Reaction of Capsicum peppers consumed in the Federal District to bacterial wilt

Resumo

Groups of Capsicum peppers are important vegetables in Brazil, where the pathogens Ralstonia solanacearum and R. pseudosolanacearum are present and cause substantial losses on several solanaceous plants. To assess the resistance to bacterial wilt of Capsicum cultigens sold in the Federal District (DF), fruits of 26 genotypes of different species were collected in six fairs distributed along the DF. Root inoculation was made at the four true-leaf stage with a representative isolate of R. pseudosolanacearum, CNPH-RS 380 (race 1, biovar 3, phylotype I, sequevar 18), in a concentration of 10⁸ CFU/mL. The species and types of Capsicum peppers tested were: “malagueta” (Capsicum frutescens), “dedo-de-moça” (Capsicum baccatum), red and yellow “pimenta-de-bode” (Capsicum chinense), “cumarí-do-Pará” (Capsicum chinense), “biquinho” (Capsicum chinense), “habanero” (Capsicum chinense), “pimenta-de-cheiro” (Capsicum chinense). Not all species could be found in all six fairs. The reaction to bacterial wilt was variable, as indicated by the grouping by Scott-Knott (5%). Ten genotypes were considered resistant and 16 susceptible. All Capsicum baccatum accesses (4) were resistant, whereas 14 out of 18 of C. chinense were susceptible.  The other species showed variable results, indicating that cultivar choice can contribute to bacterial wilt control.