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Grafted Pepper Plants Show Enhanced Capsaicin Under Water Deficit

PubMed · 2026-02-23

Pepper plants grafted onto a drought-resistant rootstock produce 45% more capsaicin — the compound that makes peppers hot — when water is scarce. This finding suggests growers can boost spice intensity while using significantly less irrigation.

1

Peppers grafted onto drought-tolerant rootstock produced 45% more capsaicin under 50% water reduction compared to non-grafted plants.

2

The drought-tolerant rootstock triggered ABA (abscisic acid) stress-signaling that directly switched on the gene responsible for making capsaicin.

3

The technique offers a path to producing high-value spice crops with substantially reduced irrigation needs.