Unveiling black pepper diversity: A morphological characterization of genotypes in Sylhet, Bangladesh

Black pepper diversity in Sylhet, Bangladesh

Abstract

Black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) is a valuable spice and despite having suitable climatic conditions, Bangladesh relies on imports to meet the demand. There is some homestead production of black pepper, but information available on the genotypes grown in Bangladesh is scanty. Here, we characterized black pepper genotypes in the Sylhet region for potential domestic production. Healthy, disease-free cuttings of eleven genotypes (G-1 to G-11) were collected and grown in a nursery condition for characterization. Diverse traits were observed for lamina shape (ovate, ovate-lanceolate, ovate-elliptic, and cordate), leaf tip (acute, accuminate, and caudate), leaf base (cordate and rounded), shoot tip color (green, light green, yellowish-green, purple, and dark purple), and leaf margin (wavy and even). Quantitative parameters revealed substantial variation in leaf length (6.8 to 11.24 cm), leaf width (3.66 to 6.24 cm), leaf area (26.8 to 66.6 cm²), petiole length (2.3 to 5.0 cm), internode length (1.93 to 6.2 cm), and leaf dry matter content (19.6 to 30.4%). Notably, G-8 exhibited superior values for leaf dimensions, area, petiole and internode lengths, along with relatively higher leaf dry matter content (23.9%). This study provides a baseline for selecting and breeding high-yielding black pepper varieties in Bangladesh, potentially boosting domestic production.