Calcium Deficiency in Bell Pepper, Capsicum annuum Karen Harberson and Lab partner: Hannah Sumrall Department of Biology,

University of La Verne La Verne, CA Submitted: March 15, 2013 Revised: May 8, 2013

Abstract Plants require at least 17 essential nutrients to complete their life cycle. Except for carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, other essential nutrients are mineral nutrients, mainly acquired from soils by roots. In natural soils, the availability of most essential mineral nutrients is very low and hard to meet the demand of plants. Plants need the right combination of nutrients to live, grow and reproduce. When plants suffer from malnutrition, they show symptoms of being unhealthy. Too little or too much of any one nutrient can cause problems. The objective of this experiment was to place the green bell pepper in a hydroponically controlled environment and observe the symptoms over the course of several weeks. After the 6 week period, deficiencies associated with a lack of the Calcium nutrient in the bell pepper plant could be seen. The beginning observations showed that the plant was in good health and did not seem to have any nutrient deficiencies. This can be attributed to the fact that the plant had been resting in a soil potted plant enriched with nutrients. After about 4 weeks we saw growth of the plant to slow and the plant seemed to be stunted significantly compared to the plants around it. The leaves were limp yet remained green and by week 6 even though the leaves were green the shoot tip leaves were turning yellow and signs of necrosis on the virgin leaves at the shoot tip were quite noticeable. 1

Introduction Only certain elements have been determined to be essential for plant growth. An essential element is defined as one that has a clear physiological role and whose absence prevents a plant from completing its life cycle. If plants are given these essential elements, as well as energy from sunlight, they can synthesize all the compounds they need for normal growth. The most essential Macronutrients are: Nitrogen, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Sulfur, and Silicon. The most essential Micronutrients are: Chlorine, Iron, Boron, Manganese, Sodium, Zinc, Copper, Nickel, and Molybdenum. Mineral essential elements are usually classified as macronutrients or micronutrients, according to their relative concentration in plant tissue. The common green bell pepper Capsicum annuum lacks the spicy chemical capsaicin. The fruit wall, composed mostly of parenchyma cells, is consumed. Water beads up on the surface of the fruit, which is coated with thick wax (cuticle). Calcium serves several functions in plants, including cation-anion balance, transport processes of cell membranes and assisting with extension of primary root systems. For vegetable producers, calciums most important function during the crop fruiting stage is its role in cell wall/cell membrane stability. If Ca is deficient in developing fruits, an irreversible condition known as blossom-end rot (BER) will develop. Blossom-end rot occurs when cell wall calcium mortar is deficient during early fruit development, and results in cell wall membrane collapse and the appearance of dark, sunken pits at the blossom end of fruit (Mengel and Kirby, 1987). The purpose of the experiment was to deprive the bell pepper of calcium and observe its condition over a 1.5 month period.

Materials and Methods A bell pepper plant, Capsicum annuum Yardstick Ball jar with lid Camera Distilled Water Aluminum Foil Cotton Wrap Hydroponic solution: 5 mL 1.0M KNO3 2 mL 1.0M MgSO4~7H2O 1 mL 1.0M KH2PO4 1 mL FeEDTA 1 mL Micronutrients
o o o o H2BO3 - 2.86 ZnSO47H2O - 0.22 CuSO45H2O - 0.079 MnSO4 - 1.015 H2MoO42H2O - 0.090

o 10 mL 1.0M NaNO3

1. Remove your plant from the soil gently; the stems and roots can break easily. 2. Use the vat of water provided in lab to remove coarse soil. Finer soil was then removed by using distilled water bottles. 3. Take a twist of cotton and wrap it firmly around the middle of the stem, using enough cotton to support the plant in the plant holder. 4. Insert the plant in the lid, taking care that the root system is below the surface of the water. 5. Cover the outside of the container completely with aluminum foil and tape in place. 6. Label the container with your initials and the missing nutrient. 7. Collect your initial measurements, collecting both quantitative and qualitative data. 8. Repeat data collections at weekly intervals.

Results A bell pepper plant, Capsicum annuum, was deprived of Calcium, Ca. As the experiment continued for the 1.5 month duration, the signs of calcium deficiency became obvious. Upon calcium deficiency, cells and tissues collapse, leak cell fluids and die. Figure 1 lists the common deficiency symptoms that were noted in the laboratory experiments gathered from each laboratory students postings. These symptoms are consistent with the noted nutrient deficiency symptom noted in the table. Calcium deficiency will also cause blossom end rot in young, rapidly expanding pepper fruit tissues. In essence, the bell pepper plant showed the classic signs of calcium deficiency. By putting the roots in a water solution minus the calcium nutrient, signs of the missing nutrient could be seen in the younger leaves with necrotic tissues (leaf virginity), shoot tip inconsistency, symptoms in newer leaves are not seen in the older parts of the plant as calcium was already present in this portion of the plant before the experiment began (refer to Figure 2 for plant progress pictures). Table 1 depicts the results of weekly measurements and observations. To quote Agronomist Dr. Arden Anderson: It [calcium] is the foundation of all biological systems and is the component that gives the living cell its capacitor characteristic via its place in the cell membrane. Without the proper capacitor characteristic, the cells communication system functions poorly, resulting in cell degeneration, disease, and eventual death.

Figure 1:

Deficiency Symptoms

DEFICIENCIES OF NUTRIENT ELEMENTS

SYMPTOMS Yellowing of Younger Leaves Yellowing of Middle Leaves Yellowing of Older Leaves Yellowing Between Veins Old Leaves Drop Leaves Curl Over Leaves Curl Under Younger Leaf Tips Burn Older Leaf Tips Burn Young Leaves Wrinkle/Curl Necrosis Leaf Growth Stunted Dark Green/Purple Leaf & Stems Pale Green Leaf Color Molting Spindly Soft Stems Hard/Brittle Stems Growing Tips Die Stunted Root Growth Wilting N P K Mg Fe Cu Zn B Mo Mn Ca

Figure 2: Plant Progress Beginning Middle End

Table 1: Plant Observations Date Number of days from beginning 2/22/13 0

Number of leaves 13

Height of stem (from lid to shoot tip) 3 4 1/8 4 5/6 5 7

Observations

3/1/13 3/8/13 3/29/13 4/5/13

7 14 35 42

16 16 17 23

Green with 3 small leaves at shoot tip Green, stem not growing straight Green, looks like is stunted Leaves are limp (losing turgor) Still green, leaves limp, looks stunted, shoot tip leaves are turning yellow Still green, leaves limp, looks stunted, shoot tip leaves are turning yellow

4/12/13

49

23

7 3/4

Conclusion Calcium is essential for good growth and structure. Insufficient calcium levels lead to deterioration of the cell membrane; the cells become leaky resulting in the loss of cell compounds and eventually death of the cell and plant tissue. Calcium, in addition to its role in cell structure, cell elongation and signaling (Kirkby and Pilbeam, 1984), also plays a role in regulating various cell and plant functions as a secondary messenger. This function as a secondary messenger assists in various plant functions from nutrient uptake to changes in cell status to help the plant react to the impact of environmental and disease stresses.

Acknowledgements Laboratory facilities were provided by the University of La Verne. Sincere appreciation is extended to Professor Jay Jones for reviewing the lab report and making useful suggestions.

Literature Cited Anderson, Arden. 2011. A Doctors Take on Soil, an Agronomists Take on Health. Acres U.S.A. Audio CD, Austin, Texas. Kirkby, E.A. and Pilbeam, D.J. 1984. Calcium as a Plant Nutrient. pp397-405 in: Plant Cell and Environment. Volume 7 No. 6, Blackwell Publishing LTD. Mengel, K. and Kirkby, E.A., 1987. Principles of Plant Nutrition. 4th Revised edition. International Potash Institute, Bern, Switzerland.