Growth, Yield, Quality, and Disease Resistance of Yellow Chili Pepper Grafted on Different Rootstocks

Objective Growth, yield, quality, and disease resistance of yellow chili pepper plants grafted on different rootstocks were analyzed to optimize the choice.

Method Xuenarui yellow chili pepper plant part was the scion that was side-grafted onto three rootstocks, i.e., Jianda, Jianda 2, and TI-135. Growth, yield, photosynthesis, and pepper nutritional quality of the grafted plants, along with self-rooted Xuenarui seedlings as control (CK), were compared.

Result The stem plant width and root length and weight of the seedlings grafted on Jianda were significantly greater than those of CK with the increases by 8.8%, 27.5%, and 21.6%, respectively. The grafted seedlings showed, among all treatment samples, the highest on photosynthetic efficiency and intercellular CO₂ fixation and conversion ability. Although lower on individual fruit weight, the yield per 667 m² was significantly 25.1% higher than that of CK. The contents of soluble protein, vitamin C, and soluble sugar in the peppers were significantly higher than CK by 20.7%, 24.9%, and 13.8%, respectively. And the incidence of viral diseases was significantly less by 97.29% than that of CK.

Conclusion The principal component analysis and comprehensive evaluation indicated that the Xuenarui yellow chili pepper grafted on Jianda were superior to the other rootstocks with respects to the growth, yield, disease resistance, and pepper quality.