A multi-methodological approach to study genomic footprints and environmental influence on agronomic and metabolic profiles in a panel of Italian traditional sweet pepper varieties

Twenty-eight sweet pepper (C. annuum L.) landraces were grown for two consecutive seasons in a Mediterranean environment and evaluated for a wide range of volatile and non-volatile phytochemicals and agronomic performance parameters. A high genotypic (G) variance effect was found for flavonoids and sugars while vitamin C, organic acids and isoprenoids, showed a variable degree of G, years (Y), and G x Y interaction. Thirty-one targeted volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were found significantly different across varieties in both seasons. Combining targeted and untargeted profiling of VOCs revealed 124 and 277 compounds in the first and the second year, respectively. Fruit weight showed negative correlations with several phytochemical traits, whereas soluble solids were strongly correlated to benzene acetaldehyde in charge of sweet and floral aroma. Genomic data based on 1421 single-nucleotide polymorphism reveal clusters based on origin and fruit type, highlighting factors that driven the selection of the studied landraces.

Automated summary

In a Mediterranean environment, 28 sweet pepper landraces were grown and evaluated for two consecutive seasons, revealing different effects of genotype, year, and genotype-year interaction on phytochemicals. Fruit weight showed negative correlations with several phytochemical traits, while soluble solids were strongly correlated to specific compounds.