Short communication. Telluric pathogens isolated from blighted pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) plants in Northwestern Spain

Abstract

A survey of blighted pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) plants covering 120 farms in northwestern Spain was performed between 2001 and 2004 with the aim of identifying the main telluric pathogens associated with the disease in this part of the country. The following potential telluric pathogens were isolated from the 755 diseased plants inspected: Phytophthora capsici Leonian, P. nicotianae Breda de Haan, Verticillium dahliae Kleb., Rhizoctonia solani Kühn, Sclerotium rolfsii Sacc., Fusarium solani Mart. (Sacc.) and Botrytis cinerea Pers. R. solani was the most commonly isolated pathogen; this was detected on 38% of the farms and isolated from 16% of the plants analysed. Inoculation tests were performed with isolates of P. capsici, P. nicotianae and F. solani on C. annuum cv. YoloWonder. These confirmed P. nicotianae as a pepper pathogen, but with weaker pathogenic behaviour than P. capsici. F. solani was confirmed as a secondary pathogen.