QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS AND CONTENT OF MINERAL COMPOUNDS IN FRUIT OF SOME CULTIVARS OF SWEET PEPPER (CAPSICUM ANNUUM L.)

The study was carried out in 2005-2007. The aim of the experiment was to estimate the quality and mineral compound content in sweet pepper fruits. The experimental material consisted of seven F-1 hybrids grown in the open field: ISI 56511 F-1, ISI 56503 F-1, Axel F-1, Akron F-1, Roei F,, Elfo F-1 and Polonez F-1 (control cultivar). The fruits were harvested many times. They were collected when green and fully grown. After the harvest, the fruit quality including its mean weight, length, diameter, pericarp weight and pericarp thickness, was evaluated. In 2006-2007, the content of macro- and microelements, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc and nitrates was determined in the dry weight of the yield. The results were statistically evaluated by the analysis of variance. Significance of the differences was tested by Tukey's test at p = 0.05. The biometrical traits of fruits were characteristic for each cultivar. The highest content of dry weight was found for cultivar ISI 56511 F-1 (11.2% higher than the mean amount determined for all of the cultivars and 39.8% higher than the lowest dry matter content assessed in fruits of cultivar Roei F-1). The sweet pepper cultivars tested in the experiment differed significantly in the content of macro- and microelements. The highest content of nitrogen was determined in fruits of cultivar Polonez F-1. Fruits produced by cultivars Elfo F-1, ISI 56503 F-1 and Roei F-1 in comparison with the other cultivars were characterized by a significantly higher content of iron. The highest content of nitrates was assessed in cultivar ISI 56503 F-1 fruit.