Effect of Cold on Protein, Proline, Phenolic Compounds and Chlorophyll Content of Two Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) Varieties

Abstract

In this study, quantitative changes of total soluble protein in leaf and stem, apoplastic protein, total phenolic compounds, proline and chlorophyll content were determined in a the cold-susceptible KM-121 (Kahramanmaraş- hot) and cold-resistant hybrid pepper Mert (Capsicum annuum L.). The plants were raised in a growth room under a controlled environment of 25 ± 2 °C and 16 h light / 8 h dark photoperiod. Then, plants exposed to 4°C cold stress for three days and control groups were kept at 25°C. Our results show that cold treatment increased accumulation of apoplastic and total soluble protein, proline, phenolic compounds in pepper seedlings, while decreased the content of chlorophyll. Key Words: Capsicum annuum, Cold Stres, Protein, Phenolic, Proline.