Optimizing in vitro germination of Capsicum baccatum L. seeds through a multifactorial experimental design

Abstract

Optimizing in vitro germination of Capsicum baccatum L. seeds through a multifactorial experimental design Tiago Fidemann, Lia Bossard Nascimento, Milena Cristina Moraes, Mônica Rosa Bertão, Eutimio Gustavo Fernández-Núñez Abstract The Capsicum genus comprises hundreds of varieties with fruits that differ widely in shape, size, color, and flavor. The Brazilian cuisine consumes Capsicum baccatum L. (pepper) extensively and few reports about chemical composition and biological properties about this pepper were published. The present study determined four factors numeric effects on germination in vitro of this specie, among them, the solution type for osmotic conditioning (water and 1% KNO3 aqueous solution), germination medium (agar and agar + gibberellic acid at 1.88 mgL-1), post-seeding time (15 and 30 days) and two genotypes (Pitanga and Cambuci) on two germination parameters (germination and cotyledon emerging rates), as first step for establishing a cell suspension culture to produce secondary metabolites. The methodology was a two-level full factorial experimental design (24). The results allowed polynomial equations definition which describes the germination phenomena as a function of the four factors under study. The genotype responses to osmotic conditioning and germination medium were different. The optimal combination of treatments for in vitro germination and development of seedlings for Pitanga and Cambuci was water + agar and water + agar-GA3, respectively. Full Text: PDF DOI: 10.15640/aijb.v4n2a1