Evaluation of genetic resources for the development of pepper Phytophthora blight-resistant varieties and selection of eco-friendly disease control materials

Start Date: February 1, 2022
End Date: January 31, 2024

Project location: Taiwan

Problems to be addressed

Pepper (Capsicum annuum) is one of the five major vegetables in Korea, with an average cultivated area of about 37,100 ha. The pepper Phytophthora blight caused by Phytophthora capsici is a destructive soil-borne disease that occurs from planting to the entire growing period. Although the blight resistant pepper varieties have been developed, new pathogenic strains of Phytophthora continue to emerge. Hence, it is necessary to select and introduce new resistant resources, and it has become imperative to develop eco-friendly bio-control materials for managing the Phythophthora blight to address pesticide residues and resistance problems.

How does the project address the problem?

The project will select promising genetic resources with resistance to pepper Phytophthora blight using rigorous screening methods.

– Evaluate and select innovative resistance screening techniques for early selection of the blight resistant resources.

– Perform pathogenicity test to choose highly pathogenic strain of P. capsici owned by WorldVeg. Then, screen the selected pepper genetic resources from WorldVeg against the P. capsici strain.

The project will develop eco-friendly bio-control materials to manage the blight incidence.

– Do in-vitro selection of potential eco-friendly bio-control materials such as antagonists and plant extracts.

– Test the efficacy of these bio-control agents to control the blight in greenhouse and/or field conditions.

What results are expected?

1. Promising pepper genotypes with resistance to Phytophthora blight will be identified and introduced as research materials to domestic public institutes and private seed companies. These are expected to contribute to the stable pepper production and the development of the pepper industry.

2. Eco-friendly bio-control materials will be identified, which can reduce the use of pesticides in pepper cultivation and thus contributing to the safe and sustainable production of peppers.