Bacterial communities associated with the surface of fresh sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum)

The primary goal of this study was to investigate, using 16S rRNA gene Illumina amplicon sequencing, how the effect of growing conditions (hydroponic and open soil), treatment (pesticides-treated and non-pesticides treated) and time (i.e., early mature green and late mature red pepper types), may influence the structure and composition of pepper fruit bacterial communities; to predict the phenotypic changes in the microbiota of treated and untreated pepper samples and also to identify bacterial taxa with potential to minimize postharvest losses