The suppression of salinity‐associated oxygen radicals production, in pepper (Capsicum annuum) fruit, by manganese, zinc and calcium in relation to its sensitivity to blossom‐end rot

Summary

We investigated the possibility that oxidative stress contributes to blossom‐end rot (BER) initiation in bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) grown under high salinity. Pepper plants (cv. Mazurka, Rijk Zwaan, the Netherlands) were grown in a greenhouse and irrigated with nutrient solution made up with either desalinated water (control — rising from E.C. 1.9 to 2.4 dS m−1) or saline water (salinity – rising from E.C. 3.2 to 7.0 dS m−1). Irrigation was by a circulation system. BER symptoms were observed throughout the experiment but were highly enhanced in the salinity–grown plants during the spring and summer. The fruit calcium concentration was not affected by salinity, but manganese concentrations in both leaves and fruits were significantly reduced under these conditions. Under salinity ther