPOST ON THE MANAGEMENT OF Sclerotium rolfsii AND GROWTH OF CHILLI UNDER PEATLANDS AGRO-CLIMATIC CONDITIONS

This study was conducted to evaluate the biocontrol potential of Trichoderma sp., and vermicompost on the management of Sclerotium rolfsii and chilli plant growth under peatlands agro-climatic conditions. The research was conducted under the laboratory as well field condition of Palangka Raya University in a completely randomized factorial design. As a treatment, four doses of Trichoderma sp. i.e. 0, 5, 10, and 15 g/box, and three doses of Vermicompost i.e. 0, 100, and 200g/ box was used individually and in combination and each treatment have three replications. Three kilograms of sterilized peat soil planting media were placed in the 36 plastic boxes and Trichoderma sp., and vermicompost was applied 1 week before the chilli seeds are planted. After 10 weeks of plantations, observations related to the disease intensity and chilli growth and yield were recorded. The results of the study revealed a synergistic effect of Trichoderma sp. and vermicompost combination in controlling the stem rot disease caused by S. rolfsii. Individual and combined application of Trichoderma and vermicompost had an effective range of 73.33-100% over the control. Further, among the various tested treatments, a combination of Trichoderma sp @ 5g/box with vermicompost @ 200g/box and individual application of Trichoderma sp @ 10g/box were found superior in the management of stem rot disease. In the case of chilli growth parameters, the results of the study suggested that the application of vermicompost had a significant effect on the chilli plant's growth and yield, while the application of Trichoderma sp. significantly affects the chilli plants number of leaves.

Study the Market Competitiveness and Its Performance in Green Chilli Seeds Market

The green chilli seeds market is majorly controlled by private companies in India. As a result, private companies are trying to make a profit with good quality seeds along with taking the good promotion activities in the market. The study was taken in Hassan district of Karnataka, India. In this study to know the market structure, the Herfindal Index was used and it found that East–West Company had a market share of 55.12 per cent followed by Seminis seeds with 22.44 per cent. Herfindal Index was 3,762.75 which depicted a moderate degree of concentration in the green chilli seed market in the study area. To know the performance of each selected company in the green chill market was calculated with help of a grid. The East-West and Beejo Sheetal companies performance was equal in the market. The display of product, appropriating schemes and distribution depth of East-West seeds company was foremost because the East-West company seeds come in metal box package which makes them appear more attractive, quality protected and prove to less damage during transit.

Wi-Fi Radiation Negatively Influences Plant Growth and Biochemical Responses of Capsicum annuum L var. Pusa Jwala

Background:: Internet browsing has become an indispensable part of day-to-day life. Computers and the internet have occupied almost all sectors of human life. However, it is an artificial source of electromagnetic radiation, which has adverse effects on all living things in dose-dependant manner. Objective:: To understand the impact of electromagnetic radiations on plant, Capsicum annuum L. var. Pusa jwala emitted by Wi-Fi routers. Methods:: For the germination experiment, Chilli seeds were kept in close vicinity (5 cm) of a Wi-- Fi router for 10 days. For growth and biochemical analysis, different growth and biochemical attributes were studied after 21 days of exposure. Control seeds/plants were kept in another room with almost identical conditions like light, temperature, etc. Plant growth was measured in terms of fresh weight, shoot length, root length, leaf length, leaf breadth and leaf area index. In Biochemical analysis, chlorophyll-a, chlorophyll-b, total chlorophyll, soluble protein, lipid peroxidation and proline contents were measured as per standard protocols. Results:: The seed germination in the vicinity of the Wi-Fi router was reduced to 75% and other growth-related parameters like root and shoot length, leaf length, leaf width, leaf area index and fresh weight were significantly reduced. In the biochemical analysis, chlorophyll pigments (Chl. a, b and total chlorophyll) were observed to be reduced by 4.8, 7.2 and 5.7 fold, respectively and protein content reduced by 1.5 fold under the influence of electromagnetic radiations. The product of lipid peroxidation (malondialdehyde) (18 fold) and proline content (10 fold) was found to be increased synergistically. Conclusion:: The electromagnetic radiations emitted by the Wi-Fi router have a negative influence on the growth and biochemical responses in Chilli plants.

Systemic Resistance in Chilli Pepper against Anthracnose (Caused by Colletotrichum truncatum) Induced by Trichoderma harzianum, Trichoderma asperellum and Paenibacillus dendritiformis

In the present study, Paenibacillus dendritiformis, Trichoderma harzianum, and Trichoderma asperellum were appraised as potential biocontrol agents that induce resistance in chilli (Capsicum annuum) against the devastating pathogen Colletotrichum truncatum, which causes anthracnose. Bright-field and scanning electron micrographs showed the hyphal degradation, lysis, and abnormal swelling in C. truncatum against P. dendritiformis in a dual plate assay. Under greenhouse conditions, chilli seeds pretreated with P. dendritiformis, T. asperellum, T. harzianum, and T. asperellum + T. harzianum by soil soak method inflicted an induced systemic resistance (ISR) in chilli against a C. truncatum-challenged condition. In chilli, the disease index percentage was significantly reduced in the T. asperellum + T. harzianum-treated seeds, followed by the T. harzianum-, T. asperellum-, and P. dendritiformis-treated seeds as compared to the untreated and challenged, respectively. Chilli seeds were primed with T. asperellum + T. harzianum (78.67%), which revealed maximum disease protection under the challenged condition, followed by T. harzianum (70%), T. asperellum (64%), and P. dendritiformis (56%) as compared to untreated and C. truncatum-challenged (6%) condition served as control. The seeds that were pretreated with biocontrol agents (BCAs) inflicted ISR against C. truncatum by enhancing the activity of defence-related enzymes (superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POX), polyphenol oxidase (PPO), catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), guaiacol peroxidase (GPX) and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL)), accumulating phenolic compounds, and increasing the relative chlorophyll content in chilli. Nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) and 3,3′-Diaminobenzidine (DAB) stains were used to detect the accumulation of superoxide anion and hydrogen peroxide that appeared nearby the fungal infection sites. The accumulation of reactive oxygen species (O2− and H2O2) in the pathogen-inoculated leaves was a maximum of 48 hpi, followed by P. dendritiformis, T. asperellum, T. harzianum, and T. asperellum + T. harzianum treated tissue upon C. truncatum-challenged condition as compared to the control. Overall, our results showed the potential of T. harzianum, T. asperellum, and P. dendritiformis as biocontrol agents that prevent infection by C. truncatum and inflict an induced systemic resistance in chilli by enhancing the biosynthesis of phenolic compounds, defence and antioxidative enzymes, and reducing the lesion development and reactive oxygen species accumulation. This is the first report of induced systemic resistance against anthracnose in chilli obtained by application of T. harzianum, T. asperellum and P. dendritiformis, through seed priming.