Abstract
Introduction: Colletotrichum species is responsible for anthracnose, a worldwide serious disease, causing an important loss in chili pepper production. Therefore, screening disease resistant and sensitive chili pepper cultivars in Vietnam is important not only for in-depth studies of disease resistance-associated molecular mechanisms but also for chili production improvement via molecular marker-assisted breeding in Vietnam.
 Methods: To this end, in this study, two Colletotrichum isolates were obtained from the infected fruits collected from chili pepper (Capsicum annuum) fields in Tra Vinh province. According to the morphology analysis and the sequencing results of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions, these isolates were identified as C. scovillei and C. acutatum. In order to identify the anthracnose-resistant chili pepper cultivars, the pathogenicity test was conducted by infecting fully developed green fruits of eleven chili pepper cultivars with the two isolated Colletotrichum strains.
 Results: CN404 and HNCS were the two strongest anthracnose-resistant cultivars. Two chili pepper cultivars, TV3 and PN400, showed different resistance tendencies to each Colletotrichum isolates. Four different SSR molecular markers were used in this study to identify the potential molecular markers associated with anthracnose resistance traits in chili pepper cultivars. Among the four examined markers, HpmsE126 was detected in two anthracnose-resistant chili pepper cultivars, suggesting its close relation to the anthracnose resistance trait in chili pepper.
 Conclusion: Given that two of the three most anthracnose-resistant cultivars, CN404 and TV3, possess HpmsE126 marker, this marker can be used to detect anthracnose-resistant lines in chili pepper breeding in Vietnam.
Highlights
Colletotrichum species is responsible for anthracnose, a worldwide serious disease, causing an important loss in chili pepper production
Multiple Colletotrichum species have been found to be responsible for the anthracnose disease in chili pepper including C. capsici, C. acutatum, C. gloeosporioides, C. dematium, C. nigrum, C. atramentarium, C. coccodes and C. scovillei [5,6]
The objectives of this study were (i) identifying the Colletotrichum species majorly causing the anthracnose disease in chili pepper in Tra Vinh province (Vietnam), (ii) finding the cultivars showing resistance to these pathogens among commercial chili pepper cultivars in Vietnam, and most importantly, (iii) determining the potential anthracnose resistance-associated molecular markers which can be potentially applied further in chili pepper breeding in Vietnam
Summary
Colletotrichum species is responsible for anthracnose, a worldwide serious disease, causing an important loss in chili pepper production. Four different SSR molecular markers were used in this study to identify the potential molecular markers associated with anthracnose resistance traits in chili pepper cultivars. Multiple Colletotrichum species have been found to be responsible for the anthracnose disease in chili pepper including C. capsici, C. acutatum, C. gloeosporioides, C. dematium, C. nigrum, C. atramentarium, C. coccodes and C. scovillei [5,6]. Apart from C. acutatum, C. capsici, C. gloeosporioides, recent studies in Vietnam have revealed a number of Colletotrichum species infecting chili pepper including, C. nigrum, C. siamense, C. fructicola and C. truncatum [7,8]. Given that anthracnose is one of the most destructive fungal diseases in chiligrowing areas, including tropical Asian countries, e.g. Vietnam 16, the isolation of new resistant cultivars via molecular marker-based breeding will help to improve chili production and further bring economic
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
