Inheritance of reaction to Leveillula taurica (Lev.) Arn. in Capsicum baccatum
Sally Ferreira Blat, Cyro Paulino da Costa, Roland Vencovsky, and Fernando Cesar Sala
Capsicum baccatum has been considered the best source of resistance against powdery mildew in Capsicum spp, while the best resistance sources among hot pepper species are found in Capsicum baccatum. The resistance inheritance of this species is unknown and is the focus of this study. Six powdery mildew-resistant parents and three susceptible ones were used to obtain eight F1 and their respective F2 generations. The powdery mildew epidemic was induced through infected susceptible plants. Powdery mildew host reaction evaluations were carried out during the fruit setting period using a disease severity grade scale to estimate genetic parameters. C. baccatum resistance reaction to powdery mildew was controlled by up to six loci with dominant and epistatic gene action. Heritability estimates were high and ranged from 51.6 to 80.8%. Reactions to powdery mildew in crosses of resistant parents as well as the genetic analyses highlighted genetic similarities with no allelic differences among resistant sources.