Screening of the sweet pepper gene pool samples in salinized conditions

The article presents the results of assessing the salt resistance of sweet pepper samples by seed germination in saline solutions. According to the results of the study of collection samples of sweet pepper in conditions of stress factor-salinization, a valuable breeding material was identified. Screening for these characteristics at the initial stages of breeding will increase the effectiveness of selection and will allow processing a large amount of breeding material in a short time.

Introduction. Salinization of soils reduces the yield of crops, and can cause their death. This stress factor has an adverse effect on the periods of sweet pepper development, especially on seed germination and post-emergence growth. Therefore, the introduction into production of new varieties of sweet pepper, resistant to the stress factor-soil salinization, is a fundamental factor in increasing the yield of sweet pepper. The variety is the most economical way to increase the yield, which has recently been relevant for increasing the production of sweet pepper for import substitution purposes. The aim of the research is to assess the salt resistance of sweet pepper samples by seed germination in saline solutions to identify genotypes resistant to environmental stress factors, which will ensure the creation of highly competitive varieties with a wide adaptive potential.

Object. The object of research was 21 collectible samples of sweet pepper: varieties, F1 hybrids of Russian and foreign selection, as well as the variety lines of the Astrakhan State University named after V. N. Tatishchev.

Materials and methods. The research was carried out in the scientific and educational laboratory «Selection and seed production of agricultural crops» of the Astrakhan State University named after V. N. Tatishchev. The laboratory experiment was carried out using generally accepted methods and guidelines. The method of establishing salt resistance is based on a standard method for determining germination, where, along with germination of seeds on water, a variant of their parallel germination in salt solutions is introduced.

Results and conclusions. The article presents the results of the study of 21 collectible samples of sweet pepper. During the evaluation of the collection material, the distribution of collection samples of sweet pepper by salt resistance was carried out: highly salt-resistant, medium salt-resistant, weakly salt-resistant. As a result of germination of sweet pepper seeds in salt solutions, it was found that the resistance of the studied samples is different. When evaluating sweet pepper varieties, the “plasticity” indicator was determined. Differences in the reaction of varieties to changes in environmental conditions were revealed by calculating the regression coefficient bi. The index of environmental conditions (Ij) was calculated. Optimal conditions for the germination of sweet pepper seeds were formed with positive indicators of environmental conditions, the worst with negative indicators. The calculation of the indices of environmental conditions showed that the most favorable for the germination of sweet pepper seeds were: aqueous solution (control) (Ij = +37); 0.5% NaCl (Ij = +27); the worst conditions for the test were: 1% NaCl (Ij = -13); 1.5 % NaCl (Ij = -51).

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