Water Deficit Tolerance of Some Pepper Inbred Lines

Water deficit is one of the main limiting factors affecting plant growth. Selection in water-limited environments can result in populations or species with improved response to drought. Water deficit decreases yield and quality, therefore, it is important to identify genotypes that are tolerant to deficit irrigation conditions. In this study, the water-deficit tolerance of 59 pepper-inbred lines was determined. Experiments were conducted in a growth chamber and under field conditions (Şanliurfa) with a control (100% full-irrigation) and water-deficit treatment (50% irrigation). Fruit weight, fruit length and number of fruits were recorded. Pepper lines 1900, 896 A-W, 74, 760, 1560-W, 912 A-W, 405-A, 953-W, 226, 1105-W and 441 were identified as the most tolerant to water deficit conditions. Present findings revealed that these pepper lines could be used to develop cultivars that have satisfactory yield under water deficit conditions.