Effect of Different Mulch Materials on Yield and Nutrition Profile of Common Capsicum (Capsicum annuum) Cultivars in Bangladesh

Capsicum is a nutritious vegetable and its cultivation in farms is getting popular in Bangladesh. Although many efforts have lain to explore better yielding and nutritionally rich cultivars with suitable modern cultivation techniques but still have to find the desired outcome. Thus, it’s necessary to conduct further research to identify the high-yielding and nutritious capsicum cultivars in Bangladesh. An experiment was conducted from July 2021 to June 2022 at the Bangladesh Institute of Research and Training on Applied Nutrition (BIRTAN) research field with three cultivars of capsicum: B0 = California Wonder, B1 = BARI Misti Morich-1 and B2 = BARI Misti Morich-2 and three mulching: T0 = No mulching, T1 = Water hyacinth, T2 = Poly Mulching in randomized complete block design with three replications to identify better quality capsicum cultivar and suitable mulching material. Among cultivars the BARI Misti Morich-2 (B2) showed increased agronomic parameters like number of branches and effective branches per plant, leaves length and width, consequently yield and yield contributing traits were also enhanced like fruits per plant, fruit length, fruit diameter and yield per plant (25.97%, 4.54%, 3.64% and 21.43%, respectively). Poly Mulching (T2) increased agronomic traits, yield traits and yield (0.61 kg) than BARI Misti Morich-1 (T1). The combined effect of B2T2 increased the number of branches per plant, effective branches per plant, leaves length and breadth by 40%, 90%, 15.57% and 26.22%, respectively, hence resulting in an increased yield of 20%. BARI Misti Morich-2 cultivar showed an increase in Fe, Zn and Vitamin-C content of 26.24% and 23.10%, 8.82% and 5.14%, and 6.03% and 5.74% than B0 and B1 cultivars, respectively. Therefore, BARI Misti Morich-2 exhibited the improved agronomic, yield and nutritional traits of capsicum under poly mulching among other cultivars in Bangladesh.

灌木辣椒(Capsicum frutescens)抗象耳豆根结线虫的组织学及生理生化特征分析

象耳豆根结线虫(Meloidogyne enterolobii)寄主范围广,侵染能力强,已发展为根结线虫(Meloidogyne spp.)中最具破坏性的1个种。海南地区辣椒生产受象耳豆根结线虫影响较大。利用作物本身的抗性来防治该病害是比较绿色、经济、环保的办法。前期,本研究团队已从30份本地灌木辣椒(Capsicumfrutescens)资源中筛选出1份抗病种质CF25。为更好地利用该种质开展抗病育种工作,加深对其抗病机理的理解,本研究对抗病种质CF25和感病种质CF29接种象耳豆根结线虫,通过酸性品红染色和石蜡切片等方法,结果发现在根结线虫侵入量方面,CF25的线虫侵入量比CF29少;在根结线虫发育形态方面,CF25中线虫发育比CF29缓慢,且出现雌虫发育不良的现象;在根系解剖结构方面,CF25巨细胞中的内容物逐渐减少,出现空洞化现象。为初步探索CF25抗根结线虫的生理基础,对CF25和CF29进行过氧化物酶(POD)和苯丙氨酸解氨酶(PAL)活性测定。结果显示,接种后多数时间点CF25的POD和PAL活性显著高于CF29。综上所述,从组织学角度来看,灌木辣椒资源CF25对象耳豆根结线虫的抗性主要体现在抗侵入和限制取食两方面;CF25巨细胞内容物的减少可能抑制了根结线虫的进食,从而导致其发育缓慢且不良;从生理生化角度来看,CF25较高的POD活性可能有利于清除根结线虫侵染导致的活性氧积累。此外,较高的POD和PAL活性可能导致包括木质素在内的更多苯丙烷类次生代谢产物的生成,从而提高了CF25的抗病性。本研究分析了灌木辣椒资源CF25抗象耳豆根结线虫的组织学和生理生化基础,可为后续深入探究灌木辣椒抗象耳豆根结线虫机理提供依据。

Combining Transcriptomics and Metabolomics to Uncover the Effects of High-Energy Lithium-Ion Beam Irradiation on Capsicum annuum L.

Hot pepper(Capsicum annuum L.)is consumed as one of the oldest domesticated crops all over the world.Although mutation breeding using radiation has been performed in hot peppers,little is known about the comparative analysis of mutagenic effects at the molecular level by ion beam irradiation.To comprehend the response mechanism of hot pepper to the ion beam,we used a mutant with favorable economic characteristics induced by lithium-ion beam irradiation to investigate the biological effects.The results indicated that the lithium-ion beam had a positive effect on important agronomic traits,particularly yield unit,but had a negligible effect on the photosynthetic rate of hot pepper,with a specific influence on chlorophyll b rather than chlorophyll a.By RNA-Seq analysis,671 up-regulated and 376 down-regulated genes were identified as differentially expressed genes(DEGs)between irradiated and unirradiated hot pepper.Based on GO and KEGG network analysis,the auxin metabolic process was the common pathway in these two networks.A total of 118 potential reactive oxygen species(ROS)scavenging genes and 262 signal transduction genes were identified,suggesting a balance between antioxidant enzymes and enhanced ROS transduction.The amounts of 15 metabolite,involved in GABA pathways,secondary metabolism,carbohydrate metabolism,shikimate pathways,TCA cycles,nitrogen metabolism,glycerol metabolism and acetate pathways,were significantly changed in the ion beam irradiated sample.These results highlighted that the enriched pathways could play important roles in response to ion beam irradiation in hot pepper plants.In summary,these data provide valuable information for future research on ion beam irradiation and genomic studies in hot pepper.

Using Network Pharmacology to Explore the Mechanism of Capsicum in Treating Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

[Objectives] The paper was to explore the mechanism of capsicum ( Capsicum annuum L.) in treating type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and search for new targets. [Methods] The active ingredients of capsicum were queried from TCMSP database to obtain the corresponding target proteins. The related targets of T2DM were screened from GeneCards database, and the target intersection of active ingredients of capsicum and diabetes mellitus was obtained via Venny software. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of the compounds was constructed using STRING database, and the GO bio-function and KEGG pathway enrichment were further analyzed using Metascape database. [Results] Through TCMSP database query and conditional screening, 14 candidate active molecules, 93 potential targets and 225 related pathways were obtained. [Conclusions] The results of GO and KEGG enrichment analysis show that the main active ingredients of capsicum play a role in the treatment of T2DM by regulating cancer pathways, chemical carcinogenesis—receptor activation, proteoglycans in cancer, and prostate cancer pathways, which will provide an important theoretical basis for subsequent research.

Phenotypic Variation among and within Three Peppers Species(Capsicum)from Mexico

The phenotypic variation and its distribution among species,morphotypes,and among and within populations was estimated in 71 populations pertaining to 15 morphotypes of three domesticated species of Capsicum from Mexico.Collections were made in the states of Sinaloa,Nayarit,Oaxaca,Tabasco,and Yucatán in two agroecosystems:Backyard-garden and monoculture.Fifteen phenotypic characteristics were analyzed through one-way variance analysis and multivariate analyses of principal components analysis(PCA)and hierarchical clustering using Ward’s method.The study was performed in a uniform greenhouse experiment.A high variation was found among and within populations in all the measured characteristics.Of the total variation,13.0%was distributed among species,27.9%among morphotypes,8.1%among populations,and 51.0%within populations.Because plants grew in a uniform environment,these results indicate that the differences observed among and within species,morphotypes,and populations have a genetic basis.Univariate and multivariate analyses clearly differentiated morphotypes,suggesting that the category of morphotypes must be used to nominate the infraspecific variation in the domesticated Capsicum.The principal components analysis identified a total of 15 principal components that contributed to explain the total variation.The first two components explained 59.64%of the total variation and seven components explained more than 90%of the total variation.Among the measured characteristics,number of seed per fruit,weight of the fruit,width of the fruit,length of the fruit,stem diameter,days to flowering,and height of the plant contributed to component 1 variation,whereas width of the leaf,length of the leaf,and number of locules,number of fruits and number of seeds per plant contributed to component 2.The hierarchical clustering separated the populations and the morphotypes in two large different groups.One group consisted of populations collected in monoculture conditions and the other group corresponded to population collected from backyard-garden conditions.The monoculture populations were characterized mainly by their longer,wider,and higher weight fruits,plants were of less height,had smaller stem diameters,and lower number of fruits than the populations collected from the backyard-garden conditions.The backyard-garden populations of the Capsicum annuum and Capsicum frutescens species,considered wild or semi-domesticated,constituted a non-differentiated phenotypic group that does not allow dividing them in different species.

Construction of Mutant Population and Analysis of Dwarf Mutants in "6421"(Capsicum annuum L.)through EMS Mutagenesis

[Objective] The aim was to improve the genetic property of peppers, the mutant population of Capsicum annuum L cultivar ＂6421＂ was constructed. [Method] The seeds of ＂6421＂ were treated with 0.2% to 1.2% ethyl methane sulfonate to identified LD50, and then 10 000 LD^o of treated seeds were sowed to construct mutant population. The agronomic characters and genetic regularity of dwarf mutants in M4 generation were analyzed. [Result] Our results showed that GR and SSR were 45.2% and 40.2% respectively at 1.0% EMS, close to LD50, with GI （17.6） and seed Ⅵ （19.7） being half of that of control; 562 M4 mutants were identified in 2015, and the mutation could be characterized according 11 major categories and 32 subcategories; Simultaneously, we found that plant height, plant width, diameter of mainstem, length of main-stem, the number of main-stem nodes and branch of lines E29, E58, E142 and E312 were all significantly different from that of the control. The mutation of lines E29, E58 and E312 was all controlled by a single recessive gene. [Conclusionl The study first created a pepper mutant population, which provides not only the germplasm resources for further breeding but also direct and effective materials for genomic study of the pepper.

Resistance Evaluation of Capsicum spp. Germplasm to Meloidogyne incognita

[Objective] This study aimed to screen out hot pepper germplasms highly resistant to Meloidogyne incognita, thereby providing resistant resources for hot pep- per breeding. [Method] Comprehensive analysis combining cluster analysis and sub- ordinate function was conducted through determining related resistance indexes of 67 hot pepper germplasms 50 days after inoculated with M. incognita. [Result] The effects of M. incognita on related resistance indexes were significantly different am- ong the hot pepper germplasms. Egg index and gall index had abundant genetic variation with variation coefficients of 143.16% and 118.95%, respectively. Based on the gall indexes, cluster analysis of hot pepper germplasms was performed. The 67 hot pepper germplasms were divided into 4 groups （resistant, moderately resistant, susceptible and high susceptible）. The resistance intensity of the hot pepper germplasms were ranked according to the sum of subordinate function values of various resistance indexes. The total function values of Rela 2 and L506M were the largest （2.00）, indicating that these two germplasms were immune to M. incognita. The total function values of L287-2, L522-1M, L504M, L515-2, 13SM100-1, L512M, L292-1, L319, L316, L317, 13SM87-1 and Rela 5 were larger than 1.95, indicating that these germplasms were highly resistant to M. incognita. [Conclusion] This study could provide certain resistant resources for resistance breeding of hot pepper to M. incognita.

Effects of Microwave Blanching Treatment on POD Activity and Crispness in Capsicum frutescens L.

[Objective] To study the effects of microwave blanching treatment on POD activity and crispness in Capsicum frutescens L., and to compare the effects of microwave blanching method, normal blanching method, boiling water blanching and steam blanching. [Methods] In order to obtain the optimal condition for microwave blanching, response surface methodology was used to construct a quadratic regression model describing the effects of microwave power, microwave time and calcium lactate concentration on the POD activity in C. frutescens. [Results] The optimal technology was obtained based on central composite design： 525 W microwave power, 64.5 s microwave time, and 0.08% calcium lactate concentration. Under this condition, POD enzyme activity of C. frutescens was desactivated and crispness of C. frutescens was 68.77 N. [Conclusions] This research would provide references for the crispness protection and enzyme deactivation of C. frutescens.

青椒(Capsicum frutescens var.grossum)“雄AB_(18)”的选育和利用

青椒的杂种优势非常显著,但因花器较小,人工去雄制杂交种时非常不便,为了解决生产中存在的这一难题,本研究以"克山大辣椒雄性不育两用系"为不育源,以本地早熟甜椒优良亲本材料"7906"为转育父本,采用"二环系"的转育方法为尽快地育成适于本地区生产利用的新青椒雄性不育系,自1985年以来做了如下的工作。1 "雄 AB18"的选育1985年在山西省农科院蔬菜所试验地,种植"克山大辣椒雄性不育两用系",其不育率为50%左右,选择其开花早,雄性不育性状典型的植株为母本。同时种植本地亲本材料"7906"选择其开花早,果实大,经济性状好的植株为父本成对杂交。

Effect of Different Culture Conditions on Sporulation Quantity of Phytophthora capsici in Capsicum annuum L. var. dactylus M. in Xunhua

[Objective] The paper was to explore the effect of different culture conditions on sporulation quantity of Phytophthora capsici in Capsicum annuum L.var.dactylus M.in Xunhua.[Method] The effects of light hours,pH,medium and temperature on sporulation quantity during isolation and culture process of P.capsici were studied.[Result] The sporulation quantity of P.capsici under the conditions of 24 h/day light,pH 7.0,potato medium（PSA） and 30 ℃ was the largest,and pH,basal medium and temperature had greater impact on sporulation quantity.[Conclusion]The study laid foundation for the study on natural incidence condition of C.annuum in Xunhua.

Residue Dynamics of Mancozeb in Capsicum annuum Linn and Soil

[ Objective ] The paper was to study the residue dynamics of mancozeb in Capsicum annuum Linn and soil. [ Method ] Field spraying test and indoor analysis were carried out in three places of Changsha, Guangzhou and Beijing City during 2008 -2009 to study the digestion dynamics and the final residue of man- cozeb in C. annuum and soil, and gas chromatography was used for quantitative analysis. [ Result]The average recovery rates of mancozeb in C. annuum and soil were 86.59%-93.03% and 92.57%-95.14%, respectively. Mancozeb had rapid digestion in C. annuum and soft with the half-life of 2.29 -4.65 and 4.01 - 4.65 d, respectively. When metalaxyl-M,mancozeb water dispersible granule was sprayed in C. annuum according to the recommend dose （ spraying for no more than three times with the spraying interval of 5 d）, the final residue of maneozeb in C. annuum collected in the third day after the last spraying was less than 2 mg/kg.

气孔在辣椒(Capsicum annuum L.)子叶和下胚轴上的动态变化

以辣椒幼苗(Capsicum annuum L.)为材料,研究了辣椒生长发育过程中子叶的上、下表皮和下胚轴上、下端1 cm处的气孔密度及表皮细胞密度的动态变化。结果表明:(1)辣椒的气孔由肾形保卫细胞组成,无副卫细胞;子叶的表皮细胞呈无规则形,下胚轴的表皮细胞呈长方形或椭圆形;(2)辣椒子叶上、下表皮的气孔密度和表皮细胞密度分别在辣椒种子出芽后第6天和第3天达到最大,之后随子叶的生长逐渐减小,下表皮的气孔密度和表皮细胞密度明显大于上表皮的;(3)辣椒下胚轴上、下端1 cm处的气孔密度随下胚轴的生长变化不明显,但是表皮细胞密度随下胚轴的生长逐渐减小,下胚轴上端的气孔密度和表皮细胞密度明显的大于下胚轴下端的。

Responses of the Anthocyanin and Osmolyte Contents of the Capsicum annuum Cultivars Planted in Wenshan Prefecture of Yunnan Province to the Drought Stress Simulated by PEG-6000

[Objective] The aim of this study was to compare the drought resistance difference of the main Capsicum annuum cultivars planted in Wenshan Prefecture of Yunnan Province. [Method] The total anthocyanin, soluble sugar, soluble protein and free proline contents of the leaves of the five main C. annuum cultivars planted in Wenshan Prefecture, i.e., ZSZ75-1, ZSZ49-1-1, 12WS-18-1, 12ZH01 and ZS130, under the drought stress simulated by PEG-6000 were studied by using spectrophotometry, and the total osmoregulation abilities of the leaves were evaluated by using subordinate function. [Result] Under the drought stress simulated by PEG-6000, the total anthocyanin contents of the veins, mesophylls and whole leaves of the five cultivars were all as： ZSZ75-1〉ZSZ49-1-1〉12WS-18-1〉12ZH01〉ZS130, the soluble sugar contents as： 12ZH01 〉12WS-18-1 〉ZS130〉ZSZ49-1-1 〉ZSZ75-1, the soluble protein contents as： ZSZ75-1〉12ZH01〉ZSZ49-1-1〉12WS-18-1〉ZS130, and the free proline contents as： ZS130〉ZSZ75-1 〉12WS-18-1 〉ZSZ49-1-1 〉12ZH01. Furthermore, the differences among the total anthocyanin contents of the veins, mesophylls and whole leaves of the five cultivars all reached the extremely significant levels, whereas the differences among the contents of the soluble sugar, soluble protein and free proline did not reach the significant levels, the correlation degrees among the contents of the total anthocyanin, soluble sugar, soluble protein and free proline of different cultivars were also inconsistent, and the total osmoregulation abilities of the five cultivar leaves were as： ZSZ75-1 〉7SZ49-1-1 〉12WS-18-1 〉ZS130〉12ZH01. [Conclusion] The anthocyanin accumulation in the specific organs of the five C. annuum cultivars in Wenshan Prefecture is beneficial to the strengthening of the leaf osmoregulation abilities under drought stress, favoring the drought tolerance of the cultivars.

Genetic diversity and population structure analysis of Capsicum germplasm accessions

Genetic diversity plays an essential role in plant breeding and utilization.Pepper is an important vegetable and spice crop worldwide.The genetic diversity of 1 904 accessions of pepper conserved at the National Mid-term Genebank for Vegetables,Beijing,China was analyzed based on 29 simple sequence repeat(SSR)markers,which were evenly distributed over 12 pepper chromosomes.The pepper accessions were divided into two groups in a genetic structure analysis,and the two groups showed obvious differences in fruit type and geographical distribution.We finally selected 248 accessions capturing 75.6%of the SSR alleles as the core collection for further research.Insights into the genetic structure of pepper provide the basis for population-level gene mining and genetic improvement.

五彩椒(Capsicum annuum L.)的组织培养研究

以抗寒性较强的五彩樱桃椒为试验材料,对观赏椒的组织培养进行了研究。试验表明,最佳外植体为茎尖,茎尖的最佳消毒时间为3min;最佳诱导培养基为MS+6-BA5mg·L-1+NAA1mg·L-1;最佳分化培养基为MS+6-BA5mg·L-1+NAA0.1mg·L-1,最佳生根培养基为1/2MS+IBA0.25mg·L-1。

Effects of Chlorine Dioxide Gas on Postharvest Physiology and Storage Quality of Green Bell Pepper (Capsicum frutescens L.var.Longrum)

The effects of treatment of chlorine dioxide （C1Oz） gas on postharvest physiology and preservation quality of green bell peppers were studied. Green bell peppers were collected in bags and treated with 0, 5, 10, 20, and 50 mg L^-1 ClO2 gas at 10±0.5℃ for over 40 d, and the changes in postharvest physiology and preservation quality of the peppers were evaluated during the storage. The inhibition of rot of the peppers was observed for all the tested ClO2 gas treatments. The rot rates of the treated samples were 50% lesser than those of the control after day 40 of storage. The highest inhibitory effect was obtained after 50 mg L^-1 ClO2 gas treatment, where the peppers did not decay until day 30 and showed only one-fourth of the rot rate of the control at day 40 of storage. The respiratory activity of the peppers was significantly （P〈0.05） inhibited by 20 and 50 mg L^-1 ClO2 treatments, whereas no significant effects on respiratory activity were observed with 5 and 10 mg L^-1 ClO2 treatments （P〉0.05）. Except for 50 mg L^-1 ClO2, malondialdenyde （MDA） contents in the peppers treated with 5, 10, or 20 mg L^-1 ClO2 were not significantly （P〉0.05） different from those in the control. Degradation of chlorophyll in the peppers was delayed by 5 mg L-1ClO2, but promoted by 10, 20, or 50 mg L^-1 ClO2. The vitamin C content, titratable acidity, and total soluble solids of the peppers treated by all the tested ClO2 gas did not significantly change during the storage. The results suggested that ClO2 gas treatment effectively delayed the postharvest physiological transformation of green peppers, inhibited decay and respiration, maintained some nutritional and sensory quality, and retarded MDA accumulation.

Cloning and characterization of CaGID1s and CaGAI in Capsicum annuum L.

Fruit set and development are affected by many phytohormones, including gibberellin. Little is known regarding molecular mechanism underlying gibberellin mediated fruit set and development especially in Capsicum. Three gibberellin recep- tors, CaGIDlb.1, CaGIDlb.2 and CaGIDlc, and a DELLA protein, CaGAI, have been identified in Capsicum annuum L. During the fruit development, the expression level of CaGIDlc was low, and the expression fold change is mild. However, CaGIDlb. 1 and CaGIDlb.2 were relatively higher and more acute, which indicates that CaGIDlb. 1 and CaGID1b.2 may play an important role in fruit pericarp, placenta and seed. Ectopic expressions of CaGIDlb. 1, CaGIDlb.2 and CaGIDlc in Arabidopsis double mutant gidla gidlc increased plant height, among which CaGIDlb.2 had the most significant effect; CaGAI reduced plant height in double mutant rga-24/gai-t6, having a similar function to AtGID1 and AtGAI in stem elon- gation. Yeast two-hybrid （Y2H） and bimolecular fluorescence complementation （BiFC） assays indicated that CaGIDlb.1 and CaGID1 b.2 interact with CaGAI in a GA-dependent manner, while CaGIDlc interacts with CaGAI in a GA-independent manner. Our study reveals the key elements during gibberellin signaling in Capsicum and supports the critical importance of gibberellin for Capsicum fruit set and development.

Combining Ability Analyses of Net Photosynthesis Rate in Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.)

In perspective of breeding high-yield hybrid pepper varieties, combining ability analysis of net photosynthesis rate at different phases of flowering and fruit setting in pepper was made with 15 cross combinations from 6 parents by （1/2） n （n- 1） diallel crosses. There are relatively large differences not only in general combining ability （GCA） effect among different parents and at different phases of flowering and fruit setting, but also in specific combining ability （SCA） effect among different hybrids. There are relatively large GCA effects in late parents but relatively less GCA effects in early parents. No obvious laws have been found in the relationship between SCA effects and maturity of hybrids. Variances of SCA are larger than those of GCA. Heritability is less but influence of environment is larger. Correlation analysis of combining ability between net photosynthesis rate and agronomic character or resistances to main diseases has showed that correlation coefficients of GCA are relatively large at the medium phase and the late phase of flowering and fruit setting. Net photosynthesis rate is more relative to leaf characters and fruit characters. Correlation coefficients of SCA are relatively large at the early phase and the late phase of flowering and fruit setting. Net photosynthesis rate is more relative to leaf characters and plant characters at the early phase but to plant characters and fruit characters at the late phase. Correlation coefficients of SCA between net photosynthesis rate and resistances to main diseases are larger than those of GCA. The combining abilities of net photosynthesis rate at different phases of flowering and fruit setting are positively correlated with those of yield per plant. The combining ability is an important parameter of breeding of high photosynthesis hybrid pepper varieties.

Reference quality assembly of the 3.5-Gb genome of Capsicum annuum from a single linked-read library

Linked-Read sequencing technology has recently been employed successfully for de novo assembly of human genomes,however,the utility of this technology for complex plant genomes is unproven.We evaluated the technology for this purpose by sequencing the 3.5-gigabase(Gb)diploid pepper(Capsicum annuum)genome with a single Linked-Read library.Plant genomes,including pepper,are characterized by long,highly similar repetitive sequences.Accordingly,significant effort is used to ensure that the sequenced plant is highly homozygous and the resulting assembly is a haploid consensus.With a phased assembly approach,we targeted a heterozygous F1 derived from a wide cross to assess the ability to derive both haplotypes and characterize a pungency gene with a large insertion/deletion.The Supernova software generated a highly ordered,more contiguous sequence assembly than all currently available C.annuum reference genomes.Over 83%of the final assembly was anchored and oriented using four publicly available de novo linkage maps.A comparison of the annotation of conserved eukaryotic genes indicated the completeness of assembly.The validity of the phased assembly is further demonstrated with the complete recovery of both 2.5-Kb insertion/deletion haplotypes of the PUN1 locus in the F1 sample that represents pungent and nonpungent peppers,as well as nearly full recovery of the BUSCO2 gene set within each of the two haplotypes.The most contiguous pepper genome assembly to date has been generated which demonstrates that Linked-Read library technology provides a tool to de novo assemble complex highly repetitive heterozygous plant genomes.This technology can provide an opportunity to cost-effectively develop high-quality genome assemblies for other complex plants and compare structural and gene differences through accurate haplotype reconstruction.

Identification and Characterization of a LEA-like Gene, CaMF5,Specifically Expressed in the Anthers of Male-fertile Capsicum annuum

To improve the understanding of molecular mechanisms of anther and/or pollen development in Chili pepper, in the present study, fulllength cDNA and DNA sequences of the pollen development-related gene CaMF5 were obtained from the anthers of a Capsicum annuum nuclear male-fertile line. Sequence analysis indicated that the full length of CaMF5 was 747 bp, containing a maximum opening reading frame of 447 bp.Amino acid sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis revealed that CaMF5 shared approximately 37%–77% homology with a series of uncharacterized or hypothetical proteins and late embryogenesis abundant(LEA) proteins from other plants. However, no LEA structural domain was detected in CaMF5, which indicated that it might be a new type of LEA gene. CaMF5 was only expressed in flower buds at stages 7 and 8 and in open flowers of the male-fertile line, whereas it exhibited no expression in any examined organs of the male-sterile line. In addition, CaMF5 showed the highest transcript abundance in the anthers of the male-fertile line, with no expression being detected in any other examined organs, such as the sepals, petals, pistils, roots, stems, or leaves. Taken together, our results suggest that CaMF5 is an anther-specific gene that might encode a new type of LEA protein related to anther and/or pollen development in C. annuum.