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Introduction: The majority of peppers in the US for fresh market and processing are handpicked, and harvesting can account for 20-50% of production costs. Innovation in mechanical harvesting would increase availability; lower the costs of local, healthy vegetable products; and perhaps improve food safety and expand markets. Most processed peppers require removal of pedicels (stem and calyx) from the fruit, but lack of an efficient mechanical process for this operation has hindered adoption of mechanical harvest. In this paper, we present characterization and advancements in breeding green chile peppers for mechanical harvesting. Specifically, we describe inheritance and expression of an easy-destemming trait derived from the landrace UCD-14 that facilitates machine harvest of green chiles. Methods: A torque gauge was used for measuring bending forces similar to those of a harvester and applied to two biparental populations segregating for destemming force and rate. Genotyping by sequencing was used to generate genetic maps for quantitative trait locus (QTL) analyses. Results: A major destemming QTL was found on chromosome 10 across populations and environments. Eight additional population and/or environment-specific QTL were also identified. Chromosome 10 QTL markers were used to help introgress the destemming trait into jalapeño-type peppers. Low destemming force lines combined with improvements in transplant production enabled mechanical harvest of destemmed fruit at a rate of 41% versus 2% with a commercial jalapeńo hybrid. Staining for the presence of lignin at the pedicel/fruit boundary indicated the presence of an abscission zone and homologs of genes known to affect organ abscission were found under several QTL, suggesting that the easy-destemming trait may be due to the presence and activation of a pedicel/fruit abscission zone. Conclusion: Presented here are tools to measure the easy-destemming trait, its physiological basis, possible molecular pathways, and expression of the trait in various genetic backgrounds. Mechanical harvest of destemmed mature green chile fruits was achieved by combining easy-destemming with transplant management.

Introduction: The majority of peppers in the US for fresh market and processing are handpicked, and harvesting can account for 20–50% of production costs. Innovation in mechanical harvesting would increase availability; lower the costs of local, healthy vegetable products; and perhaps improve food safety and expand markets. Most processed peppers require removal of pedicels (stem and calyx) from the fruit, but lack of an efficient mechanical process for this operation has hindered adoption of mechanical harvest. In this paper, we present characterization and advancements in breeding green chile peppers for mechanical harvesting. Specifically, we describe inheritance and expression of an easy-destemming trait derived from the landrace UCD-14 that facilitates machine harvest of green chiles.Methods: A torque gauge was used for measuring bending forces similar to those of a harvester and applied to two biparental populations segregating for destemming force and rate. Genotyping by sequencing was used to generate genetic maps for quantitative trait locus (QTL) analyses.Results: A major destemming QTL was found on chromosome 10 across populations and environments. Eight additional population and/or environment-specific QTL were also identified. Chromosome 10 QTL markers were used to help introgress the destemming trait into jalapeño-type peppers. Low destemming force lines combined with improvements in transplant production enabled mechanical harvest of destemmed fruit at a rate of 41% versus 2% with a commercial jalapeńo hybrid. Staining for the presence of lignin at the pedicel/fruit boundary indicated the presence of an abscission zone and homologs of genes known to affect organ abscission were found under several QTL, suggesting that the easy-destemming trait may be due to the presence and activation of a pedicel/fruit abscission zone.Conclusion: Presented here are tools to measure the easy-destemming trait, its physiological basis, possible molecular pathways, and expression of the trait in various genetic backgrounds. Mechanical harvest of destemmed mature green chile fruits was achieved by combining easy-destemming with transplant management.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of different organic mulch materials and thicknesses in controlling weeds, improving soil temperature and moisture, and increasing crop yield in Capsicum annuum L. cultivation. The experiment was conducted in 2022, using three types of mulch materials (grass, chopped paper, wheat straw) and three different thicknesses (5 cm, 10 cm, 15 cm). A total of 22 weed species were identified in the experimental area, and statistical analysis revealed significant differences in all parameters between the mulch treatments and the control group. The use of organic mulch resulted in better weed control, with an increase in mulch thickness corresponding to greater suppression of annual weed species. The highest effect on weed dry weight was observed in the 15-cm paper mulch, which also produced the highest yield (3940.48 kg/da). The study also showed that soil temperature was lower and soil moisture was higher in all mulch treatments compared to the bare soil control group, with some fluctuations observed at times. Overall, the findings suggest that the use of organic mulch is crucial in arid and semi-arid regions for effective weed control, water conservation, improved water efficiency, reduced soil evaporation, and increased pepper yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This editorial summarizes the main scientific contributions from 11 papers comprising the Special Issue (SI) "Molecular Basis of Crops and Fruit Plants in Response to Stress". Here, we collected papers from different research groups encompassing molecular studies from monocots (ginger, rice, maize) and eudicots (common hazel, cowpea, pepper, soybean, tomato) species submitted to abiotic stresses as heat, cold, salt, drought, and heavy metals or biotic stresses induced by different viruses, such as BPEV, PepGMV, PMMoV, and TEV. These studies explored different aspects of molecular mechanisms involved in plant stress tolerance, establishing comparative analyses among genotypes/cultivars to identify potential molecular markers of stresses that are now available for future application in biotechnological studies. This SI presents a collection of advanced concepts and emerging strategies for readers and researchers aiming to accelerate plant breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The pepper [Capsicum annuum L. (Solanales: Solanaceae)] is one of the most economically important vegetable crops and the demand for peppers has been increasing. In the process of pepper crop growth, the types and quantity of insect pests are increasing, which has become the first natural biological disaster threatening crop yield and quality. In particular, the green peach aphid [Myzus persicae Sulzer (Hemiptera: Aphididae)] is one of the most threatening insect pests in pepper cultivation, which causes a lot of damage, such as necrosis, wilting, chlorosis, and defoliation. Hence, accurately recognizing and counting the aphids is essential for ensuring the excellent productivity of pepper crops. Due to the time-consuming and inefficient work of traditional methods, there have been deep learning methods for crop pest recognition and counting in recent years. The YOLO algorithm is one of the most effective deep learning algorithms used for object detection. To investigate aphid recognition and counting of pepper crop growth, this paper develops an improved YOLOv5 approach based on a deep convolutional neural network (CNN) in the climate chamber environment. Experimental results in the aphid dataset indicate that the proposed method can achieve significant improvements in terms of recognition accuracy and counting performance. Due to changes in light intensity, varying degrees of aphid aggregation, and small scales in the climate chamber environment, accurately identifying and counting aphids remains a challenge. In this paper, an improved YOLOv5 aphid detection model based on CNN is proposed to address aphid recognition and counting. First, to reduce the overfitting problem of insufficient data, the proposed YOLOv5 model uses an image enhancement method combining Mosaic and GridMask to expand the aphid dataset. Second, a convolutional block attention mechanism (CBAM) is proposed in the backbone layer to improve the recognition accuracy of aphid small targets. Subsequently, the feature fusion method of bi-directional feature pyramid network (BiFPN) is employed to enhance the YOLOv5 neck, further improving the recognition accuracy and speed of aphids; in addition, a Transformer structure is introduced in front of the detection head to investigate the impact of aphid aggregation and light intensity on recognition accuracy. Experiments have shown that, through the fusion of the proposed methods, the model recognition accuracy and recall rate can reach 99.1%, the value mAP@0.5 can reach 99.3%, and the inference time can reach 9.4 ms, which is significantly better than other YOLO series networks. Moreover, it has strong robustness in actual recognition tasks and can provide a reference for pest prevention and control in climate chambers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document discusses the trends and prospects of genetic and molecular research in plants, particularly in relation to crop breeding and increasing crop productivity. The article highlights the challenges posed by climate change and the need to meet the growing global demand for food. It emphasizes the importance of utilizing breeding methods based on plant physiology, genetics, and molecular research to overcome these challenges. The document also provides an overview of various studies and research papers focused on topics such as transcriptome analysis, epigenetics, genome analysis, gene editing, and plant stress-related studies. Overall, the document aims to contribute to the development of breeding technology and the improvement of crops to ensure food security and provide valuable breeding resources. [Extracted from the article]

The ability of soil microorganisms and organic manures to convert insoluble phosphorus (P) to an accessible form offers a biological rescue system for improving P solubilization and utilization in soil-plant systems. Our objective was to examine the P supplying capacity of soluble P fertilizers (SPF) i.e. single super phosphate (SSP) and di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) and insoluble rock phosphate (RP) after adding phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB) and poultry manure (PM) and their subsequent effect on the growth, yield and P-utilization efficiency (PUE) of chill (Capsicum annuum L.). An incubation study was carried-out on a sandy loam neutral soil with twelve treatments including T0: control; T1: RP; T2: SSP; T3: DAP; T4: PM; T5: 1=2 RP + 1=2 SSP; T6: 1=2 RP + 1=2 DAP; T7: 1=2 RP + 1=2 PM; T8: RP + PSB; T9: 1=2 RP + 1=2 SSP + PSB; T10: 1=2 RP + 1=2 DAP + PSB; T11: 1=2 RP + 1=2 PM + PSB. Phosphorus release capacity of added amendments was measured by analyzing extractable P from the amended soil incubated under controlled condition at 25°C for 0, 5, 15, 25, 35, 60 days period. To complement the incubation study, a greenhouse experiment was conducted in pots with chilli (Capsicum annuum L.) used as a test crop. Growth, yield, P-uptake and PUE of the chilli was determined during the study. Results indicated that P release capacity of soil amended with RP varied between 6.0 and 11.5 mg kg-1 while the soluble P fertilizers i.e. SSP and DAP displayed a maximum of 73 and 68 mg P kg-1 at the start of the experiment (day 0). However, the P released tendency from SSP and DAP declined during incubation and at the end 82 and 79% of P initially present had been lost from the mineral pool. Integrated use of PSB and PM with RP in 1=2 RP + 1=2 PM + PSB treatment stimulated P mineralization by releasing a maximum of 25 mg P kg-1 that was maintained at high levels without any loss. Application of PSB tended to decrease pH showing an acidifying effect on soil. In the greenhouse experiment, RP alone or RP + PSB was not able to generate any significant impact on plant while DAP displayed the superiority over the remaining treatments. Combined use of RP, PM and PSB in 1=2 RP + 1=2 PM + PSB resulted in the growth, yield and P-uptake of chilli comparative/equivalent to that recorded under DAP. The PUE of applied P varied between 4-29% and higher in the treatments supplemented with PSB compared to those without PSB. These results suggest that use of PSB and PM with insoluble RP or with soluble P fertilizers could be a promising management strategy and viable technology to utilize both low-grade RP and SPF or PM efficiently for crop production and nutrient improvement in our cropping systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increase in soil salinity has a negative effect on the growth and yield of plants. Mitigating the negative effects of soil salinity is therefore a difficult task and different methods are being used to overcome the negative effects of salt stress on crop plants. One of the often-used approaches is seed priming that can increase plants' vigor and resilience. In this paper, we tested the effects of hydropriming, proline priming, and salicylic acid priming on the mitigation of the negative effects of salt stress on two bell pepper varieties (Capsicum annuum L.): Herkules and Kurtovska kapija. Sweet bell pepper seeds were primed following desiccation to achieve the original water content, and subsequently cultivated in salt-supplemented medium. The positive effects on vigor (in the form of increased germination and seedling establishment) as well as on level of tolerance for salt stress were recorded for both cultivars. The positive effects varied between the priming treatments and pepper cultivar used. The results of germination, seedling performance, photosynthetic pigments, and osmolytes were measured for seedlings grown from unprimed and primed seeds with under 0, 25, and 50 mM of NaCl. Both cultivars demonstrated greater germination when primed with proline and salicylic acid, while the Herkules cultivar demonstrated a higher tolerance to salt when proline was used as the priming agent. Priming with salicylic acid and proline in the seed improved germination and seedling performance, which could be related to the increase in proline content in the seedlings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first record of the pepper fruit fly, Atherigona orientalis Schiner, 1868, in mainland France is reported in this paper. Larvae were found in 2022 in fruits of Capsicum annuum and adults were reared in 2023 from Passiflora caerulea fruits in two localities of southern France. This species has pantropical distribution and is characterized by sarco‐saprophagous habits, but in some conditions can act as a primary pest of Solanaceae crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pasta is very popular among different groups of the population, being a healthy and cheap product. Therefore, pasta is a promising object for its enrichment with functional ingredients. The paper examined the possibility and feasibility of using red bell pepper powder (BPP) and parsley leaf powder (PLP) in order to enhance the pasta biological value. Recipes of spaghetti pasta production with the addition of red BPP and PLP were developed. The effect of powders from red bell pepper and parsley leaf incorporation on the physicochemical and culinary properties of pasta was studied. The enrichment of pasta induced a decrease in optimal cooking time, swelling index (SI) and water absorption index (WAI). The addition of plant powders decreased the lightness of pasta significantly (P < 0.05) compared to the control sample. On the other hand, the addition of vegetable powders has a positive influence on the total polyphenol content (TPC) and antioxidant activity of pasta. In enriched pasta, the polyphenol content has doubled (pasta with 10.0% BPP) or even tripled (pasta with 10.0% PLP). The received scores from the sensory evaluation showed that pasta fortified with PLP and red BPP can be a technological alternative to provide nutritionally enriched pasta. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the response of five tomato and five pepper varieties to native arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal inoculation in an organic farming system. The field experiment was conducted across a growing season at a working organic farm in Lawrence, KS, USA. The researchers hypothesized that native AM fungi inoculation would improve crop biomass production for both crop species, but that the magnitude of response would depend on crop cultivar. The results showed that both crops were significantly positively affected by inoculation. AM fungal inoculation consistently improved total pepper biomass throughout the experiment (range of +2% to +8% depending on the harvest date), with a +3.7% improvement at the final harvest for inoculated plants. An interaction between pepper variety and inoculation treatment was sometimes observed, indicating that some pepper varieties were more responsive to AM fungi than others. Beginning at the first harvest, tomatoes showed a consistent positive response to AM fungal inoculation among varieties. Across the experiment, AM fungi-inoculated tomatoes had +10% greater fruit biomass, which was driven by a +20% increase in fruit number. The study highlights the potential benefits of using native AM fungi as a soil amendment in organic farmed soils to improve pepper and tomato productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper addresses the influence that man has on the physical properties of the soil. Thus, a series of physical properties of soils in greenhouses and solaria are compared, namely: texture, structure, density, apparent density, total porosity, and aeration porosity following the application of organic and mineral fertilisers. The studies and research were carried out in greenhouses and solaria located in the western part of Romania (Timiș and Arad counties), in two localities, Giarmata and Secusigiu, cultivated with tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum), peppers (Capsicum annuum) and eggplant (Solanum menongena) over a period of 9 years. The physical properties of soils were compared in 2016, 2019, and 2022, and the results showed that, in the solaria in which organic fertilisers (manure) were applied in doses of 40-60 t/ha, density values decreased from 1.12 g/m³ to 1.08 g/m³, apparent density from 1.65 g/m³ to 1.54 g/m³, while total porosity values increased from 62% to 67% and aeration porosity from 36% to 41%, thus falling within normal values of vegetable cultivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern agriculture has boosted the production of food based on the use of pesticides and fertilizers and improved plant varieties. However, the impact of some such technologies is high and not sustainable in the long term. Although the importance of rhizospheres in final plant performance, nutrient cycling, and ecosystems is well recognized, there is still a lack of information on the interactions of their main players. In this paper, four accessions of pepper are studied at the rhizosphere and root level under two farming systems: organic and conventional. Variations in soil traits, such as induced respiration, enzymatic activities, microbial counts, and metabolism of nitrogen at the rhizosphere and bulk soil, as well as measures of root morphology and plant production, are presented. The results showed differences for the evaluated traits between organic and conventional management, both at the rhizosphere and bulk soil levels. Organic farming showed higher microbial counts, enzymatic activities, and nitrogen mobilization. Our results also showed how some genotypes, such as Serrano or Piquillo, modified the properties of the rhizospheres in a very genotype-dependent way. This specificity of the soil–plant interaction should be considered for future breeding programs for soil-tailored agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Continuous cropping increases disease severity and causes arrested development of chilli plants and the decrease of yield and quality. Hemp-chilli rotation cropping evidently eased chilli diseases, but the causation remains unknown. This paper investigated the disease index (DI) of chilli's anthracnose for hemp-chilli and continuous chilli cropping, the antifungal effect of water extract of hemp and chilli residues, and bacteria antagonistic to chilli anthracnose fungus from hemp and chilli rhizosphere. Hemp grown as a preceding crop decreased anthracnose DI from 35–39% for the continuous chilli to 14–15% for hemp-chilli rotation. Hemp residue water extract executed suppression of chilli anthracnose fungus and the efficiency increased as the extract concentration increased from 1% to 5%. Hemp extract concentration 5% gave a mean inhibition ratio (IR) of 32.34% to spore germination and IR 53.72% to mycelia growth, which was much greater than that of the chilli extract. Antagonistic bacteria isolated from the hemp rhizosphere evidently depressed the mycelia growth of the fungus with a mean IR 32.35%, while no antagonistic bacteria were obtained from the chilli rhizosphere. The stronger allelopathy of preceding hemp plants and antagonistic bacteria from the hemp rhizosphere synergistically suppressed the fungus growth and eased the disease in the succeeding chilli crop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the structure of agricultural production in the Republic of Serbia, crop production is dominant, while the share of vegetables in crop production is small (about 3.5%). According to the research conducted by the Institute for the Application of Science in Agriculture during 2015-2019, one of the most profitable vegetable production is pepper production. The aim of this paper is to investigate the financial aspects of pepper (Capsicum annuum L) production as one of the most common vegetable crop in the Republic of Serbia, and to assess its economic viability. The following methods were used: survey, comparison, desk research, gross margin calculation and sensitivity analysis. Sensitivity analysis showed that in addition to the yield, the price also has a great influence on the amount of the gross margin. The price risk would be reduced if there were "contracted agricultural production", which would improve the profitability and sustainability of pepper production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the Vegetable Research and Development Station Buzău, aspects were determined and monitored regarding the effectiveness of products based on Trichoderma T85, administered at planting 3 granules/plant, for bell pepper culture and observations regarding the effectiveness of growth and development parameters for bell pepper, Cantemir (variety approved at V.R.D.S. Buzău). Trichoderma viride T85 is a fungal inoculant that was applied to variant V5 - three granules at planting and solid diatomite, which was incorporated into the soil during the vegetation period at V1, V2, V3, V4. The obtained results confirm the data presented in the specialized literature. Treatments with mixed bacterial preparations, with Trichoderma spp. and with solid diatomite can have a beneficial influence on the growth and development of vegetable species cultivated in organic or conventional systems, according to studies carried out over time, both in the country and abroad. This paper evaluates the effectiveness and benefits of using these bio-stimulants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phytophthora blight of pepper, caused by Phytophthora capsici Leonian, is a destructive disease in pepper production. Extracts of the plant species Stellera chamaejasme Linn, previously known in China as a source of herbal medicine, were also used in former years as a toxin against aphids, mites, and plant-pathogenic fungi. Extracts of S. chamaejasme (SC) and seven commercial fungicides were investigated for their inhibition of mycelial growth and germination of cysts of the pathogen in vitro. The SC alone, infinito (fluopicolide + propamocab + hydrochloride), fluazinam, dimethomorph, and their mixtures with SC strongly inhibited both mycelial growth and germination of cysts of P. capsici. Tests were conducted in a commercial field in Fenggang County, Zunyi City, Guizhou Province, China, in 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 to validate these results for growers. A soil application (7 days before transplanting) and three foliar sprays at 7, 10, or 15 days were tested. One soil application of SC followed by three successive foliar sprays of infinito, fluazinam, and dimethomorph at 7- or 10-day intervals, as well as tank-mixed applications of these synthetic fungicides with SC at 15-day intervals, limited Phytophthora blight incidence to < 10% on the non-treated control treatment. Disease incidence was limited to < 3% to < 5% when alternating SC, SC + infinito, SC + fluazinam, and SC + dimethomorph three times at 7-, 10- or 15-day intervals, plus one soil application of SC. When treatments were applied from early April to May, disease incidence was < 10% in the non-treated control during June and July. The optimal concentration of SC was determined to be 0.25 g/L, which effectively controlled Phytophthora blight and protected marketable yield. SC also significantly (P < 0.05) outperformed treatments in a nearby commercial pepper field that relied on applications of a single synthetic chemical fungicide. The findings of this study provide a foundation for guiding growers to implement an efficient and environmentally safe spray program against Phytophthora blight of pepper in Guizhou Province. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biquinho pepper crop is becoming an alternative source of income in many properties that work in horticultural sector. Generally speaking, peppers are grown all over the world, however, the cultivation of biquinho pepper comes in increasing ascent due to its low pungency. In this way, researches related to agronomic aspects are scarce and demands for research need to be fulfilled. The aim of this study was to determine the best temperature and light quality for seed germination of two biquinho pepper cultivars [BRS Moema (Moema) and Airatema Biquinho Amarela (Airatema)]. The experiment was divided into two, where different temperatures were tested (15, 20, 25, 30 and 35°C) by sowing on Germitest® paper (Experiment I); and different light quality (no light, white, red, far red, green and blue) germination in Gerbox® (Experiment II), on seed germination of two biquinho pepper cultivars. The temperature was 25°C for the best germination of biquinho pepper. Ambient conditions with light are favorable for germination of biquinho pepper seeds however, the luminous environments in green, red and far red colors influence positively germination of two biquinho pepper cultivars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plasticulture systems with polyethylene (PE) mulch and drip tape are common for production of peppers (Capsicum annuum L.) in the United States because of their soil warming, moisture conservation, and other advantageous effects. However, disadvantages include disposal costs and plastic pollution of the environment and temperature stress in warm climates with black mulch. Use of biodegradable plastic mulches (BDMs) is becoming more common, as they provide the same benefits of PE mulch without the disposal problems. In 2017 and 2018, we conducted experiments in Knoxville, TN, comparing production of pepper fruit with five different BDM [one white-on-black (WOB) and four black], one black PE mulch, one brown creped, paper mulch, and bare ground control treatments. We also measured the durability and effectiveness of weed suppression of the different mulches over the growing season compared with a handweeded bare ground control. Most mulches were degraded, with 40% to 60% of the soil exposed by the end of the season, with the exception of the paper mulch, which was completely degraded at the end of both seasons. Yields were similar among treatments in 2017, with the exception of Naturecycle, which had the lowest yield. Weed pressure was severe, especially in 2018, largely due to early penetration of all mulches except paper by nutsedge. Due to the early and season-long weed pressure and heat stress in black mulches, there were fewer healthy plants in all black-colored mulch treatments in 2018, leading to reduced yields in these treatments. Paper mulch was the only treatment that prevented nutsedge growth; therefore, this treatment and the hand-weeded bare ground treatment had the greatest yields in 2018. WOB also had yields comparable with paper and bare ground plots in 2018, likely due to the cooling effect of the white mulch. The results suggest that in hot climates and in fields infested with nutsedge, paper mulches perform best for midseason pepper cultivation due to the cooling effects and superior weed control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Irrigation & Drainage is the property of Journal of Irrigation & Drainage Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

[Objectives] The paper was to explore the mechanism of capsicum (Capsicum annuum L.) in treating type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and search for new targets. [Methods] The active ingredients of capsicum were queried from TCMSP database to obtain the corresponding target proteins. The related targets of T2DM were screened from GeneCards database, and the target intersection of active ingredients of capsicum and diabetes mellitus was obtained via Venny software. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of the compounds was constructed using STRING database, and the GO bio-function and KEGG pathway enrichment were further analyzed using Metascape database. [ Results] Through TCMSP database query and conditional screening, 14 candidate active molecules, 93 potential targets and 225 related pathways were obtained. [Conclusions] The results of GO and KEGG enrichment analysis show that the main active ingredients of capsicum play a role in the treatment of T2DM by regulating cancer pathways, chemical carcinogenesis--receptor activation, proteoglycans in cancer, and prostate cancer pathways, 'which will provide an important theoretical basis for subsequent research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, the use of different nanoscale structures has been introduced to a large number of research areas. One of these is the treatment and remediation of water through photocatalytic processes, seeking to reuse wastewater for agriculture. In this paper, Lactuca sativa, Coriandrum sativum, and Capsicum annuum were used as crop models to observe the effects in plant growth and the secondary metabolism of different water qualities and types used in the watering process. Initial results show that the photocatalytic process's water maintains a pH and ion concentration within the allowed limits, significantly reducing the number of bacteria. Along the growth process, an influence on germination times, appearance of true leaves, maturation, and fruit production depending on the type of water used is observed, obtaining the best results in both growth times and quantity of fruits, for the 50% and 70% disinfected water/tap water (DW/TAW) study groups. Secondary metabolites, such as phenols, flavonoids, and antioxidant activity, were studied to evaluate changes in the vegetables' composition, showing increased concentration for the disinfected water groups in most specimens. Additionally, no traces of metals and microorganisms were detected, concluding that the crops are viable to be consumed by human beings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vegetable by-products are a source of many useful bioactive compounds, dietary fiber, fatty acids and proteins that have a great potential in the development of new food products and the promotion of the circular economy and sustainability. Considering processed pepper by-products as an example, the aim of this paper is to provide an overview of EU food legislation that should be taken into account before placing such products on the market, as well as of the voluntary labeling of functional, nutritional and sustainability benefits important for consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we investigated the effects of cadmium (Cd) stress on the growth and antioxidant system of pak choi (Brassica rapa L.), water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica Forssk.), cherry radish (Raphanus raphanistrum subsp. sativus (L.) Domin) and pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) growing in pots under ambient CO2 (aCO2) or elevated CO2 (eCO2) conditions. In general, Cd stress reduced plant biomass and soil plant analysis development (SPAD) values under aCO2 and eCO2 conditions; however, the reduction was smaller under eCO2. Cd stress significantly reduced vegetable superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities under both aCO2 and eCO2 conditions; however, the decrease in cherry radish and pepper peroxidase and SOD activities and in pak choi SOD and CAT activities was significantly less under eCO2. The Cd content of the edible parts of pak choi, water spinach and pepper was significantly lower under eCO2 than under aCO2. Our data suggest that eCO2 was beneficial for the growth of the different types of vegetables, and at the same time, alleviated the degree of Cd stress by regulating the relative chlorophyll content and antioxidant capacity, and ultimately alleviated the adverse effects of Cd stress on the growth and quality of the vegetables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A greenhouse study was conducted to test the effects of low herbicide dose exposure on different crops measuring visible damages, plant height, leaf area, and dry matter. Seven crops were tested: lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) cv. Novosadska majska maslena, oil pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima Duch) cv. Olivija, oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) cv. NS Ras, pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) cv. Kurtovska kapija, soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr) cv. ZP Laura, sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) cv. NS Kruna, and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) cv. Dunavski Rubin. Herbicide dicamba in the range of 0.14 to 1 155.6 g a.i. (active ingredient)/ha inhibited biomass, height, leaf area, and visual injury of all crops, while glyphosate doses from 0.48 to 3 840 g a.i./ha also reduced the growth of all tested species. A rate of 116 g a.i./ha mesotrione was needed to reach 80% visual injury in oilseed rape, while the same effects on lettuce only required 1.8 g a.i./ha of mesotrione. Tomato and oil pumpkin were also sensitive to low mesotrione doses, where only 1.3 g and 0.5 g a.i./ha of mesotrione was needed for 80% of biomass reduction, respectively. Lettuce was the most sensitive crop of all tested species; biomass was reduced by 80% by dicamba, glyphosate, mesotrione, and nicosulfuron at the low rates of 33 g a.i./ha, 19 g a.i./ha, 1.25 g a.i./ha, and 2.7 g a.i./ha, respectively. Among all herbicides, visible injuries were detected in dicamba at the lowest rates. Soybean was the most tolerant of glyphosate, mesotrione, and nicosulfuron. Based on the available literature and obtained results, herbicide off-target movement must be mitigated to maximise herbicide efficacy and decrease the negative influence on susceptible plants and the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reaction of pepper breeding lines under organic production conditions to Verticillium wilt, viruses and phytoplasma was observed at Maritsa Vegetable Crop Research Institute, Plovdiv, Bulgaria during two successive years. The diseases severity was recorded, when symptoms of Verticillium dahliae, viruses and Phytoplasma diseases were deeply expressed. The Verticillium dahliae attack index for early production breeding lines varied widely from 15.04% for line O58/14 to 43.83% for O26/16. For kapia type materials, the attack rate of Verticillium wilt ranged from 39.27% (O17/15) to 46.68% (O79/16). The highest index of attack by the disease was established for the powder breeding line (OP69/16) - 49.85%. The viruses which were monitored belong to groups of tobamoviruses, cucumoviruses and tospoviruses and were only 5.00% in breeding lines for early production. The Phytoplasma development was from 10.51% (O12/15) to 32.92% (O38/14). It was established that among studied diseases Verticillium wilt (42.41%) was more dangerous for studied pepper breeding lines in organic conditions followed by Phytoplasma disease (20.67%) and viruses (0.59%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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In this paper, 18 red pepper samples were grown under different field conditions (without and with irrigation) and analyzed regarding their phytochemical composition and antioxidant activity. The total phenols content (TPC), determined according to the Folin–Ciocalteu method, varied from 485.36 to 601.19 mg/100 g dry matter (DM), while the total flavonoids content (TFC), determined by aluminum chloride colorimetric assay, varied from 301.68 to 493.14 mg/100 g DM. Antioxidant activity was assessed by 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging capacity and ranged from 1.85 to 2.95 mg/ml. Regarding average yield, without irrigation, it was 15.50 t/ha, while with irrigation it was 17.70 t/ha. The antioxidant activity of the samples was predicted by applying multiple linear regression (MLR) based on their chemical composition. The rule for allocating red pepper samples of an unknown group to the correct group of samples (those without irrigation and those with irrigation) was established applying linear discriminant analysis (LDA). Practical applications: The 18 red pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) samples were grown under field conditions, without and with irrigation. The antioxidant activity of red pepper was predicted using multiple linear regression (MLR). Applying linear discriminant analysis (LDA) a rule for allocating red pepper samples of an unknown group to the correct group of samples (with or without irrigation) was obtained based on their chemical composition and antioxidant activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various cultivars of red chilli were collected from a small town named Kunri, located in the province Sindh, Pakistan. This town is a hub of red chilli production in Asia. A total of 69 samples belonging to 6 cultivars were obtained and analysed for the occurrence of aflatoxins and Aspergillus flavus, to explore the potential of resistant and susceptible germplasm. Aflatoxins were detected by thin layer chromatography (TLC) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), while A. flavus was isolated and identified using agar plate, blotter paper, deep freezing and dilution techniques. Molecular characterization using internal transcribed spacer (ITS) 1/4 and A. flavus specific FL1-F/R primers confirmed the identity of A. flavus. The data revealed that 67 and 75% samples contaminated with aflatoxin B (AFB) and with A. flavus, respectively. A highly susceptible chilli cultivar was 'Nagina', showing 78.8% frequency of total aflatoxins (1.2-600 μg/kg) and a mean of 87.7 μg/kg for AFB and 121.9 μg/kg for total aflatoxins. A. flavus was detected with 93% frequency and 2.14 × 10 colony forming units. In contrast, cultivars 'Kunri' and 'Drooping Type' were found to be resistant, with low levels of aflatoxins and fungal counts. The study was conducted for the first time to explore two potential cultivars that were less susceptible towards A. flavus and aflatoxin contamination. These cultivars could be preferably cultivated and thereby boost Pakistan's chilli production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results obtained at RDSPCS Dăbuleni regarding the biochemical composition of bell peppers, depending on the cultivation method (protected/unprotected) and on the used cultivar. The obtained results highlighted the importance of studying the local populations of bell peppers as a source of germplasm. From a qualitative point of view, the variants cultivated in the open field were highlighted, compared to the variants cultivated in protected space (solar), (8.09% TDS, 6.68% SDS, 5.76% soluble carbohydrates, 0.67 g malic acid/100 g f.s. titratable acidity, 169.61 mg/100 g f.s. C vitamin, 14.12 μM TE/g antioxidant activity). Among the analyzed cultivars, the local populations of Dobrești and Amărăști stood out, compared to the control (Cornel variety), with a higher content of total dry substance, soluble carbohydrates, C vitamin and total phenolic compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The scientific paper presents the impact of some technological production sequences (nutrition regime) and capitalization (storage conditions) on the quality and its maintenance capacity during short-term storage of sweet pepper. Two pepper varieties "Minthos" and "Boni" were supplied by an experimental vegetables farm. They were fertilized with different amounts of fertilizers, both varieties in three variants. The experimental storage was conducted at the Institute of Research and Development for Processing and Marketing of Horticultural Products "Horting" Bucharest in two technological variants: at ambient temperature (T=23-250C, RU=70-75%) and at refrigerant temperature (T=10°C, RU=80-85%) for the period of 10 and 20 days, respectively. Organoleptic properties, biochemical compounds, quantitative and qualitative losses during storage were analysed. Best results regarding the quality and storage capacity were obtained at "Minthos" variety. Best fertilization variant was represented by 200:150:80 kg NPK/ha. Cold storage was considered the most efficient option for peppers short-term storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Project financially supported by Minister of Education and Science in the range of the program entitled "Regional Initiative of Excellence" for the years 2019-2022, Project No. 010/RID/2018/19." now reads: "The results presented in this paper were obtained as part of a comprehensive study financed by the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, Department of Agroecosystems and Horticulture, 30.610.016-110. "The results presented in this paper were obtained as part of a comprehensive study financed by the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, Department of Agroecosystems and Horticulture, 30.610.016-110. [Extracted from the article]

Vegetation health assessment by using airborne multispectral images throughout crop production cycles, among other precision agriculture technologies, is an important tool for modern agriculture practices. However, to really take advantage of crop fields imagery, specialized analysis techniques are needed. In this paper we present a geographic object-based image analysis (GEOBIA) approach to examine a set of very high resolution (VHR) multispectral images obtained by the use of small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), to evaluate plant health states and to generate cropland maps for Capsicum annuum L. The scheme described here integrates machine learning methods with semi-automated training and validation, which allowed us to develop an algorithmic sequence for the evaluation of plant health conditions at individual sowing point clusters over an entire parcel. The features selected at the classification stages are based on phenotypic traits of plants with different health levels. Determination of areas without data dependencies for the algorithms employed allowed us to execute some of the calculations as parallel processes. Comparison with the standard normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and biological analyses were also performed. The classification obtained showed a precision level of about 95% in discerning between vegetation and non-vegetation objects, and clustering efficiency ranging from 79% to 89% for the evaluation of different vegetation health categories, which makes our approach suitable for being incorporated at C. annuum crop’s production systems, as well as to other similar crops. This methodology can be reproduced and adjusted as an on-the-go solution to get a georeferenced plant health estimation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Objective] Cytochrome P450(CYP450) is an important key enzyme in the metabolism of triterpene saponins in plants. The paper aimed to investigate the protein characteristics and phylogenetics of CYP450. [Method] From the published papers and NCBI database the sequences of CYP450 were collected. and five bioinformatics tools. including ProtParam. ORFfinder. SignalP4. 1. SOPMA. CDD and MEGA6. 0. were used to analyze the physical and chemical properties. ORFs. signal peptides. secondary structures. conserved domains and evolutionary relationships. respectively. [Result] Totally 23 sequences of CYP450 from 21 plants were collected. and those sequences showed strong consistency in gene lengths. amino acid numbers. pI and amino acid compositions. Signal peptides were only detected in Phytolacca americana. Beta vulgaris and Capsicum annuum. Furthermore. secondary structures had significant uniformity in the 23 sequences. and α-helixes and random coils took up the majority. Most of the conserved domains belonged to P450 superfamilies. The phylogenic trees revealed that the differences were not significant among CYP450 s. [Conclusion]The protein characteristics of CYP450 s have less differences among the 23 sequences. and the evolutionary differences are also close. which hint that CYP450 s have high conservation in evolution. The paper would help our understanding on the enzyme characteristics of CYP450 and triterpene saponin metabolism in plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]