Breeding chili pepper for simultaneous improvement in leaf curl virus and anthracnose disease tolerance and commercially important traits

ABSTRACT

In a large portion of the tropics, there is a demand for the development of hybrid chilies (Capsicum annuum L.) with high pungency, antioxidant vitamins, and tolerance to chili leaf curl virus, and anthracnose. Six genetically diverse parents were crossed in half-diallel fashion to develop 15 F₁ hybrids to assess the level of heterosis, combining ability and gene action for 17 quantitative traits. The inheritance of most traits was apparently controlled by non-additive gene action. “Bidhan Chili 4” recorded the maximum, significant, GCA effects in a desired direction for PDIs of leaf curl virus and anthracnose along with commercially important traits. The maximum extent of heterobeltiosis was for oleoresin content followed by ascorbic acid and capsaicin contents, PDIs of chili leaf curl virus and anthracnose, and fruit yield per plant. The hybrids “Bidhan Chili 4 × Chili 38-Ragi” and “Pant C 1 × Bidhan Chili 4” could be isolated on the basis of their average performance, heterosis manifested in them, and SCA effects. Such hybrids could make a difference by meeting the horticultural requirements, high yield, disease tolerance and pungency, of commercial chili growing zones in the tropics. Hybrid vigor is available for commercial production of chili hybrids. A different approach from hybrid vigor is to isolate pure lines from segregating generations of potential heterotic F₁s to increase fruit yield, quality attributes, and resistance to the chili leaf curl virus and anthracnose disease.

KEYWORDS:

• Capsicum annuum
• heterosis
• gene action
• dominance effect
• disease tolerance

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge financial help, and cooperation, from the Project Coordinator, All India Coordinated Research Project on Vegetable Crops, Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Indian Institute of Vegetable Research, Varanasi, India to conduct the study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).