Red pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) is one of the main horticultural crops in La Vera region (Cáceres, western Spain), with a total cultivated area of about 1,000 ha. Red peppers are dried according to a traditional system that uses holm oak firewood, and the Pro- were not detected. Fifteen Phytophthora isolates were examined and identified as P. nicotianae, all of them were heterothalic isolates of mating type A2. Pathogenicity tests conducted on 'Jaranda' red pepper plants developed symptoms of wilt and root and crown rot, although disease severity differed significantly (P < 0.001) among isolates. Results indicate that P. nicotianae is the principal causal agent of the Tristeza disease of red pepper plants in La Vera region and this has several implications for the development of future disease management strategies. The host range of isolates from red pepper plants should be studied in order to establish suitable crop rotation in this region.

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