Search Results (2)

Background: Millet peppers have rich and diverse germplasm resources. It is of great significance to characterize their phenotypes and physicochemical indicators. Methods: 30 millet germplasms were selected to measure the fruit length and width, flesh thickness, number of ventricles, fruit stalk length, and single fruit weight, and the texture characteristics of fruit such as hardness, cohesiveness, springiness, gumminess, and chewiness were determined by a texture analyzer. At the same time, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gas chromatography (GC) were used to determine the fruit of capsaicin, dihydrocapsaicin, nordihydrocapsaicin, fatty acids, vitamin E (VE), total phenol, total sugar, and total dietary fiber. Results: M11 showed outstanding parameters in phenotype and texture. The coefficient of variation (CV) for VE was as high as 94.943% and the highest diversity index (H’) was total soluble solid, at 1.988%. M5 and M18 contained rich and diverse fatty acids. At the same time, the content of capsaicinoids in M18 also ranks among the top, second only to M27 (with a total capsaicin content of 5623.96 μg/g). PCA analysis using phenotypic data and physicochemical data showed that the classification results were different. Further hierarchical group analysis was carried out using all the index data. The results showed that 30 millet pepper germplasms were divided into three new categories: M5, M9, M18, and M24 formed one group (C1), M10, M14, M16, M19, M20, M22, M25, M26, M28, M29, and M30 formed another cluster (C2), and the remaining germplasms formed a third cluster (C3). Among them, the abundance of fatty acids in the C1 germplasm was higher than that in the other two groups. Conclusions: Our study showed that different germplasms had significant differences in morphological traits and nutritional metabolic components and were rich in genetic diversity. This study provides a theoretical basis for the improvement of millet varieties and the development of functional food. Full article

Assessing the oviposition preferences of predatory hoverflies is a key factor in the prediction of the success of these biological control agents against aphids in greenhouses, especially when using banker plant systems or in mixed-crop contexts. In this study, two aspects of the oviposition preferences of the American hoverfly, Eupeodes americanus (Wiedemann, 1830) (Diptera: Syrphidae), were evaluated. Firstly, the preference between the banker plant and the target crop was evaluated for three banker plant species (barley, finger millet, or corn) and two target crops (cucumber or pepper). Secondly, the preference between the same two target crops was assessed. Female oviposition preferences were evaluated via two-choice experiments using different plant/aphid systems. The results showed that, for the cucumber crops, the species of banker plant used drastically influenced the oviposition preference of the hoverfly, with a preference for barley over cucumber, cucumber over finger millet, and no preference between corn and cucumber. Unlike cucumber, when used with pepper, barley engendered a preference for the target crop. We conclude that the barley banker plant could be adequate for aphid control in pepper but not in cucumber crops. In a mixed-crop context, the American hoverfly had no preference between cucumber and pepper, which means it has the potential to protect both crops in a mixed-crop greenhouse context. This study shows that the banker plant system should be carefully chosen according to the crops/aphids present in the greenhouse to optimize the impact of the hoverfly as a biocontrol agent. Further work is required to confirm this choice of banker plant in semifield or field testing. Full article