Exploring Host Resistance against Chilli Leaf Curl Disease in a Tolerant Chilli Genotype

Plants (Basel). 2024 Jun 14;13(12):1647. doi: 10.3390/plants13121647.

Abstract

In tropical countries, combating leaf curl disease in hot peppers has become important in improvement programs. Leaf curl disease is caused by whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) transmitted begomoviruses, which mainly include chilli leaf curl virus (ChiLCV). However, multiple begomoviruses have also been found to be associated with this disease. The Capsicum annuum line, DLS-Sel-10, was found to be a tolerant source against this disease during field screening. In this study, we characterized the resistance of DLS-sel-10 against chilli leaf curl virus (ChiLCV) in comparison to the susceptible cultivar Phule Mukta (PM), focusing on the level, stage, and nature of resistance. Comprehensive investigations involved screening of DLS-Sel-10 against the whitefly vector ChiLCV. The putative tolerant line displayed reduced virus infection at the seedling stage, with increasing resistance during vegetative, flowering, and fruiting stages. Both DLS-Sel-10 and PM could be infected with ChiLCV, although DLS-Sel-10 remained symptomless. Insect feeding assays revealed DLS-Sel-10 as a less preferred host for whiteflies compared to PM. In conclusion, DLS-Sel-10 demonstrated tolerance not only to ChiLCV but also served as an unfavorable host for the whitefly vector. The study highlighted an age-dependent increase in tolerance within DLS-Sel-10, showcasing its potential for effective leaf curl disease management in chilli.

Keywords: Begomovirus; Bemisia tabaci; Capsicum annuum; vector; virus.

Grants and funding

This research was carried out with funding partly from ICAR-NASF (Identification and molecular tagging of gene (s) controlling resistance to chilli leaf curl virus infection in chilli (Capsicum annum L., project code-NASF-20-39-(TG-2836) and partly from Alliance of Bioversity international and CIAT (Pre-breeding for genetic enhancement of chilli, beans and peas using crop wild relatives, project code-L21DEL162).