Characterization of Pepper Line with Cytoplasmic Male Sterility and Maintainer Line

Abstract

Pepper line K 587 (Srfrf) with cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) and line K 588 (Nrfrf) – maintainer of sterility forming small hot fruits were studied on the experimental plot of the Maritsa Vegetable Crops Research Institute, Plovdiv during the period 2006-2007. These lines were estimated by the significant morphological traits: plant and stem height, number of branches form first order, fruit length, fruit diameter at the bottom, pericarp thickness, average fruit weight. The CMS line is described with higher plants (129.95 cm), greater number of branches from first order (3.75), shorter (6.62 cm) and narrow (1.10 cm) fruits with thinner pericarp (1.57 mm) and with smaller average fruit weight (6.19 g). The parietal layer of the two lines was studied by electronic-microscopy analysis. It was established that in the CMS line strong vacuolization of the tapetal cells occurred before the meiotic division while in the line-maintainer this process was observed in telophase second.