IN VITRO FRUITING AND SEED SET OF CAPSICUM ANNUUM L. CV. SWEET BANANA

Plantlets of Capsicum annuum L. cv. Sweet Banana regenerated via somatic embryogenesis from immature zygotic embryos were capable of producing flower, fruit, and seed when cultured in small tissue culture containers. In vitro floral buds were first formed on plantlets that grew on plantlet development medium [agar-gelled Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal medium containing 1 mg l−1 (5.3 μM) α-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA)] in a growth room at 22°C and continuous illumination. However, floral buds rarely developed further into mature flowers. This problem was overcome using the vented autoclavable plant tissue culture containers. In vitro fruit formation and ripening was observed when liquid half-strength MS basal medium supplemented with 5 μg ml−1 silver thiosulfate, 1 mg l−1 (5.3 μM) NAA, and 3% sucrose was added to the surface of the plantlet development medium. Hand-pollination improved fruit set. Further research is needed to determine why the pepper seeds formed in vitro failed to germinate.