Determination of morphological changes using gamma irradiation technology on capsicum specie varieties

Abstract The recent increase in the demand of hot and chili pepper at local, national, and international market has drawn the interest of breeders’ crop improvement researchers globally. Thus, there is a need to enhance its breeding and development to improve the production of hot and chilies pepper in the quest for food quality and security. This study focused on the germination ability and evaluation of chlorophyll mutations in M2 generation of gamma irradiates on pepper cultivars. The materials used in this experiment were obtained from the M1 generation of gamma-irradiated seeds of pepper cultivars (Capsicum frutescens, Capsicum chinense, and Capsicum annuum (hot pepper, bonnet pepper, and bell pepper, respectively)). Seeds of the pepper varieties were subjected to doses of gamma ray (i.e., 0, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 350, and 400 Gy) after which they were planted, raised, and harvested in the M2 generation. The parameters evaluated were germination percentage, survival percentage, epicotyl height, and chlorophyll mutations. However, the highest chlorophyll mutation frequency was observed in C. frutescens. This showed that it was more sensitive to gamma irradiation relative to C. chinense and C. annuum. virescenes were the highest chlorophyll mutant observed in all the three cultivars, while the least was Xanthan. The effective dose ranges between 50 and 250 Gy for germination and survival rate for the three cultivars of pepper give higher desirable mutations in the pepper cultivars. While 400 Gy recorded most efficient for chlorophyll mutation.