Abstract

Changes in nutrients elements uptake, physiological characteristics, as well as, correlations analysis for these traits to each other are good factors to study the effects of drought on sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum L. cv., commercial hybrid) and disclose physiological reaction to several specific levels of stress from water deficit. Water scarcity processing was carried out by irrigating the sweet pepper plants with 20, 40 and 60% of water deficit to reach soil pot capacity, plus to 100% of water capacity (control). The results showed that the concentrations of nutrients of the studied sweet pepper grown in pots under different water treatments varied greatly depending on the levels of water stress except C. Resulting data of the growing season’s experiments revealed that, the four water stress levels had a highly significant effect on all the four traits under this study. The content of proline in plant had risen significantly by drought stress treatments (80, 60 and 40% of pot capacity). All water stress treatments led to high significant changes in the accumulation of vitamins and enzymes, that is, peroxidase, ascorbate peroxidase, catalase and superoxide dismutase. Also, the associations of correlation between all physiological traits had been reported in results.

Key words: Capsicum annuum, water deficit,  pigments, proline, antioxidant enzymes pigments