Physiological changes and antioxidant enzymes activity in Biquinho and Malagueta pepper seeds during the maturation process

Abstract

Seeds held inside fleshy fruits after harvest can continue metabolically active, the process of maturation is not interrupted, which can promote the increase on germination and vigour. Also, during maturation and fruit after-ripening period, changes in the mechanisms of protection against oxidative damage can occur, including the activity of antioxidant enzymes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the physiological quality and enzymatic activity of antioxidant defense system of Capsicum chinense Jacq. Represented by the Biquinho pepper and Capsicum frutescens L. represented by the Malagueta pepper seeds, collected from fruits at different developmental stages and subjected to post-harvest storage. Fruits harvested at 40, 55 and 70 days after anthesis (DAA) were stored at 25 °C, for 0, 6, 12 and 18 days. Seeds were evaluated for germination and accelerated aging tests. In addition, the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase and peroxidase were determined. For both species, seed from fruits collected at 70 DAA, presenting red colour, have higher germination and vigour compared to the seeds harvested at 40 and 55 DAA. The harvest of the fruits on this stage is recommended for obtain high quality seeds. The after-ripening of Biquinho pepper seeds harvested at 55 DAA contribute to increase the germination potential of the seed, while for Malagueta seeds this procedure has little benefit. The catalase enzyme has great potential to monitor the physiological quality of Biquinho and Malagueta pepper seeds; low activity of this enzyme in seeds during the fruits after-ripening is related to better physiological quality.

Relationship between internal morphology and physiological quality of pepper seeds during fruit maturation and storage

“…The present work showed that high quality seeds can be obtained from yellow and orange fruits, and the seed quality can be improved by post‐harvest storage (Figure ). It is important to emphasize that both seed density (Figure 1b, 1d) and seed filling (Figure 1f) increased with the post‐harvest storage of the fruits for 7 and 14 d. These results reinforce the hypothesis that the maturation process continues to occur in pepper seeds kept inside the fruit during storage (Araújo et al., ; Gonçalves et al., ; Queiroz et al., ; Ricci et al., ; Vidigal et al., ), which ultimately enhances their physiological quality. Thus, it is hypothesized that the fruit tissue provides mass and energy for the seed during the storage allowing the continuation of the seed maturation process.…”

“…The post‐harvest storage of fruits, prior to seed extraction, has been regarded as an economical and simple alternative for improving the physiological quality of seeds of many species, as was previously reported for pepper (Araújo et al., ; Gonçalves et al., ; Queiroz et al., ; Ricci et al., ; Vidigal et al., ). The present work showed that high quality seeds can be obtained from yellow and orange fruits, and the seed quality can be improved by post‐harvest storage (Figure ).…”

“…pendulum (Gonçalves et al., ), Capsicum annuum L. (Ricci, Pacheco, Conde, & Custódio, ), Capsicum frutescens L. and Capsicum chinense Jacq. (Araújo et al., ).…”

Biomorphological Characterization of Brazilian Capsicum Chinense Jacq. Germplasm

“…The assessment of genetic diversity in chili pepper collections is traditionally performed using phenotypic descriptors such as flower and fruit attributes, plant architecture, growth habits and others [19,[24][25][26]. Germplasm resources in a gene banks can be more detailed and reliable if morphological traits are associated with the molecular markers which can often lead to more accurate genetic information and better distinction between accessions since they are stable and detectable in all tissues regardless the plant development stage.…”

Antioxidant enzyme activity and physiological potential of Capsicum baccatum var. baccatum seeds as a function of post-harvest storage of fruit

“…In that regard, post-harvest storage of fleshy fruit is a strategy adopted by producers for the purpose of making the maturity stage more uniform and, in many cases, it can assist in improving the quality and/or breaking the dormancy of seeds in many crops. Recently, many studies report the beneficial effect of post-harvest storage of fruit on the quality of different pepper species (Araújo et al, 2018;Gonçalves et al, 2018;Martínez-Muñoz et al, 2019;Medeiros et al, 2020).…”