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Abstract
Evans, T.A., and C. Keil. 2009.
A survey of Scotch Bonnet peppers in Jamaica for plant viruses and insect
pests. JEMREST 6:00-00
10.4029/2009jemrest6no113
The production of hot peppers, Capsicum chinense
var. Scotch Bonnet, in Jamaica
declined by more than 1/3 from 1997 to 2001. This decline was probably due to poor agronomic
practices, pests and diseases, decreased plant vigor and seed-saving
practices. Tobacco etch Potyvirus (TEV) has been considered the most
damaging virus affecting hot pepper in Jamaica. A survey of Scotch
Bonnet peppers for viruses using ELISA tests and vectors that transmit the
viruses was carried out in 8 Scotch Bonnet fields in Hanover Parish over a
13-month period from May 2008 to April 2009. In 2008, seven of eight fields were
heavily infected (50 % or more) with cucumber mosaic Cucumovirus (CMV). Those
same fields were also infected at lower percentages with TEV. There was a
high rate of co-infection of plants with CMV and TEV, some as high as 60%.
The field with high co-infection and two others, which were infested with
whiteflies, were tested using DNA dot blot analysis for a wide range of
Geminiviruses. All of these tests were negative. In 2009, the same fields
were tested by ELISA for potato Y Potyvirus (PVY), pepper mild mosaic
Potyvirus and potato X Potexvirus. PVY was detected in 80-100% of the plants
in half of the fields surveyed. We found varying degrees of
infestation by two aphid species, Myzus
persicae and Aphis gossypiae,
whiteflies, Bemisia argentifolii,
and broad mite, Polyphagotarsonemus
latus. One field with 70% of the plants infected by CMV had the highest
populations of Myzus persicae, a
vector of this virus; 30% were infected with TEV. In contrast, another field had lower M. persicae populations, high
populations of whitefly and 80% of the plants were infected with TEV and only
30% with CMV. A third field had high populations of Aphis gossypiae and 90 % of the plants infected with TEV.
Incidence of PVY was not correlated with insect vector populations.
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