Induction of Mosaic Resistance in Chillies through Introduced Germplasm

Abstract

Chilli is an important vegetable in Kerala grown in garden lands, paddy fields and field bunds. The commercially cultivated chilli varieties belong to Capsicum annuum though in the homesteads Capsicum frutescence and Capsicum chinense are also cultivated. Chilli cultivation in Kerala is constrained by several biotic factors of which virus diseases are serious in summer and bacterial wilt in the rainy season. The important viral diseases that affect chilli in Kerala are the leaf curl and chilli mosaic.