Resumen de Study and exploitation of varietal diversity for agroclimatic adaptation and nutritional content improvement in capsicum spp
Herein we used conventional and digital descriptors to characterize a collection Spanish landraces in order to assess the diversity and to test the discriminating ability of said methods. A considerable variation was found for the collection. Digital phenotyping enabled a more powerful separation. We conclude by selecting a subset of 17 descriptors which enable to distinguish among closely related C. annuum accessions. Finally, fruit traits explained the highest percentage of variance for our collection. These findings will be useful to the recovery of heirloom peppers and will boost germplasm characterization and management in seed banks.
Some of the most known landraces from Mexico encompass a remarkable aptitude to be used as pre-breeding materials. Hence, we studied the phenotypic and genotypic diversity within these materials and the open-pollination effect on the fixation of morphological characteristics and on the genetic fixation. Morphological and genetic analysis of the progeny showed similar or lower levels of genetic and morphological uniformity than those from progenitors, suggesting that open-pollinated program is efficient in terms of reaching enough agronomic uniformity, while preserving a certain degree of genetic diversity, of paramount importance for the adaptation to climate change.
Germplasm genetic studies provide vital information. Herein we used GBS to study a Spanish collection of Capsicum spp. to shed light into phylogenetic relationships and to evaluate their diversity and structure. European accessions showed a close relationship. Furthermore, fruit traits and region of origin were the main factors defining population structure. Spanish and Mexican accessions showed a close phylogenetic relationship; Finally, Tajima's D statistic values were consistent with positive selection in the C. annuum clusters related to domestication. These findings provide relevant information on the origin and relationships of Spanish landraces and for future association mapping studies in pepper.
C. baccatum represents a remarkable genetic pool that provides opportunity to select superior individuals to be used in breeding programs for improved bioactive compounds content and resilience to climate change materials. Hence, we characterized a collection of C. baccatum and C. annuum materials. Cultivation system had a major effect controlling fruit's nutrient profile. C. annuum controls presented higher concentrations for most compounds under both conditions. The good performance of C. baccatum accessions shows that there are opportunities to breed materials adapted to the Mediterranean conditions and with interesting properties, especially under open-field conditions. Finally, under our conditions, a serving of pepper cultivated could provide between 70% and 120% of the recommended dietary allowance for ascorbic acid and between 10% and 60% for minerals.
Improving pepper varieties for their uptake and use of phosphorus would significantly reduce the need for fertilizer applications. Hence, we characterized the main adaptations, of a Capsicum spp. collection, to low phosphorus inputs. Overall, stress conditions lead to significant reduction of biomass. Stress treatment stimulated lateral root length and root hairs growth. Furthermore, concentration of this mineral in plant tissues decreased significantly. This response was notoriously higher in the roots, demonstrating a high ability to mobilise accumulated phosphorus to other plant organs, providing evidence that within the Capsicum genus there is usable variability for phosphorus use efficiency for breeding programs for low input adaptation.
