Inheritance of anthracnose resistance (Colletotrichum scovillei) in ripe and unripe Capsicum annuum fruits

Abstract

Anthracnose, caused by Colletotrichum spp., is one of the most common diseases affecting sweet pepper and chilli pepper production worldwide, especially in tropical and subtropical zones. This disease results in severe fruit damage both pre‐ and postharvest. The development of resistant cultivars is the most effective strategy for disease control, which requires knowing the genetic basis of resistance. In this study, we analysed the inheritance of resistance of Capsicum annuum to Colletotrichum scovillei at two fruit development stages. The ripe and unripe fruits were inoculated by conidia suspension, and anthracnose severity was evaluated for 8 days using a score scale. It was found that the inheritance of resistance has independent expression in ripe and unripe fruits. In both cases, two main genes are responsible for resistance with polygenic effects. Genetic control, with a quantitative aspect, is more affected by dominance than the additive effects, in both fruit development stages of C. annuum.

Phenotypic, molecular and pathogenic characterization of Colletotrichum scovillei infecting Capsicum species in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

“…Some studies in the literature describe that different genes may confer anthracnose resistance according to the maturation stage. The studies of Pakdeevaraporn et al (2005) , Lin, Gniffke & Wang (2007) , Than et al (2008) , Mahasuk et al (2009) , Bento et al (2017) and Baba et al (2019) and Giacomin et al (2020) identified distinct genes responsible for resistance in ripe and unripe fruits, as well as different genes in relation to resistance to different pathogens. Similarly with the works cited, the ripe fruits were more resistant than unripe fruits.…”

“…Similarly with the works cited, the ripe fruits were more resistant than unripe fruits. This higher resistance of ripe fruits is possibly related to a higher antioxidant production and concentration during fruit ripening of Capsicum spp., aside from the induction of the expression of some phenolic compounds responsible for infection responses ( Kim et al, 2001 ; Mahasuk et al, 2009 ; Giacomin et al, 2020 ). Among these phenolic compounds possibly involved in the resistance of ripe fruits are pepper esterase (PepEST) and capsidiol, since they were reported as the main substance accumulated in the regions of Colletotrichum sp.…”

NADPH Oxidases Are Required for Appressorium-Mediated Penetration in Colletotrichum scovillei-Pepper Fruit Pathosystem

“…Chili pepper (Capsicum annum L.) is a valuable and important vegetable crop, widely cultivated in tropical and subtropical countries (Giacomin et al, 2020;Kim et al, 2014). However, the pepper production is seriously constrained by chilli anthracnose disease, caused by Colletotrichum species (Oo and Oh, 2016).…”

The Small GTPase CsRAC1 Is Important for Fungal Development and Pepper Anthracnose in Colletotrichum scovillei

“…Chili Peppers ( Capsicum annuum L.) is one of the most economically important vegetables around the world ( Giacomin et al, 2020 ; Kim et al, 2014 ; Oo et al, 2017 ). According to estimates in 2019, peppers (dry and green) were produced about 42.2 million tons in the world ( Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2021 ).…”

“…Although technologies regarding breeding and cultivation have largely improved, the production of peppers is still hindered by many phytopathogens ( Ali et al, 2016 ). Among those, the anthracnose caused by fungal species from Colletotrichum genus, is well known as one of the most devastating fungal diseases on peppers ( Giacomin et al, 2020 ). In the tropical and temperate zones, Colletotrichum scovillei , belonging to Colletotrichum acutatum species complex, is a dominant pathogen for anthracnose on pepper fruits ( Caires et al, 2014 ; Khalimi et al, 2019 ; Oo et al, 2017 ; Toporek and Keinath, 2020 ).…”