The Effect of Tobacco Etch Virus on the Growth and Yield of Two Capsicum chinense Pepper Varieties

The effect oftobacco etch virus (TEV) on the growth and yield oftwo hot pepper (Capsicum chinense) varieties, Scotch Bonnet and West Indian Red pepper was investigated in a field trial under natural virus/vector pressure. Four treatments comprising covered and uncovered treatments were investigated. The effect of TEV on plant height and foliage cover was not significant in covered and uncovered Scotch Bonnet and West Indian Red treatments. This was due to the delay in virus introduction within treatments. When virus was first detected maximum vegetative growth was already attained. Despite the delay in virus onset there was a 52.5% yield reduction in uncovered Scotch Bonnet treatments. Virus infected uncovered West Indian Red treatments on the other hand showed only a 14% yield reduction in the presence of virus. Due to the relatively high temperature and humidity under covered treatments, little or no yield data were obtained for analysis. A negative correlation was found between total marketable yield, after eight weekly harvests and virus disease incidence at 91, 98 and 106 DAT for uncovered Scotch Bonnet pepper treatments. This correlation was even greater between the latter four weekly harvests and virus disease incidence at the same dates. No correlation existed between these variables in uncovered Westlndian Red pepper treatments. It was concluded that host genotype, the time of infection and virus incidence were factors which influenced the effect the virus had on growth and yield.