The effect of biodegradable mulches on the fruit qality and bioactive compounds of capia pepper

In the first year of the study, 2 biodegradable plastic mulches with different formulations and material properties (BPM-1 and BPM-2), biodegradable paper mulch (PM) and polyethylene plastic mulch (PE) were compared to the control treatment without mulch in the capia pepper cultivation. Following the harvest of pepper fruits, mulches were incorporated into the soil and exposed to the biodegradation process in the soil. Capia pepper plants were re-grown in the next growing season under the same mulches sheeted on the raising bads taking into account the first year's experimental layout. The effects of different mulch applications and incorporation of mulches into the soil on the quality and bioactive component content of capia pepper were investigated. In the study, fruit length, width, fruit flesh thickness, color characteristics, vitamin C, water-soluble dry matter (WSDM), titratable acidity (TA), total phenolic compounds, total flavonoid, and DPPH and FRAP contents as antioxidant activity of capia peppers were determined. The effect of different mulch applications on the fruit length, fruit thickness, L, a and b color values of fruit skin and WSDM content of capia pepper fruits was not found statistically significant. The fruit width, total flavonoid and DPPH contents of the fruits obtained from the mulch applications were statistically significantly higher than the control. Total flavonoid (716.34 mg QE kg-1), total phenolic (2718.71 mg GAE kg-1), DPPH (127.42 mmol TE kg-1) and FRAP (137.36 mmol TE kg-1) values of capia pepper grown in KM were found to be statistically significantly lower than other mulches (p<0.01). It was determined that the fruit length and width, fruit flesh thickness, a and b color values, and vitamin C, titratable acid, DPPH and FRAP contents of the capia peppers obtained from mulch applications in the second growing season following the incorporation of mulches into the soil the in the previous growing season increased. It would be beneficial to continue the study for at least one year in order to more clearly demonstrate the effect of incorporating mulch into the soil on the quality and bioactive component content of capia pepper fruits.