Effects of Water Availability on Physiological Factors of Cayenne Pepper Plant Capsicum frutescens L.

Abstract

Chili pepper is a vegetable plant that is consumed by many people and has high economic value. Chili peppers contain secondary metabolite compounds, capsaicin which is synthesized in the epidermis cells. Capsaicin acts as a spicy taste in chili peppers, so chili peppers are favored by the public. Environmental factors can affect the growth and content of secondary metabolites in chili pepper plants. Therefore, this study aims to determine the effects of water availability on the wet weight and dry weight of plants, plant height, stem diameter, and the number of leaves, also the productivity of Capsicum frutescens L.. plants in the form of capsaicin levels of cayenne pepper fruit. The research was done by growing chili plants and given the treatment of watering interval variations. Data collecting is done by measuring several plant organs when harvesting and analysis of capsaicin levels in chili pepper are done by Thin Layer Chromatography method. Data analyzed with ANOVA and DMRT tests with a significance level of 95% (α = 0.05) showed significantly different results. The results showed that the watering interval variations had a significant effect on the yield of cayenne pepper plants aged 96 DAP. This is indicated by a decrease in the diameter of plant stems and an increase in the number of leaves. The more watering intervals, the smaller the diameter of the stem but the more the number of leaves. Low water availability can increase capsaicin levels of Capsicum frutescens L. cayenne pepper plants. P3 treatment (watering once every 7 days) shows the highest capsaicin levels compared to control treatment, P1, and P2 which is 1317.63 ng.