The quality of seeds of different cultivars of pepper (Capsicum annuum Linn) processed by different methods

Abstract

An investigation was conducted in the screen house of Crop Production Department, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State, Nigeria to determine the effect of two seed extraction methods (extraction of seeds from wet ripe fruits and extraction of seeds from dry fruits and two drying methods (sun and air) on seed quality of six pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) cultivars. The cultivars used were ‘Rodo-Dan Sokoto’ (RD-DSK), ‘Rodo Dan-Brini-Gwari’ (RD-DBG), ‘Tatashe Dan Kano’ (TS-DKA), ‘Tatashe Dan Kaduna’ (TS-DKD), ‘Shombo Dan Sokoto’ (SB-DSK) and Shombo Dan Guru’ (SB-DGU). The study was a 2 X 2 X 6 factorial experiment subjected to the Completely Randomized Design. The seeds of the different treatment combinations were placed in open containers and stored at 80% relative humidity and 35°C for eight weeks. Seedling emergence test was conducted every-other-weeks. Seeds of cultivar ‘Shombo-Dan Guru’ (SB-DGU) seeds generally recorded significantly higher seedling emergence percentage, longer seedling and lower electrical conductivity (EC) and greater longevity were recorded in cultivar ‘Shombo’ than in the other cultivars. Seeds of cultivar ‘TS-DKA’ recorded significantly lower values for all parameters except EC compared to other genotypes. Seeds extracted from wet fruits before drying maintained viability for a longer period than those from dry fruits. Shade-drying resulted in significantly higher germination than sun-drying all through the storage period except in SB-DGU. The study revealed that longevity was better maintained when seeds of different pepper cultivars were extracted from wet fruits and afterwards dried in shade except in TS-DKA in which seeds extracted from shade-dried fruits had significantly greater quality than those of its other treatment combinations. Significant interaction effects of cultivars, extraction and seed drying methods were also recorded. Seed viability, seedling emergence and length declined with age while EC increased with age