Adaptive potential of the one year long pepper (paprika) samples (Capsicum annum L. Convar. longum dc) for creation the commercially effective varieties

Abstract

Introduction. Transcarpathian region is a special region where a set of specific factors are combined, namely: it is a land poor, the vast majority of soils are heavy and non-humus, but the climatic conditions of the region are extremely favorable for the cultivation of spicy plants, including one-year long-flowered pepper (paprika).

 Analysis of recent researches and publications.
Creation of the sweet one-year long peppers (paprika) varieties began thanks to the breeders of Hungary in the early 1930's. It was the way of natural mutations and the selection of plants with less bitterness, longer fetal length and a thin side suitable for faster drying and grinding. According to the results of their selection work, Hungarian scientists created such famous varieties as Szegedi 57, Szegedi 80, Szegedi 20, Kolochai 90, Kolochai 622, Viktory, Folklore, Karmin and Chardash, which differed from acrid pepper by their shape, size and productivity. The basis for the production of annual pepper varieties (paprika) today is a variety of long-peppers.

Identification of the potential of productivity and yield of one year pepper plants (paprika) is determined by genetic information, which is laid down in the plant itself and the influence of the environmental factors in which it is grown. Only the optimal harmonic combination of the genotype and the environment can identify the potential yield of the variety. These factors are especially important in recent times, when there occur sharp changes in climatic factors. That’s why it is important to study the issue of fruit harvesting, depending on the meteorological conditions of cultivation, the identification of valuable structural elements of productivity and yield, and their use in terms of the synthesis of the optimal phenotypic and genotype structure when creating the sorts of one year long pepper (paprika). The questions raised in the article are important and topical not only for Transcarpathia but, in general, for Ukraine.

Purpose of investigation. The purpose is to define the influence of meteorological conditions on the formation of morphological-biological characteristics, yield of fruits and the output of the dry powder and spices of one year long paprika pepper in the lowland zone of Transcarpathia basing on the investigation of its sort variety.

 Materials and methods of  research.
The research was conducted in the conditions of the lowland zone of Transcarpathia (Zakarpatian State Agricultural Experimental Station) during 2011-2016 according to the guidelines of the leading scientific institutions on the soddy podzolic gleyed soils, characterized by 2.1% humus content, pH of salt 5.6, nitrogen, which easily hydrolyzes - 14.7 mg of mobile phosphorus - 20.1 mg, exchangeable potassium - 13.4 mg per 100 g of soil. One-year long pepper (paprika), was grown by seedling method and planted in an open ground according to the scheme of placing 50x20 cm on one plant in the nest.

Results of research. The shortest periods of the life cycle of pepper plants (paprika) were in the samples: Baktyanets, K-1 *, Beregivskiy large, K-1, VO-3, D-1 and K-401.

According to the studies of correlation relations and mathematical analysis, we have identified the best ones - Beregivskiy large, Baktyanets, Isabella, Kolochai - 622, Ram's horn, which were characterized by a great potential in the formation of morphological features.

The important unit of the basic morphological-productive characteristics of one year long pepper (paprika) is the mass or weight  of the fruit, which varied in the samples under research from 11,2 g tо 16,2 g. According to the characteristics “weight of the fruit” the following samples were singled out for the selection: Baktyanets (14,0 g), B-5 (15,0 g), Ram’s horn (15,4 g) and Bene (16,2 g).

According to the growth intensity of one year long pepper (paprika) plants are distributed into: low-growing - the height of plants up to 35 cm; mid-growing - the height of plants from 35.0 to 65.0 cm, tall - from 66.0 cm to 85.0 cm; Very tall or wick – the height is more than 85.0 cm. The parameters of the plants according to the height of this species in the conditions of Transcarpathia were determined and the samples were distributed at an interval of 10 cm. Most of the pepper samples, which we studied belonged to middle-height, their height was in the range from 41.0 to 53.5 cm.

According to the amount of fruits on the plant and their size, the following samples were singled out: Beregivskiy large (9 pieces, length– 14,4 сm, diameter - 1.8 cm), K-1 * (8 pcs., Length - 12.3 cm, diameter - 2.6 cm) and K-1 and B-5 (by 7 pieces, respectively, the length is 15.9 and 13.3 cm and the diameter of the fruit is 1.8 and 2.6 cm). according to the length of the fruit, the best were B-5, Festival (13.8-13.0 cm), Isabella, R-8, K-3 (12.5-12.7 cm), D-206, Bene and D-1 (12.0-12.3 cm); the thickness of the side - Ram's Horn, Isabella, VO-3, Festival and K-3 (1.5-1.7 mm), Berehivskiy large, K-1, D-206, Kolochai - 622, Bene, B-5, R-8 (1.8 mm).

It was established that meteorological conditions influenced the formation of the fruits on a one year long fruitful pepper (paprika). The background for growing fresh fruits and obtaining an increased yield of dried powder of pepper (paprika) during the six-years period was determined by the sum of active temperatures 3568 ° C (2012) and 3451 ° C (2016) as effective, which contributed to the formation of increased yield of fruit plants up to 10.08-13.59 t / ha and dry powder of 0.98-1.58 t / ha. On the synchronous effect of the sum of temperatures, the amount of precipitation was effective in the same years 2012 - 212.8 mm and 2016 -  317.3 mm.

The results of the research indicate that the samples Festival, Kolochai-622, VО-3 and Bene on the basis of "fruit yield" are less sensitive to changes in environmental factors. Based on the "fruit yield" and the high specific adaptive ability (SAA), the following samples were distinguished: Beregivskiy large , K-1, K-401, Senteši and B-8. Parameters of the selectivity value of the genotype (SVG) for fruit yield were the highest in the samples Bene, Festival, VO-3 and Kolochai-622.

It should be noted that the quality of the final product was influenced by the physical and chemical changes that occurred in the fruits under conditions of their ripening. Due to the rapid increase in the number of colorants during ripening (for the first 2-4 weeks), the fruits acquired a deeper and more intense coloration. During the first 3-4 weeks, the amount of colorants increased in 2-times and was the highest; further this process of accumulation was slowing down.

During the years of study between the samples there had been defined the  significant fluctuations of indicators of dry matter, ascorbic acid, total sugar and carotene in fruits and dry product - powder (Table 5). The content of dry matter in the fruits ranged from 8.12% (Ram's horn) to 15.33% (B-5), in dry ones - from 88.40 (Isabella) to 93.87 (Kolochai-622) respectively. Ascorbic acid in the conditions of the low-land zone of Transcarpathia accumulated in pepper fruits of one-year long-breeding (paprika) from 170.7 mg / 100 g (D-1) to 316.8 mg / 100 g (Sentheshi). In powder, this figure slightly decreased and was at the level of 79.2 mg / 100 g (Sentheshi) 121.4 mg / 100 g (Beregivskiy large).

In the samples Baktjanets, Beregivskiy large, Ram’s horn, Bene and D-1, the indicator of total sugar compared with the others is higher in 2.4-3.5 times. The least were losing the ascorbic acid the following samples: D-1, Bene, Kolochai-622, K-1, Ram's horn, R-8 and Beregivskiy's large. According to the accumulation of carotene in the powder the following samples stand out - B-5, BO-3, Isabella, R-8, Baktyanets, Ram’s Horn and Bene.

Less varied was the index of total sugar content in one-year long-linen peppers (paprika). On average, in the collection it ranged from 3.9% (2011) to 4.7% (2012). The coefficient of variation varied from 12.6% (2012) to 15.1% (2016). Between the samples, the difference was 0.8%, which was within the range of an error.

Conclusions and perspectives. The results of the study indicate that the adaptive potential of the annual pepper samples (paprika) plays an important role in the selection of pairs for the selection of competitive varieties. On the basis of the early ripening of fruits, the following samples were singled out: Baktyanets, K-1 *, Berehivskiy Large, K-1, VO-3, D-1 and K-401. Effective meteorological background for the formation of increased productivity were SAT 3568 and 3451 ° C, the amount of precipitation - 212.8 and 317.3 mm, respectively, and GTK = 0.60 and 0.92.

The increased parameters of the SAA had the samples of the Berehivskiy large, K-1, K-401, Senteishi and B-8. According to the selection value of the genotype, the samples were selected, in which the parameters of the indicator were at the level of 6.05-7.30 Kolochai-622, VО-3, Festival and Bene.