Growth Analysis and Characterization of Some Varieties of Capsicum Species in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

Background and Objective: Peppers are among the vegetables that provide a rich source of various bioactive compounds with potential health-improving properties. However, their occurrence and distribution differ by genotype and maturity phase in plants. Morphogenetic analysis of some varieties of Capsicum species was assessed. Materials and Methods: Mature Capsicum fruit varieties were collected from 13 areas across, the state. The seeds were removed, sun-dried for 3 days and stored for 2 weeks at room temperature (15-25̊C) in polythene bags before planting. Leaf and shoot lengths were measured at 7 days intervals till maturity. The mature fruits were harvested for genetic and capsaicin analysis. Means, standard errors and Two-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were carried out using GraphPad Prism (6.0). However, a probability level of p = 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Cluster analysis (Dendrogram) to show the phylogeny of the Capsicum varieties was done using Minitab software (version 17). Results: The varietal phenotypic characters studied varied significantly (p<0.05). On day 70, red long dry pepper had the largest leaf length (16.030±0.44 cm) and shoot length (23.880±1.03 cm) while yellow pepper had the least leaf length (4.580±0.24 cm) and shoot length (7.870±0.24 cm). Evolutionary relationship using DNA revealed that all the varieties belonged to one clade except the red long dry pepper. Evolutionary relationship with capsaicin gene showed that red long plumpy and green big round peppers belonged to the same clade as Capsicum annum and Capsicum frutescens and yellow, red long slender, shombo and sub-shombo peppers belonged to the same clade with Capsicum frutescens while red long dry and round peppers belong to one clade. Conclusion: This study shows that Capsicum varieties exhibit genetic similarities and variations with implications in genetic hybridization, taxonomy and conservation.