Anatomy of fruit detachment in tabasco pepper (Capsicum frutescens, Solanaceae)

amined in an easy-pick and a hard-pick line of Tabasco peppers. The anatomical parameters examined included: sclereid development, size and shape of parenchyma cells, volume of intercellular space, and crystal development across the diameter of the separation zone. During ripening, sclerification proceeded centripetally in both lines but was more pronounced in the hard pick line. Parenchyma cells in the central zone of both lines were nearly isodiametric and did not enlarge significantly during fruit maturation. In the peripheral zone, parenchyma cells of easy-pick fruits elongated significantly more than corresponding cells in the hard-pick line. There was a greater volume of intercellular space in the central zone than the peripheral zone of both lines, but more so in the easy-pick line. The number of crystals in the central zone decreased in both lines during fruit ripening. This study suggests that several anatomical factors are associated with ease of fruit separation from the peduncle in pepper.