Indian Hot Pepper as New Sources of Resistance to Bacterial Wilt, Phytophthora Root Rot, and Root Knot Nematode

Abstract

The 4 hot peppers from India ‘Pant C-1’,’KAU Cluster’(Capsicum annuum L.), ‘White Khandari’, and ‘chuna’ (C.frutescens L.) were evaluated along with 6 United States cultivars for their reaction to Pseudomonas solanacearum E.F.Smith (races 1 and 2), Phytophthora capsici Leonian, and root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita Chitwood. The Indian ‘Pant C-1’ was resistant to 4 Pseudomonas solanacearum isolates and moderately resistant to Phtophthora root rot and root-knot nematode. The breeding line ‘White Khandari’ was resistant to 3 isolates of the bacterium and root-knot nematode and moderately resistant to Phytophthora root rot. These Indian pepper lines could be an additional source in multiple disease-resistant breeding programs. Multiple disease resistance and good horticultural characteristics makes ‘Pant C-1’ an excellent source of these resistances.