Effect of {alpha}-Naphthalene Acetic Acid on Variations in Free Amino Acid Contents in Developing Fruits of Capsicum annuum L.

Capsicum annuum seeds were pretreated with three concentrationsof -naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA). The fruits of the controland treated plants showed differences in the quantities of freeamino acids during three developmental stages. From a relativelyhigh amount of total free amino acids in the early phase offruit development, there was lowering in the mid-phase and furtherlowering in the terminal phase. There were eight prominent ninhydrin-reactingspots which were identified as tryptophan, glycine, glutamicacid, valine-methionine, -aminobutyric acid, leucine(s), alanine,and aspartic acid and eleven trace spots attributable to tyrosine,serine, lysine, asparagine, cystine, thrconine histidine, phenylalanine,arginine, glutamine, and ornithine. Hormone treatment tendedto decrease the total amino acids in the early- and mid-phasesof fruit development compared with the control fruits. Asparticacid was present in greater quantities in the treatments thanin the controls. In the terminal phase, the treated fruit didnot show any significant change in the total free amino acidcontents. The significance of the NAA-included variation infree amino acids is discussed. Capsicum annuum, amino acids, -naphthaleneacetic acid