Volume 17(2), 285- 289, 2013 JOURNAL of Horticulture, Forestry and Biotechnology www.journal-hfb.usab-tm.ro

Studies regarding correlations between the main morphological traits in a collection of bell pepper (Capsicum annuum var, grossum) local landraces

Sasu Lavinia1, Madoşă E.2*, Velicevici Giancarla2, Ciulca S.2, Avădanei C.2, Gorinoiu Gabriela3

1”Vasile Goldiş” Western University Arad, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Engineering and Informatics, 2Banat’s University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Timişoara, Faculty of Horticulture and Sylviculture, 3 Agricultural Research and Development Station

*Corresponding author: Email: [email protected]

Abstract The main goal of the study was to detect links between the main Key words traits involved in overcoming the bell pepper production capacity. Local landraces are sources of original material for creating aparental forms. The bell pepper, correlations, collected biological material was represented by local landraces of bell production traits, local pepper, Capsicum annuum var. grossum, collected from western . landraces Production of fruit per plant is influenced by their number and length. Fruit diameter and number of fruit lodges have no influence on fruit weight/plant. Approximately 52% of the variability in fruit weight is due to the other four traits. Weight of fruit per plant was influenced by number of fruits and fruit weight (P = 0.571). The fruit weight is achieved first by its length followed by its diameter.

Different uses of pepper resulted in a very especially in processing local landraces. Most studies strong diversification by the appearance of a large have sought links between plant productivity and other number of cultivars. [2] Studying the variability, morphological traits. [5, 6, 7, 15] significant correlations were found to exist between morphological traits, but also and between those and Material and Method the quality ones. [15] Diversification of germoplasm can be done in various ways; one of the most effective The main goal of the study was the detection is the use of local landraces. A stabilizing selection has of links between the main traits involved in the allowed the creation of valuable cultivars from local development of production capacity within a collection landraces. [9] On bell pepper, the breeding made great of local landraces of bell pepper. The study was progress, being introduced in culture, along with conducted in BUASVM, Timisoara. Data were varieties, also the hybrids. Local landraces are sources collected through biometric measurements on some of original material for creating aprental forms. [18] morphological traits that are followed in the selection Bell pepper production potential is very high if we take process for improving production capacity. into account the number of flowers that a plant The collected biological material was produces. For various reasons, some flowers do not represented by local landraces of bell pepper Capsicum produce fruit. [1] In western Europe the hybrids were annuum var. grossum from western Romania. expanded in culture, designated especially for protected The experimental data were processed by areas. [14] In creating varieties the selection was most methods of estimating correlations between traits. applied for the pepper varieties. Today the application Relationships and links between quantitative traits of selection is effective only in processing the local studied were analyzed using covariance and correlation forms that are maintained in culture. [13, 8] Variability, according to Bravais's formula. [3] Relationships and heritability and genetic progress of bell pepper have links between studied quantitative traits were analyzed elevated values that can be exploited through selection by use of path coefficients. [11] programs. [17] Study of correlation between the traits is very important for application of the selection,

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Table 1 Provenience of collected landraces Control Arad county Timiş county Bihor county Cristal Aldeşti, Seleuş, Juliţa, Gelu, Cutina, Altringen, ,, Temereşti I, Şimian, Girişu de Şiria, Tăgădău, Vinga, Temereşti II, Tomnatic, , Belinţ I, Belinţ II, Ohaba Criş, Fiziş, Rinei I, Buteni, Chesinţi Lungă, , Pordeanu, Dudeştii Vechi Rieni II, Ceica

Obtained results coefficient values indicate that the errors for the results obtained are independent, while the order of the five Given the data in Table 1., it is observed that variables does not affect the results of estimated 98.69% of the variability in fruit production/plant at production. bell pepper can be explained as the result of the Based on Figure 1, it can be observed that influence of five traits. Number of fruits/plant has a there are no significant differences between the major influence distinctly significant of approximately observed values of fruit weight/plant and those 88.17% to achieve production/plant followed by fruit estimated through regression in all surveyed landraces. length. It also notes that changing the diameter and the As such, the contribution of different traits to the number of lodges from fruit does not have a significant variability of production / plant is relevant to all effect on fruit weight/plant. studied landraces and may be taken into account in Regression model allows in this case, an determining the selection criteria for processing the assessment distinctly significant of fruit production / respective landraces. plant with an error of + 45.62 g. DW and AC Table 2 Multiple regression analysis of fruit weight variance/plant and length, diameter and number of lodges, fruit weight and fruit number / plant from bell pepper Variability source SP GL S2 F test Regression 3604703 100 %) 5 720940,6 F=346,36** Fruit length (x1) 337553 (9,37 %) 1 337553 F=162,17** Fruit diameter (x2) 4343 (0,12 %) 1 4343 F=2,08 No. of fruit lodges (x3) 5932 (0,16 %) 1 5932 F=2,85 Fruit weight (x4) 78629 (2,18 %) 1 78629 F=37,77** No. of fruit/plant (x5) 3178240 (88,17 %) 1 3178240 F=1527** Other sources 47874 18 2081,50 Total 3652577 23 y = -1583,60 -9,91x1 -18,34x2 +243,64x3 +15,32x4 +65,46x5 ; R2 = 0,9869; R = 0,9934 SDE = 45,62; DW = 2,10; AC = -0,093 2200

2000 Satchinez

1800

1600

Belinţ II 1400 ChesinPordeanu GirişuVinga de Criş

1200 Dudeştii Vechi BecicherecuTemereştiFiziş IMic 1000

Valori observate (g) observate Valori CeicaButeni Tăgădău CenadŞimian 800 AltringenRieni II TomnaticRieni I OhabaTemereşti Lungă II AldeştiCutinaŞiria 600 Belinţ I JuliţaCristal

Seleuş 400 Gelu

200 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 2000 2200 Valori estimate (g)

286 Fig. 1. Graphical representation of observed values of fruit weight/plant and estimated values based on multiple regression model bell pepper

Analysis of the correlation coefficients of the fruit length and diameter and also between the number six quantitative traits studied in local landraces of bell and weight of fruit per plant. The same conclusions pepper confirms the existence of some statistically were presented by Hosamani et al., 2010, Ortiz et al., ensured strong correlation between the fruit weight to 2010. (Table 2.) Table 3 Covariance values and correlation coefficients between quantitative traits examined in bell pepper Trait Fruit length Fruit diameter No. of fruit Fruit weight No. of Fruit weight /plant (s2=1,17) (s2=0,53) lodges (s2=181,16) fruit/plant (s2=130449) (s2=0,01) (s2=32,70) Fruit length r = 0,272 r = -0,043 r = 0,448* r = 0,088 r = 0,304 S2XY = 0,21 S2XY= -0,01 S2XY = 6,51 S2XY = 0,54 S2XY = 118,54 Fruit diameter r = 0,162 r = 0,633** r = -0,269 r = 0,050 S2XY = 0,01 S2XY = 6,21 S2XY = -1,12 S2XY = 13,04 No. of fruit r = 0,174 r = -0,219 r = -0,059 lodges S2XY = 0,26 S2XY = -0,14 S2XY = -2,33 Fruit weight r = -0,317 r = 0,218 S2XY = -24,40 S2XY = 1061,60 No. of fruit/plant r = 0,847*** S2XY = 1748,58 Fruit weight /plant r5% = 0,423; r1% = 0,537; r0,1% = 0,652

In order to obtain higher values of fruit these traits. In this respect, it appears that weight, the selection can be oriented both towards approximately 52% of the variability in fruit weight is increasing its length and also the diameter. The due to the effect of other four traits, while the number efficiency of applying selection based on significant of fruit lodges presents the highest stability being correlations mentioned above is confirmed by the fact influenced only to an extent of about 7% of the other that between these pairs of traits linear relationships traits changes. (Table 3.) exists, which permits predictable alteration of these Based on the path coefficients analysis is traits in a certain sense. observed that in the bell pepper landraces, fruit weight Study of semi partial and partial correlation per plant was mainly influenced by the number of fruits coefficients between fruit/plant and other traits indicate (P = 1.036) and fruit weight (P = 0.571) respectively. that there is a real and very close only link between Number of fruits per plant showed a negative influence fruit weight and yield per plant, which is influenced in on production/plant by fruit diameter, lodges number a very slightly from by the other traits. Large and fruit weight traits. Also, fruit weight had an differences between the values of partial and semi indirect and positive effect on production/plant, partial correlation coefficients for the other four traits through fruit length and diameter. Such results have show that links between them and fruit/plant been reported by Lahbib et al., 2012, Costa et al., 1989 production is strongly influenced by the variability of (Table 4.)

Table 4 Values of partial and semi partial correlation coefficients between fruit weight/plant and other traits studied in bell pepper Trait Tolerance R2 R Partial Semipartial (1- R2) correlations correlations Fruit length 0,7338 0,2662 0,5159 -0,216 -0,025 Fruit diameter 0,5926 0,4074 0,6382 -0,242 -0,029 No. of fruit lodges 0,9286 0,0714 0,2672 0,528 0,071 Fruit weight 0,4710 0,5290 0,7273 0,960 0,392 No. of fruit/plant 0,8100 0,1900 0,4358 0,993 0,933

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Table 5 Analysis of path coefficients for fruit weight/plant from bell pepper

Correlative links Path coefficients Fruit weight/plant - - Fruit length Direct effect of fruit weight -0,029 Indirect effect, through fruit diameter -0,010 through fruit lodges number -0,003 through fruit weight 0,256 through fruit number /plant 0,091 Total correlation 0,305 Fruit weight/plant - - Fruit diameter Direct effect of fruit diameter -0,037 Indirect effect, through fruit length -0,008 through fruit lodges number 0,012 through fruit weight 0,361 through fruit number /plant -0,279 Total correlation 0,050 Fruit weight/plant - - Fruit lodges number Direct effect of fruit lodges number 0,074 Indirect effect, through fruit length 0,001 through fruit diameter -0,006 through fruit weight 0,099 through fruit number /plant -0,227 Total correlation -0,058 Fruit weight/plant - - Fruit weight Direct effect of fruit weight 0,571 Indirect effect, through fruit length -0,013 through fruit diameter -0,023 through fruit lodges number 0,012 through fruit number /plant -0,328 Total correlation 0,218 Fruit weight/plant - - Fruit number /plant Direct effect al fruit number /plant 1,036 Indirect effect, through fruit length -0,003 through fruit diameter 0,011 through fruit lodges number -0,016 through fruit weight -0,181 Total correlation 0,847

Conclusions stability being influenced only to an extent of about 7% by the changes in the other traits. 1. Number of fruits/plant has a distinct major influence 4. Path coefficient analysis shows that at the bell on achieving production/plant followed by fruit length. pepper landraces the fruit weight per plant was Alterations of fruit diameter and the lodges influenced by number of fruits (P = 1.036) and fruit number/fruit does not present a significant effect on weight (P = 0.571). Number of fruits per plant showed weight fruit/plant. a negative influence on production/plant through fruit 2. In all landraces, the contribution of different traits is diameter, fruit lodges number and fruit weight. In relevant for variability in production/plant and can be achieving fruit weight, participate the length followed taken into account when determining the selection of its diameter. criteria. 3. Between fruit weight and yield per plant there is a References strong connection. Approximately 52% of the variability in fruit weight is due to the effect of other 1. Aquirre I., Gutiérrez M.C., Cuartero J. - 1995 - four traits. Number of fruit lodges has the highest Ethylene production during sweet pepper flowering, Acta Hort. (ISHS) 412:479-483;

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