Stability of Resistance to Root-knot Nematodes in ‘Charleston Belle’ and ‘Carolina Wonder’ Bell Peppers in a Sub-tropical Environment

Abstract

Two root-knot nematode-resistant bell pepper cultivars, ‘Charleston Belle’ and ‘Carolina Wonder’ (Capsicum annuum L. var. annuum], and their susceptible parents, ‘Keystone Resistant Giant’ and ‘Yolo Wonder B’, were compared for managing the southern root-knot nematode [Meloidogyne incognita (Chitwood) Kofoid and White] in fall and spring tests at Citra, FL. In the fall test, ‘Charleston Belle’ and ‘Carolina Wonder’ exhibited minimal root galling and nematode reproduction, and ‘Keystone Resistant Giant’ and ‘Yolo Wonder B’ exhibited severe root galling and high nematode reproduction. Fruit yield of ‘Charleston Belle’ was 97% greater than yields of the two susceptible cultivars (P ≤ 0.006). In the spring test, one-half of the plots were treated with methyl bromide/chloropicrin before planting the same four bell pepper cultivars. ‘Keystone Resistant Giant’ and ‘Yolo Wonder B’ grown in untreated control plots exhibited severe root galling and high nematode reproduction, but the other six cultivar × methyl bromide combinations exhibited minimal root galling and nematode reproduction. Although soil temperatures (10-cm depth) were greater than 30 °C on 78 days and 57 days during the Fall 2002 and Spring 2003 trials, respectively, resistance did not break in ‘Charleston Belle’ and ‘Carolina Wonder’ in either test. These results demonstrate that root-knot nematode-resistant cultivars such as Charleston Belle and Carolina Wonder are viable alternatives to methyl bromide for managing southern root-knot nematode in bell pepper in sub-tropical environments.