Assessment of Reproductive Traits of Different Androgenic Pepper Lines (Capsicum annuum L.)

The biology of pepper growth and development is strongly dependent on complex influence of environmental abiotic factors as light, temperature, air humidity and soil moisture. The presence and length of different pepper phenophases are variety characteristics, which they expressed as result of the development in specific agroecological conditions. In this study the vegetation period as earliness indicator of seven androgenic pepper lines derived from 3 different sweet pepper varieties was studied during four years experiment under greenhouse conditions. The studied androgenic pepper lines KK1 and KK2 were derived via androgenesis from the sweet pepper variety Kurtovska kapia (KKk), P3 and P4 from the variety Piran (Pk) and F5, F6 and F7 derived from the variety Feherozon (Fk). The length of the vegetation period of the seven androgenic lines was compared to the vegetation period of their parental genotypes, respectively. Based on estimated length of vegetation period the androgenic lines were grouped in two groups as early ripening pepper androgenic lines and late ripening pepper androgenic lines. Alongside, there is a significant and positive association of days to flowering and days to fruiting with days to horticultural and physiological fruit maturity.

These androgenic genotypes are valuable breeding resources for improvement of earliness of sweet pepper genotypes in order to fulfill the needs of pepper producers and consumers.