Screening of chilli germplasm for resistance to Alternaria leaf spot disease

Abstract

Chilli is one of the spices used to enhance the flavour and taste of cooked food. Fungal diseases are the main biological constraints in chilli production, and Alternaria leaf spot disease caused by Alternaria alternata is one of the most devastating diseases of chilli. One of the effective and environmentally friendly ways to control this disease is introgress resistance from wild relative/varieties to the cultivated one. The first step towards introgression of resistance genes is to screen the chill germplasm for leaf spot resistance. In the current study, we screened the chilly germplasm and identified the sources of leaf spot resistance, which can be harnessed in resistance breeding programmes.

Keywords:

• chilli
• germplasm
• leaf spot disease
• resistance
• pathogenicity test

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Dr Surendra Singh (Agra College, Agra), Dr Jugendra Singh (JNU, New Delhi) and Dr S.K. Gupta (CSA University, Kanpur) for their valuable comments on the manuscript.