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With the increasing demand for water in hydroponic systems and agricultural irrigation, viral diseases have seriously affected the yield and quality of crops. By removing plant viruses in water environments, virus transmission can be prevented and agricultural production and ecosystems can be protected. But so far, there have been few reports on the removal of plant viruses in water environments. Herein, in this study, easily recyclable biomass-based carbon nanotubes catalysts were synthesized with varying metal activities to activate peroxymonosulfate (PMS). Among them, the magnetic 0.125Fe@NCNTs-1/PMS system showed the best overall removal performance against pepper mild mottle virus, with a 5.9 log10 removal within 1 min. Notably, the key reactive species in the 0.125Fe@NCNTs-1/PMS system is 1O2, which can maintain good removal effect in real water matrices (river water and tap water). Through RNA fragment analyses and label free analysis, it was found that this system could effectively cleave virus particles, destroy viral proteins and expose their genome. The capsid protein of pepper mild mottle virus was effectively decomposed where serine may be the main attacking sites by 1O2. Long viral RNA fragments (3349 and 1642 nt) were cut into smaller fragments (∼160 nt) and caused their degradation. In summary, this study contributes to controlling the spread of plant viruses in real water environment, which will potentially help protect agricultural production and food safety, and improve the health and sustainability of ecosystems.

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An endophytic fungus, Phoma sp. NG-25, produces a set of structurally related polyketides including cercosporamide, phomodione, and usnic acid, among which, cercosporamide has been reported to have strong antifungal and anticancer activities. In this study, Phoma sp. NG-25 was grown in seven growth media to determine the optimal culture condition conducive for cercosporamide production. Cercosporamide production peaked on the eighteenth day of incubation in beef peptone dextrose (BPD) broth media. The cercosporamide titer reached to an average of 77.5 µg/mL in BPD. Paper disk diffusion assay revealed that culture filtrate containing cercosporamide as a major constituent inhibited the growth of taxonomically diverse plant pathogens, including ascomycetous, basidiomycetous, and oomycete fungi. Cercosporamide exhibited strong antifungal activities against two pepper anthracnose pathogens, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and C. scovillei with EC50 values of 3.8 and 7.0 µg/mL, respectively. This study suggests the potential application of cercosporamide as an effective antifungal agent in controlling anthracnose in pepper.

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Colletotrichum species are notorious for causing anthracnose on many fruits, leading to significant economic losses worldwide. As a model, we functionally characterized cys2-his2 (C2H2) zinc finger proteins (CsCZFs) in Colletotrichum scovillei, a major causal agent of pepper fruit anthracnose in many countries. In all, 62 CsCZFs were identified by in silico genomic analysis. Twelve were selected based on their expression profiles to generate targeted deletion mutants for functional investigation. ΔCsczf1 markedly reduced conidiation and constitutive expression of CsCZF1 partially recovered conidiation in an asexual reproduction-defective mutant, ΔCshox2. Deletion of CsCZF12, orthologous to the calcineurin-responsive transcription factor Crz1, impaired autophagy in C. scovillei. ΔCsczf9 was defective in surface recognition, appressorium formation, and suppression of host defenses. CsCZF9 was identified as an essential and novel regulator under the control of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (CsPMK1) in an early step of appressorium development in C. scovillei. This study provides novel insights into CsCZF-mediated regulation of differentiation and pathogenicity in C. scovillei, contributing to understanding the regulatory mechanisms governing fruit anthracnose epidemics.IMPORTANCEThe phytopathogenic fungus Colletotrichum scovillei is known to cause serious anthracnose on chili pepper. However, the molecular mechanism underlying anthracnose caused by this fungus remains largely unknown. Here, we systematically analyzed the functional roles of cys2-his2 zinc finger proteins (CsCZFs) in the dissemination and pathogenic development of this fungus. Our results showed that CsCZF1 plays an important role in conidiation and constitutive expression of CsCZF1 restored conidiation in an asexual reproduction-defective mutant, ΔCshox2. The CsCZF9, a novel target of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (CsPMK1), is essential for surface recognition to allow appressorium formation and suppression of host defenses in C. scovillei. The CsCZF12, orthologous to the calcineurin-responsive transcription factor Crz1, is involved in the autophagy of C. scovillei. Our findings reveal a comprehensive mechanism underlying CsCZF-mediated regulation of differentiation and pathogenicity of C. scovillei, which contributes to the understanding of fruit anthracnose epidemics and the development of novel strategies for disease management.

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Background: Only a few adolescents are meeting their daily vegetable requirement. At the same time, spicy food is increasingly popular and familiar across cultures. Objectives: To explore the implementation of spicy vegetables into school meals, the primary objective is to determine adolescents' preferred degree of hot spice on steamed broccoli. Secondary objectives include estimating the appropriateness and acceptability of spicy vegetables in the National School Lunch Program and identifying strategies to promote spicy vegetables within school meals. Methods: One hundred participants between the age 11 and 17 y sampled 4 steamed broccoli florets with varying levels of a ground red and cayenne pepper spice blend (0, 0.9, 2.0, and 4.0 g). Participants rated their likeability of each broccoli sample on a 9-point hedonic scale and answered a survey assessing chili liking, chili consumption patterns, appropriateness, and acceptability. An interview assessed perspectives on spicy vegetables within school lunch.Regression analyses assessed relationships between participant attributes and sample ratings and survey outcomes. Agglomerative hierarchical cluster analysis was conducted to cluster together participants with similar sample liking ratings. Results: Seventy-seven percent of participants reported that chili pepper makes food taste better, and 67% consumed spicy food weekly or daily. Chili likers (n = 41) were the dominant cluster group, compared with moderates (n = 31) and chili dislikers (n = 28). Thematic analysis results suggested that most participants support incorporating spicy vegetables into school lunch but mushy vegetable texture may undermine the impact of changing school vegetable spice levels. Conclusions: Spicy foods are commonly consumed by adolescents, and these findings support the inclusion of spicy vegetables in school lunch. Additional research is needed to identify policies and practices to improve the texture of vegetables in school meals and determine additional strategies to support cultural humility in child nutrition programs.

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Capsaicinoids are produced uniquely in pepper fruits, and its level determines the commercial quality and health-promoting properties of pepper. So, it is particularly important to increase capsaicinoids content in pepper. Rhizosphere microbiota is critical to plant growth and performance, and affected by plant varieties. However, the impact of pepper varieties with different capsaicinoids yields on the rhizosphere microbiota is poorly understood. Using high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, we investigated the rhizosphere microbial community among five pepper varieties containing different capsaicinoids. Our results demonstrated that pepper variety significantly influenced the diversity and structure of rhizosphere microbial community. Bacterial diversity in varieties with high capsaicinoids content was significantly higher than in varieties with low capsaicinoids content, while fungal diversity was opposite to bacterial diversity. The correlation analysis revealed that 19 dominant bacterial genera (e.g., Chujaibacter, Rhodanobacter, and Gemmatimonas) were significantly correlated with capsaicinoids content, and nine of them were also significantly associated with soil nutrients, whereas only one fungal genus (Podospora) was significantly correlated with capsaicinoids content. Additionally, almost all genera which significantly correlated to capsaicinoids content were biomarkers of the five pepper varieties and the correlation was well corresponding to the capsaicinoids content. Overall, our results confirmed that the variety of pepper significantly affected the rhizosphere microbial community in the fields, and bacteria and fungi responded differently to capsaicinoids, which may affect the biosynthesis of capsaicinoids and contribute to further improvement of capsaicinoids production in pepper fruits.

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Post-harvest selection of high-quality Sichuan pepper is a critical step in the production process. To achieve this, a visual system needs to analyze Sichuan pepper with varying postures and maturity levels. To quickly and accurately sort high-quality fresh Sichuan pepper, this study proposes a multi-scale frequency domain feature fusion module (MSF3M) and a multi-scale dual-domain feature fusion module (MS-DFFM) to construct a multi-scale, multi-domain fusion algorithm for feature fusion of Sichuan pepper images. The MultiDomain YOLOv8 Model network is then built to segment and classify the target Sichuan pepper, distinguishing the maturity level of individual Sichuan peppercorns. A selection method based on the average local pixel value difference is proposed for sorting high-quality fresh Sichuan pepper. Experimental results show that the MultiDomain YOLOv8-seg achieves an mAP50 of 88.8% for the segmentation of fresh Sichuan pepper, with a model size of only 5.84 MB. The MultiDomain YOLOv8-cls excels in Sichuan pepper maturity classification, with an accuracy of 98.34%. Compared to the YOLOv8 baseline model, the MultiDomain YOLOv8 model offers higher accuracy and a more lightweight structure, making it highly effective in reducing misjudgments and enhancing post-harvest processing efficiency in agricultural applications, ultimately increasing producer profits.

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Salt stress imposes significant plant limitations, altering their molecular, physiological, and biochemical functions. Pepper, a valuable herbaceous plant species of the Solanaceae family, is particularly susceptible to salt stress. This study aimed to elucidate the physiological and molecular mechanisms that contribute to the development of salt tolerance in two pepper species (Capsicum baccatum (moderate salt tolerant) and Capsicum chinense (salt sensitive)) through a transcriptome and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) approach to provide detailed insights. A continuous increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) levels in C. chinense and higher activities of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and peroxidase (POD) in C. baccatum indicated more tissue damage in C. chinense than in C. baccatum. In transcriptome analysis, we identified 39 DEGs related to salt stress. Meanwhile, KEGG pathway analysis revealed enrichment of MAPK and hormone signaling pathways, with six DEGs each. Through WGCNA, the ME.red module was identified as positively correlated. Moreover, 10 genes, A-ARR (CQW23_24856), CHIb (CQW23_04881), ERF1b (CQW23_08898), PP2C (CQW23_15893), ABI5 (CQW23_29948), P450 (CQW23_16085), Aldedh1 (CQW23_06433), GDA (CQW23_12764), Aldedh2 (CQW23_14182), and Aldedh3 (CQW23_11481), were validated by qRT-PCR. This study provides valuable insights into the genetic mechanisms underlying salt stress tolerance in pepper. It offers potential targets for future breeding efforts to enhance salt stress resilience in this crop.

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In response to the low accuracy and slow detection speed of chili recognition in natural environments, this study proposes a chili pepper object detection method based on the improved YOLOv8n. Evaluations were conducted among YOLOv5n, YOLOv6n, YOLOv7-tiny, YOLOv8n, YOLOv9, and YOLOv10 to select the optimal model. YOLOv8n was chosen as the baseline and improved as follows: (1) Replacing the YOLOv8 backbone with the improved HGNetV2 model to reduce floating-point operations and computational load during convolution. (2) Integrating the SEAM (spatially enhanced attention module) into the YOLOv8 detection head to enhance feature extraction capability under chili fruit occlusion. (3) Optimizing feature fusion using the dilated reparam block module in certain C2f (CSP bottleneck with two convolutions). (4) Substituting the traditional upsample operator with the CARAFE(content-aware reassembly of features) upsampling operator to further enhance network feature fusion capability and improve detection performance. On a custom-built chili dataset, the F0.5-score, mAP0.5, and mAP0.5:0.95 metrics improved by 1.98, 2, and 5.2 percentage points, respectively, over the original model, achieving 96.47%, 96.3%, and 79.4%. The improved model reduced parameter count and GFLOPs by 29.5% and 28.4% respectively, with a final model size of 4.6 MB. Thus, this method effectively enhances chili target detection, providing a technical foundation for intelligent chili harvesting processes.

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Using sous-vide technology in combination with essential oils offers the potential to extend the preservation of food items while preserving their original quality. This method aligns with the growing consumer demand for safer and healthier food production practices. This study aimed to assess the suitability of minimal processing of game meat and the effectiveness of vacuum packaging in combination with Piper nigrum essential oil (PNEO) treatment to preserve red deer meat samples inoculated with Listeria monocytogenes. Microbial analyses, including total viable count (TVC) for 48 h at 30 °C, coliform bacteria (CB) for 24 h at 37 °C, and L. monocytogenes count for 24 h at 37 °C, were conducted. The cooking temperature of the sous-vide was from 50 to 65 °C and the cooking time from 5 to 20 min. Additionally, the study monitored the representation of microorganism species identified through mass spectrometry. The microbiological quality of red deer meat processed using the sous-vide method was monitored over 14 days of storage at 4 °C. The results indicated that the TVC, CB, and L. monocytogenes counts decreased with the temperature and processing time of the sous-vide method. The lowest counts of individual microorganism groups were observed in samples treated with 1% PNEO. The analysis revealed that PNEO, in combination with the sous-vide method, effectively reduced L. monocytogenes counts and extended the shelf life of red deer meat. Kocuria salsicia, Pseudomonas taetrolens, and Pseudomonas fragi were the most frequently isolated microorganism species during the 14-day period of red deer meat storage prepared using the sous-vide method.

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The intelligent detection of chili peppers is crucial for achieving automated operations. In complex field environments, challenges such as overlapping plants, branch occlusions, and uneven lighting make detection difficult. This study conducted comparative experiments to select the optimal detection model based on YOLOv8 and further enhanced it. The model was optimized by incorporating BiFPN, LSKNet, and FasterNet modules, followed by the addition of attention and lightweight modules such as EMBC, EMSCP, DAttention, MSBlock, and Faster. Adjustments to CIoU, Inner CIoU, Inner GIoU, and inner_mpdiou loss functions and scaling factors further improved overall performance. After optimization, the YOLOv8 model achieved precision, recall, and mAP scores of 79.0%, 75.3%, and 83.2%, respectively, representing increases of 1.1, 4.3, and 1.6 percentage points over the base model. Additionally, GFLOPs were reduced by 13.6%, the model size decreased to 66.7% of the base model, and the FPS reached 301.4. This resulted in accurate and rapid detection of chili peppers in complex field environments, providing data support and experimental references for the development of intelligent picking equipment.

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Capsicum oleoresin has potential health benefits, particularly against obesity markers. Due to its high pungency, few studies have been done to explore the intake of this ingredient. The objective of this study was to use the Capsicum oleoresin (CO) microencapsulated into a high-fat diet to evaluate its metabolic effect on mice. Two formulation containing 15 % solids were prepared: the first (F1) with 5% CO and 95% emulsifier, and the second (F2) with 2.5% corn oil, 2.5% CO, and 95% emulsifier. These formulation were atomized in a spray dryer. Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography determined the capsaicin content for both formulations. Mice were divided into two groups: lean control (normocaloric AIN diet, n = 10) and high fat (HF diet: hypercaloric, n = 30), which were subdivided into three subgroups: HF control diet (n = 10); diet F1: HF + 20 % CO oleoresin microparticles (n = 10); and diet F2: HF + 20 % CO microparticles containing corn oil (n = 10). The animals treated with the microparticles showed lower glucose levels than the HF control. Mice fed with HF-containing CO microparticles had cholesterol blood levels similar to that of the lean group and lower (<100 mg/dL) than that of the HF control group (150 mg/dL). Capsicum oleoresin microparticles added to high-fat diets promoted lower weight gain and protected the liver against hepatic steatosis. Leptin levels for mice fed with HF diet plus CO microparticles averaged between 2 and 5 ng/ml, whereas the fat control group developed leptin resistance. Capsicum microparticles evidenced a protective effect against dyslipidemia compared to the fat control group, which suggests their use as a potential ingredient for the control of obesity.

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BACKGROUND: The WD40 domain, one of the most abundant in eukaryotic genomes, is widely involved in plant growth and development, secondary metabolic biosynthesis, and mediating responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. WD40 repeat (WD40) protein has been systematically studied in several model plants but has not been reported in the Capsicum annuum (pepper) genome. RESULTS: Herein, 269, 237, and 257 CaWD40 genes were identified in the Zunla, CM334, and Zhangshugang genomes, respectively. CaWD40 sequences from the Zunla genome were selected for subsequent analysis, including chromosomal localization, phylogenetic relationships, sequence characteristics, motif compositions, and expression profiling. CaWD40 proteins were unevenly distributed on 12 chromosomes, encompassing 19 tandem duplicate gene pairs. The 269 CaWD40s were divided into six main branches (A to F) with 17 different types of domain distribution. The CaWD40 gene family exhibited diverse expression patterns, and several genes were specifically expressed in flowers and seeds. Yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) and dual-luciferase assay indicated that CaWD40-91 could interact with CaAN1 and CaDYT1, suggesting its involvement in anthocyanin biosynthesis and male sterility in pepper. CONCLUSIONS: In summary, we systematically characterized the phylogeny, classification, structure, and expression of the CaWD40 gene family in pepper. Our findings provide a valuable foundation for further functional investigations on WD40 genes in pepper.

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In this work, the influence of two-stage solar tunnel drying on the preservation of quality attributes of both chili pepper varieties, Mareko Fana (MF) and Bako Local (BL), was studied. Both varieties were dried in different drying modalities, i.e. solar tunnel and open sun drying. The quality attributes were evaluated during the drying process using FTIR and spectrophotometry techniques. Different colour evolution models were implemented and a suitable model was selected. The results showed that after drying of the Mareko Fana chili variety, the lightness retention was found in the range of 81 %-89 %, the redness retention between 25 % and 42 % and the yellowness retention between 14 % and 38 %. For the Bako Local variety, the values were in the range of 78 %-82 %, 42 %-60 % and 36 %-55 %, respectively. The first order model gave a higher correlation coefficient (R2 > 0.96), which indicated the suitability of the model for predicting the color variation for both varieties. The volatile aromatic compounds in the chili peppers were greatly lost during open sun drying, while solar tunnel drying maintained these compounds for both varieties. However, during the solar tunnel drying process, a significant amount of alkyl halides or alkyl-chlorides were lost. The amount of dihydrocapsaicin and capsaicin from the chili peppers ranged from 10,172 µg/kg to 16,313 µg/kg and 16,676 µg/kg to 27,189 µg/kg for both dihydrocapsaicin and capsaicin, respectively. In tunnel, open-air, and uncontrolled open-air solar drying, the MF chili variety lost copsaicinoid content by 3.4 %, 14.8 %, and 38.3 %, respectively; in the BL variety, comparable losses were 1.8 %, 4.4 %, and 13.6 %. A minimum loss of ascorbic acids was recorded during solar tunnel drying. The results showed that well-designed double stage solar tunnel dryers are important for effective drying processes that preserve quality attributes of the chili pepper.

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Bacterial leaf spot of pepper (BSP), primarily caused by Xanthomonas euvesicatoria (Xe), poses a significant challenge to pepper production worldwide. Despite its impact, the genetic diversity of this pathogen remains underexplored, which limits our understanding of its population structure. To bridge this knowledge gap, we conducted a comprehensive analysis using 103 Xe strains isolated from pepper in southwest Florida to characterize genomic and type III effector (T3E) variation in this population. Phylogenetic analysis of core genomes revealed a major distinct genetic lineage associated with amylolytic activity. This amylolytic lineage was represented in Xe strains globally. Molecular clock analysis dated the emergence of amylolytic strains in Xe to around 1972. Notably, non-amylolytic strains possessed a single base pair frameshift deletion in the ⍺-amylase gene yet retained a conserved C-terminus. GUS assay revealed the expression of two open reading frames in non-amylolytic strains, one at the N-terminus and another that starts 136 base pairs upstream of the ⍺-amylase gene. Analysis of T3Es in the Florida Xe population identified variation in 12 effectors, including two classes of mutations in avrBs2 that prevent AvrBs2 from triggering a hypersensitive response in Bs2-resistant pepper plants. Knowledge of T3E variation could be used for effector-targeted disease management. This study revealed previously undescribed population structure in this economically important pathogen.IMPORTANCEBacterial leaf spot (BSP), a significant threat to pepper production globally, is primarily caused by Xanthomonas euvesicatoria (Xe). Limited genomic data has hindered detailed studies on its population diversity. This study analyzed the whole-genome sequences of 103 Xe strains from peppers in southwest Florida, along with additional global strains, to explore the pathogen's diversity. The study revealed two major distinct genetic groups based on their amylolytic activity, the ability to break down starch, with non-amylolytic strains having a mutation in the ⍺-amylase gene. Additionally, two classes of mutations in the avrBs2 gene were found, leading to susceptibility in pepper plants with the Bs2 resistance gene, a commercially available resistance gene for BSP. These findings highlight the need to forecast the emergence of such strains, identify genetic factors for innovative disease management, and understand how this pathogen evolves and spreads.

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This study aimed to evaluate the impact of temperature on the potential extraction of bioactive compounds from aqueous hop extract samples. The main bioactive components were characterised and analysed by LC-MS/MS, FT-IR, phenolic compounds and total flavonoids. Antifungal activity was evaluated in vitro and in vivo in bell peppers. LC-MS/MS analysis demonstrated increases and decreases of bioactive compounds in both extracts depending on the extraction temperature of 25 or 65 °C. The bioactive compounds showed significant changes in the bands between 2786 to 3600 cm-1 and 1022 to 1729 cm-1 in the FT-IR spectrum. The highest antifungal activity against the microorganisms was observed in the EkuanotMT extract at an extraction temperature of 65 °C. The in vivo test with bell peppers presented antifungal activity during five days of evaluation under normal environmental conditions without refrigeration, presenting ≤ 52% of the disease due to F. oxysporum and A. solani.

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The present review assessed the effect of heat processing on red peppers' (Capsicum annum L.) bioactive compounds and antioxidant capacity. The Google Scholar and Scopus databases were used to search the existing literature. Out of 422 articles accessed based on the inclusion and exclusion criterias included, only 15 studies were qualified for detailed review. The studies examined effects of processing on red hot peppers' bioactive compounds and antioxidant capacity. Information on type of heat applied for individual processes and the conditions used, countries in which the studies were carried out and effect of heat processing's were assessed. The review showed many studies were incomprehensive to details of processing condition constraining the validity of the results obtained from various cooking effects on bioactive compounds and antioxidant capacity. Further studies aimed at gaining a better understanding of the heat processing conditions and factors that influence the bioactive compounds and antioxidant capacity of red peppers are needed.

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Effective microorganisms (EM) might alleviate deterioration of soil environmental quality and yield decline of pepper (Capsicum annuum) caused by continuous replanting and imbalanced fertilizer application in Xinjiang. We investigated the effects of applying EM microbial agent on the growth of pepper plants, yield, soil nutrient content, soil enzyme activity, and rhizosphere eukaryotic community. The results showed that the application of EM microbial agent increased plant height, stem diameter, leaf length, leaf width and root length by 22.6%, 35.3%, 33.3%, 29.7% and 15.1%, respectively. It also increased fruit width, individual fruit weight, and yield by 5.3%, 42.9%, and 74.7%, respectively. After the application of EM microbial agent, the levels of soil available nitrogen increased by 10.2% and 5.8% during the flowering and maturity stages, respectively. Similarly, available phosphorus increased by 10.4% and 13.4%, respectively. The soil sucrase activity was increased by 40.7%, 14.6%, and 9.3% during the seedling, flowering, and maturity stages, respectively. Urease activity was also increased by 7.9%, 10.2%, and 11.5%, respectively. Furthermore, the application of EM microbial agent increased soil peroxidase activity by 16.8% and 44.6% at flowering and maturity stages, respectively. The application of microbial agent significantly altered the ß-diversity of the rhizosphere eukaryotic community in pepper plants. Specifically, microbial agent increased the relative abundances of populations belonging to Enchytraeus and Sminthurides genera, which could contribute to soil improvement and nutrient cycling. Compared to the CK, the relative abundance of pathogenic microorganisms including Olpidium and Aplanochytrium genera decreased by 98.0% and 89.3%, and the relative abundance of the Verticillium decreased to 0. These results demonstrated that EM microbial agent could increase soil nutrient content, enhance soil enzyme activity, and reduce soil pathogenic fungi in the pepper cultivation areas of Xinjiang, thus achieving beneficial effects on pepper growth and fruit yield.

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BACKGROUND: Pepper blight, caused by Phytophthora capsici, is a devastating disease that seriously threatens pepper production worldwide. With the emergence of resistance in P. capsici against conventional fungicides, there is an urgent need to explore novel alternatives for pepper blight management. This study aims to assess the inhibitory effect of chloroinconazide (CHI), a compound synthesized from tryptophan, against pepper blight, and to explore its potential mechanisms of action. RESULTS: The results demonstrated that CHI effectively targeted P. capsici, disrupting its growth and mycelial structure, which resulted in the release of dissolved intracellular substances. Additionally, CHI significantly inhibited the sporangium formation, zoospores release, and zoospores germination, thereby reducing the re-infection of P. capsici. In contrast, the commercial pesticide methylaxyl only inhibited mycelial growth and had limited effect on re-infection, while azoxystrobin inhibited re-infection but had a weak inhibitory effect on mycelial growth. Furthermore, CHI activated the salicylic acid (SA) signaling pathway-mediated immune response to inhibit P. capsici infection in pepper, with this activation being contingent upon cyclic nucleotide-gated ion channel CaCNGC9. CONCLUSION: CHI exhibited potent dual inhibitory effects on P. capsici by disrupting mycelial structure and activating the CaCNGC9-mediated SA signaling pathway. These dual mechanisms of action suggested that CHI could serve as a promising alternative chemical fungicide for the effective management of pepper blight, offering a new approach to control this devastating disease. Our findings highlighted the potential of CHI as a sustainable and efficient solution to combat the increasing resistance of P. capsici to conventional fungicides, ensuring better crop protection and yield. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

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Chili pepper cultivation in the Indian subcontinent is severely affected by viral diseases, prompting the need for environmentally friendly disease control methods. To achieve this, it is essential to understand the molecular mechanisms of viral resistance in chili pepper. The NONEXPRESSOR OF PATHOGENESIS-RELATED GENES 1 (NPR1) genes are known to provide broad-spectrum resistance to various phytopathogens by activating systemic acquired resistance (SAR). An in-depth understanding of NPR1 gene expression during begomovirus infection and its correlation with different biochemical and physiological parameters is crucial for enhancing resistance against begomoviruses in chili pepper. Nevertheless, limited information on chili CaNPR genes and their role in biotic stress constrains their potential in breeding for biotic stress resistance. By employing bioinformatics for genome mining, we identify 5 CaNPR genes in chili. The promoter regions of 1,500 bp of CaNPR genes contained cis-elements associated with biotic stress responses, signifying their involvement in biotic stress responses. Furthermore, these gene promoters harbored components linked to light, development, and hormone responsiveness, suggesting their roles in plant hormone responses and development. MicroRNAs played a vital role in regulating these five CaNPR genes, highlighting their significance in the regulation of chili genes. Inoculation with the begomovirus "cotton leaf curl Khokhran virus (CLCuKV)" had a detrimental effect on chili plant growth, resulting in stunted development, fibrous roots, and evident virus symptoms. The qRT-PCR analysis of two local chili varieties inoculated with CLCuKV, one resistant (V1) and the other susceptible (V2) to begomoviruses, indicated that CaNPR1 likely provides extended resistance and plays a role in chili plant defense mechanisms, while the remaining genes are activated during the early stages of infection. These findings shed light on the function of chili's CaNPR in biotic stress responses and identify potential genes for biotic stress-resistant breeding. However, further research, including gene cloning and functional analysis, is needed to confirm the role of these genes in various physiological and biological processes. This in-silico analysis enhances our genome-wide understanding of how chili CaNPR genes respond during begomovirus infection.

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The color stability and quality changes of red pepper powder of various initial moisture content (7%, 10%, and 13%) and packaged with different materials, low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and nylon layered polyethylene (Ny/PE) film pouches or plastic and glass bottles, were compared during storage at 20 °C for 126 days. In the 7% moisture content sample packaged in LDPE film and plastic bottles, the L* and b*-values increased from 48.2 ± 0.7 and 15.4 ± 1.1 to 65.2-65.9 and 29.5-30.3, respectively, while the a*-value decreased from 26.1 ± 0.7 to 14.2-15.9, indicating a noticeable color change from red to orange. However, the decrease in the capsaicinoid and free sugar content of red pepper powder over time was found to have no significant correlation with moisture content and packaging type. As a result, the color change during the long-term storage of red pepper powder was greatly influenced by the initial moisture content and gas permeability of the packaging material.