UV-B treatments in alleviating drought stress in pepper

Due to climate change and anthropogenic effects, the amount of usable water is decreasing and many agricultural lands are exposed to drought. In order to cope with drought and ensure food security, easy-to-apply, cheap and effective strategies are needed. The aim of the study is to determine the changes caused by drought in pepper and to investigate the effect of UV-B preparation in alleviating this stress. Seeds that were subjected to UV-B priming (15' and 30') and/or drought (0.5 M and 1 M Polyethylene glycol 6000) were planted in peat-filled pots and left to develop seedlings in the growth room at 24±2 0C temperature, 16-hour light/8-hour dark photoperiod and 45% humidity. Seedlings were harvested according to a randomized trial design on the 120th day and morphological measurements (root and shoot length, fresh and dry weights) as well as physiological-biochemical analyses (chlorophyll, carotenoid, soluble total protein and total phenolic substance amounts, DPPH and CAT activities) were performed. It was determined that drought had negative effects on İnan pepper variety and these effects were alleviated with UV-B priming. It was concluded that UV-B priming techniques can be used to grow plants under drought stress and to increase yield and quality. Key words: Abiotic stress, Capsicum annuum L., drought, priming, UV-B