A step towards Balkan Capsicum annuum L. core collection: Phenotypic and biochemical characterization of 180 accessions for agronomic, fruit quality, and virus resistance traits

Abstract

Region-specific local landraces represent a germplasm diversity adapted and acclimatized to local conditions, and are ideal to breed for targeted market niches while maintaining the variability of heirloom traits. A collection of 180 pepper accessions, collected from 62 diverse locations across six Balkan countries, were characterized and evaluated for phenotypic and biochemical variation during a multi-year environment. An assortment of 32 agro-morphological, fruit quality, and virus resistance traits were evaluated, and the top 10% accessions were identified. A wide range of trait variation concerning plant architecture, inflorescence and fruit traits, yield and fruit quality was observed, and appreciable variation was noticed. According to hierarchical clustering, six distinct clusters were established based on pre-defined varietal groups. Divergence among accessions for phenotypic and fruit compositional variability was analyzed, and eight principal components were identified that contributed~71% of the variation, with fruit shape, width, wall thickness, weight, and fruit quality traits being the most discriminant. Evaluation of the response to tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) and pepper mild mottle mosaic virus (PMMoV) showed that 24 and 1 accession were resistant, respectively while no tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) resistance was found. Considerable diversity for agro-biomorphological traits indicates the Balkan pepper collection as good gene sources for prebreeding and cultivar development that are locally adapted.

Molecular and Biochemical Characterization of the Greek Pepper (<i>Capsicum annuum</i>) Cultivars ‘Florinis’ and ‘Karatzova’

“…The fact that 'Florinis' cultivar was characterized by high values in more than one biochemical trait was not a surprise as a similar phenomenon has been observed to Balkan culti-vars [Nankar et al, 2020]. Although there are several records on the biochemical traits or properties of various pepper cultivars of the Balkan region [Denev et al, 2019;Nankar et al, 2020], there is a limited number of studies about Greek peppers with emphasis on 'Florinis' cultivar [Niklis et al, 2002;Papathanasiou et al, 2020].…”

“…It is well known that the biochemical properties of peppers are affected by various parameters, such as local environmental factors [Montalvo et al, 2021], growth conditions [Ayodele et al, 2015], and maturity stage [Bae et al, 2014]. Therefore, in order to differentiate cultivars based solely on biochemical properties, it is important to cultivate them under identical conditions [Denev et al, 2019;Nankar et al, 2020]. However, the advantage of ISSR molecular markers is that they are not affected by such parameters, making the differentiation of phenotypically similar cultivars feasible.…”

Phenotypic and Molecular Characterization of Brazilian Capsicum Germplasm

“…Studies related to genetic resources-such as the collection, characterization, and conservation of germplasm-of Capsicum are of great relevance for the preservation of the genetic diversity of the genus and for its use in breeding programs [37,38,[54][55][56][57]. The acquisition and maintenance of germplasm banks are strategies that allow us to explore and expand the genetic variability of the acquired accessions and are fundamental to mitigate the effects of the loss of genetic variability caused by the exploitation of domesticated species [5].…”

Genetic diversity and population structure analysis – a prerequisite for constructing a mini core collection of Balkan Capsicum annuum germplasm

“…up to now, part of the Capsicum annuum accessions with diverse phenotype have been characterized by conventional phenotyping, according to various Capsicum descriptors [30,31]; high-throughput fruit phenotyping using tomato analyser in combination with conventional analysis [32], and by compilation of conventional and high-throughput phenotypic, biochemical and virus resistance analyses [33]; testing for fungal [34] and some important pest infestation [35,36].…”