scholarly journals Incidence of Phytophthora Blight and Verticillium Wilt Within Chile Pepper Fields in New Mexico

Plant Disease ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 90 (3) ◽  
pp. 291-296 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Sanogo ◽  
J. Carpenter

Statewide surveys of commercial chile pepper (Capsicum annuum) fields were conducted in New Mexico from 2002 to 2004 to gain information on the incidence of diseases with wilt symptoms and their causative agents. Fifty-nine fields were surveyed during the course of this 3-year study when chile pepper plants were at growth stages from green fruit to beginning red fruit. All fields were affected by diseases with wilt symptoms. The proportion of total field area exhibiting symptoms of wilt spanned from less than 1% to over 80%. Field diagnostics along with laboratory assays of wilted plants revealed that the wilting was caused by Phytophthora capsici and Verticillium dahliae. The two pathogens were both found in 80% of the fields, and occurred together in some wilted plants in 12% of the fields. Average incidence of plant infection (number of plants infected with P. capsici or V. dahliae out of 5 to 25 wilted plants sampled) varied from approximately 40 to 90% for P. capsici, and from 18 to 65% for V. dahliae. Incidence of plant infection by P. capsici was approximately 40% less in fields with drip irrigation than in fields with furrow irrigation. In contrast, incidence of plant infection by V. dahliae was approximately 32% greater under drip irrigation than under furrow irrigation. In pathogenicity tests, isolates of P. capsici and V. dahliae caused symptoms in inoculated chile pepper identical to those in field-grown chile pepper plants. Results indicate that diseases with wilt symptoms are well established in chile pepper production fields, with P. capsici and V. dahliae posing the most serious challenge to chile pepper producers in New Mexico.

HortScience ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 172-175 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Sanogo

Phytophthora capsici is a serious soilborne pathogen in chile pepper [Capsicum annuum L.] in New Mexico, and has been shown to spread under high soil moisture conditions and cause losses in a wide array of crops worldwide. This study was conducted to assess whether soil water saturation predisposes chile pepper to infection by P. capsici. Potted chile pepper plants of `Criollo de Morelos 334' (`CM334') and `New Mexico 6-4' (`NM6-4'), resistant and susceptible to P. capsici, respectively, were subjected to soil water saturation conditions (saturated and nonsaturated) for 3 and 6 days at two growth stages (six- to eight-leaf stage and one- to four-flower bud stage) prior to being inoculated or noninoculated with zoospores of P. capsici. Regardless of growth stage, no disease symptoms developed in `CM334' grown either under saturated or nonsaturated soil conditions at any of the two periods (3 or 6 days) of soil water saturation. In `NM6-4', disease symptoms consisting of stem necrosis, defoliation, and wilting were expressed. Plant growth stage at inoculation had a significant effect on disease severity (P < 0.0001). However, the response of `NM6-4' to P. capsici at each growth stage under saturated soil conditions was similar to that under nonsaturated conditions regardless of the period of saturation (P = 0.09). These results indicate that soil water saturation does not exert a significant predispositional effect on infection of chile pepper by P. capsici.


HortScience ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 43 (6) ◽  
pp. 1846-1851 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed B. Tahboub ◽  
Soumaila Sanogo ◽  
Paul W. Bosland ◽  
Leigh Murray

Phytophthora blight, caused by Phytophthora capsici Leon., is a major plant disease that limits chile pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) production in New Mexico. Chile pepper producers in New Mexico report that Phytophthora blight symptoms appear to develop slower and its incidence is lower in hot than in nonhot chile pepper cultivars. There has been no previous systematic assessment of the relationship of chile pepper heat level to chile pepper response to P. capsici. Three hot (‘TAM-Jalapeño’, ‘Cayenne’, and ‘XX-Hot’) and two low-heat (‘NuMex Joe E. Parker’ and ‘New Mexico 6-4’) chile pepper cultivars were inoculated at the six- to eight-leaf stage with zoospores of P. capsici under greenhouse conditions. Additionally, detached mature green fruit from three hot (‘TAM-Jalapeño’, ‘Cayenne’, and ‘XX-Hot’) and one low-heat (‘AZ-20’) chile pepper cultivars were inoculated with mycelium plugs of P. capsici under laboratory conditions. When plant roots were inoculated, Phytophthora blight was slowest to develop on ‘TAM-Jalapeño’ in contrast to all other cultivars. All ‘TAM-Jalapeño’ plants showed wilting symptoms or were dead ≈22 days after inoculation compared with 18, 15, 14, and 11 days for ‘NuMex Joe E. Parker’, ‘New Mexico 6-4’, ‘XX-Hot’, and ‘Cayenne’, respectively. When fruit were inoculated, lesion length ratio was significantly higher for ‘TAM-Jalapeño’ fruit than for ‘Cayenne’, ‘XX-Hot’, and ‘AZ-20’ fruit. Similarly, lesion diameter ratio was higher for ‘TAM-Jalapeño’ fruit than for fruit of other cultivars. Furthermore, mycelial growth on lesion surfaces was more extensive on ‘TAM-Jalapeño’ fruit than on fruit of other cultivars. Results from this study indicate that there is little or no relationship between heat level and chile pepper root and fruit infection by P. capsici.


2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 218-222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael E. Matheron ◽  
Martin Porchas

Bell and chile pepper plants are affected by the economically important disease Phytophthora blight, which is caused by the oomycete pathogen Phytophthora capsici. Greenhouse and field trials were conducted to evaluate and compare the ability of nine different fungicides to reduce development of the crown and root rot phase of Phytophthora blight and the resulting chile pepper plant death when applied at 2- and 4-week intervals. Overall, chile pepper plant mortality was significantly decreased in three greenhouse trials with soil applications of fungicide products containing ametoctradin + dimethomorph, cyazofamid, dimethomorph, ethaboxam, fluazinam, fluopicolide, mandipropamid, mefenoxam, and oxathiapiprolin. The same fungicides, excluding mandipropamid and oxathiapiprolin, also significantly reduced overall plant mortality in two field trials. No significant difference was found between 2- and 4-week fungicide application intervals with respect to chile pepper plant survival in any greenhouse or field trial. In general, the degree of reduction in chile pepper plant mortality was lower in field compared to greenhouse trials, probably due to the respective soil surface spray compared to soil drench method of fungicide application used in each instance. Accepted for publication 17 November 2015. Published 30 November 2015.


Plant Disease ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 86 (3) ◽  
pp. 292-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. E. Matheron ◽  
M. Porchas

The fungicide mefenoxam is registered for the control of Phytophthora blight of peppers caused by Phytophthora capsici. Isolates of the pathogen that are insensitive to mefenoxam, however, have been detected in some locations. Consequently, alternative methods are needed to control Phytophthora blight of peppers. Acibenzolar-S-methyl (ABM, Actigard) is a chemical activator of plant disease resistance that has potential for the management of Phytophthora blight of peppers. The effect of foliar applications of ABM on the development of root and crown rot on pepper plants grown in the greenhouse and inoculated with Phytophthora capsici or in soil naturally infested with the pathogen was evaluated. Inhibition of stem canker development on pepper cvs. Bell Tower and AZ9 after four treatments with ABM (75 μg/ml) was significantly greater than on plants receiving a single application of the chemical. Stem canker length on Bell Tower or AZ9 peppers was inhibited by 93.2 to 97.2% and 87.4 to 92.4% when plants were inoculated with P. capsici at 1 or 5 weeks, respectively, after the fourth application of ABM. Survival of chile pepper plants grown in field soil naturally infested with P. capsici was significantly increased by three foliar applications of ABM (75 μg/ml) compared with nontreated plants in all three trials when pots were watered daily and in two of three trials when pots were flooded for 48 h every 2 weeks. When soil was flooded every 2 weeks to establish conditions highly favorable for disease development, plants treated once with mefenoxam (100 μg/ml) survived significantly longer than those treated with ABM. On the other hand, when water was provided daily without periodic flooding to establish conditions less favorable for disease development, plant survival between the two chemicals was not different in two of three trials. Length of survival among chile pepper plants treated twice with 25, 50, or 75 μg/ml of ABM and grown in soil infested with P. capsici was not different. This work indicates that ABM could be an important management tool for Phytophthora root and crown rot on pepper plants.


2007 ◽  
Vol 97 (7) ◽  
pp. 873-878 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Sanogo

Formation of sporangia and zoospores in species of Phytophthora is known to be influenced by soil microbial and chemical composition. In Phytophthora capsici, the study of the relationship of soil chemical composition to production of sporangia and zoospores has been limited. P. capsici is a soilborne pathogen of a wide array of vegetable crops, including chile pepper (Capsicum annuum) in New Mexico. Production of sporangia and zoospores by P. capsici was evaluated in extracts of soils from three different environments in New Mexico: (i) agricultural environments with a long history of chile pepper cropping and occurrence of P. capsici (CP), (ii) agricultural environments with no history of chile pepper cropping and no occurrence of P. capsici (Non-CP), and (iii) nonagricultural environments consisting of forests and rangelands (Non-Ag). There was a significant difference in production of P. capsici asexual propagules, expressed as natural log (number of sporangia × number of zoospores), among the three environments (P = 0.0298). Production of propagules was 9 to 13% greater in Non-Ag than in CP or Non-CP environments. Stepwise multiple discriminant analysis and canonical discriminant analysis identified the edaphic variables Na, pH, P, organic matter content, and asexual propagule production as contributing the most to the separation of the three environments. Two significant (P < 0.0001) canonical discriminant functions were derived with the first function, accounting for ≈75% of the explained variance. Based on the two discriminant functions, ≈93, 86, and 89% of observations in CP, Non-CP, and Non-Ag environments, respectively, were classified correctly. Soils from agricultural and nonagricultural environments differentially influence production of sporangia and zoospores in P. capsici, and soil samples could be effectively classified into agricultural and nonagricultural environments based on soil chemical properties and the production of asexual propagules by P. capsici in soil extracts.


HortScience ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 45 (10) ◽  
pp. 1563-1566 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ariadna Monroy-Barbosa ◽  
Paul W. Bosland

Phytophthora blight, caused by the oomycete Phytophthora capsici Leon., is a major disease that threatens production and long-term viability of the chile pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) industry. For each phytophthora disease syndrome such as root rot, foliar blight, and stem blight separate and independent resistant systems have evolved in the host. In addition, several physiological races of the pathogen have been identified. A novel, effective, and accurate screening technique is described that allows for multiple races to be evaluated on a single plant of C. annuum. The P. capsici resistant line Criollo de Morelos-334, a susceptible cultivar, Camelot, and three New Mexico Recombinant Inbred Lines, -F, -I, -S, were used to evaluate the new technique for phytophthora foliar blight multiple-race screening. Using three P. capsici physiological races, no interaction among the physiological races was observed with this technique. This novel technique provided a rapid disease screen evaluating multiple physiological races for phytophthora foliar blight resistance in a single chile pepper plant and can assist plant breeders in selecting for disease-resistant plants.


Plant Disease ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 88 (2) ◽  
pp. 205-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Sanogo

The response of chile pepper to salinity and infection by Phytophthora capsici was assessed under greenhouse conditions in plants susceptible or resistant to P. capsici. Additionally, the effect of salinity on mycelial growth and production of sporangia and zoospores by P. capsici was evaluated in the laboratory. Salinity treatments consisted of varying levels of electrical conductivity (from 1.8 to 14.4 dS/m) achieved by amending irrigation water or growth media with a mixture of sodium chloride and calcium chloride. In plants susceptible to P. capsici, disease severity increased by approximately 1.3 to 2.7-fold with increasing salinity level, whereas no such effect was observed in plants resistant to P. capsici. Mycelial dry weight increased by 8 to 16%, and radial growth of mycelium was augmented by 5 to 30% with increase in salinity level. Production of sporangia and zoospore formation were reduced by approximately 3 to 85 and 1 to 93%, respectively, under saline conditions. These results indicate that salinity may predispose susceptible chile pepper plants to infection by P. capsici.


2014 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 166-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael E. Matheron ◽  
Martin Porchas

Phytophthora blight, caused by the oomycete pathogen Phytophthora capsici, is an economically important disease in bell and chile pepper. Fourteen different fungicides were evaluated with respect to inhibition of stem lesion growth on chile pepper seedlings inoculated with mycelium or with zoospores of P. capsici 1 or 3 weeks after treatment of plant foliage and stems or roots. Fungicides containing ametoctradin + dimethomorph and fluopicolide were the most effective among tested products in both experiments across eight trial parameters (inoculum type, inoculation time after treatment, and fungicide application site). Other active ingredients, including acibenzolar-S-methyl, dimethomorph, fenamidone, ethaboxam, mandipropamid, mefenoxam, and oxathiapiprolin, were most effective in reducing stem lesion growth in three to seven of the eight trial parameters evaluated. Compared to nontreated plants, stem lesion inhibition ranged from 84.1 to 100%. Data from these trials demonstrate the comparative effectiveness of tested products under controlled environmental conditions favorable for disease development; however, confirmation of these findings is required in field trials, where plant and environmental conditions will be variable. Accepted for publication 18 September 2014. Published 1 November 2014.


2007 ◽  
Vol 97 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Sanogo

Phytophthora capsici and Verticillium dahliae are two mycelial microorganisms associated with wilt symptoms on chile pepper (Capsicum annuum). Both pathogens occur in the same field and can infect a single plant. This study examined the nature of the co-occurrence of P. capsici and V. dahliae. Chile pepper plants were inoculated with each pathogen separately or with both pathogens concomitantly or sequentially. In concomitant inoculations, plants were inoculated with a mixture of zoospores of P. capsici and conidia of V. dahliae. In sequential inoculations, plants were inoculated with zoospores of P. capsici 4 days prior to inoculation with conidia of V. dahliae, or plants were inoculated with conidia of V. dahliae 4 days prior to inoculation with zoospores of P. capsici. Stem necrosis and leaf wilting were visible 3 to 4 days earlier in plants inoculated with both P. capsici and V. dahliae than in plants inoculated with P. capsici alone. Stem necrosis and generalized plant wilting were observed in plants inoculated with P. capsici alone, and stem necrosis, generalized plant wilting, and vascular discoloration were observed in plants inoculated with both P. capsici and V. dahliae by 21 days after inoculation. These symptoms were not observed in control plants or plants inoculated with V. dahliae alone. The frequency of recovery of V. dahliae from stems was ≈85 to 140% higher across inoculum levels when plants were inoculated with both P. capsici and V. dahliae than when plants were inoculated by V. dahliae alone. Similarly, the frequency of recovery of V. dahliae from roots was ≈13 to 40% higher across inoculum levels when plants were inoculated with both P. capsici and V. dahliae than when plants were inoculated by V. dahliae alone. There was no apparent antagonism between the two pathogens when they were paired on growth media. In general, when P. capsici and V. dahliae were paired on growth media, mycelial growth of each pathogen grown alone was not significantly different from mycelial growth when the pathogens were paired. Results suggest that wilt development is hastened by the presence of both P. capsici and V. dahliae in the same plants. The presence of P. capsici and V. dahliae in the same inoculum court enhanced infection and colonization of chile pepper by V. dahliae.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document