Dinámica de floración y producción en accesiones de tres especies del género Capsicum

Abstract

The dynamics of flowering and production in accessions of three species of the genus Capsicum have been the object of study in this research, which seeks to fill a gap in knowledge on this topic in the Ecuadorian context. The Capsicum genus, which includes species such as chili, pepper and chili, is of great importance both in gastronomy and in industry due to its wide variety of shapes, colors and flavors, as well as its content in capsaicin and others. beneficial compounds. The study was carried out at the experimental campus of the Faculty of Agricultural Engineering of the Technical University of Manabí, in Ecuador, over a period of six months. Six accessions of three Capsicum species were used: Capsicum annuum, Capsicum frutescens and Capsicum chinense, collected from small producers and conserved in the Germplasm Bank of the National Agricultural Research Institute (INIAP). The methodology included the evaluation of phenological and agronomic variables, such as the height of the plants, the number of flowers and fruits per plant, the weight of the fruits and the number of seeds per fruit. A randomized block experimental design with three repetitions was used. The collected data were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey tests. The results revealed significant differences between the accessions in terms of their flowering and production dynamics. For example, C. annuum accessions showed earlier flowering and fewer flowers per plant compared to C. frutescens and C. chinense accessions. Furthermore, a relationship was observed between the number of seeds per fruit and fruit weight, this relationship being more evident in C. annuum accessions. Regarding yield, differences were found between species and accessions, with some accessions showing higher yields than others. These results highlight the importance of considering both genetic and environmental factors in Capsicum production. As conclusions, the importance of understanding the dynamics of flowering and production in different Capsicum accessions to optimize agricultural production is highlighted. It is recommended to carry out additional research on the environmental factors that influence this dynamic and carry out experiments with different agronomic practices to improve the productivity of these plants.