Abstract
Chilli (Capsicum annuum L.) is one of the most important crops in Bhutan, but currently production is seriously affected by a wilt disease. Although chilli wilt was first reported in Bhutan in 1995, the causal pathogen has never been formally identified. The aim of this study was to identify the causative agent of wilt epidemics on chilli in Bhutan and to investigate the morphological and genetic variations in the pathogen. A survey of the disease was conducted in all three chilli growing regions of Bhutan in 2018 and the pathogen isolated from 54 diseased plants. Morphological and PCR evidence identified the pathogen as Phytophthora capsici in 100% of the diseased plants. All isolates were of the A1 mating type. Four random amplified micro-satellite (RAMS) markers were employed to assess genetic variation among the 54 isolates of P. capsici collected. Genetic analysis showed 26 loci from all four primers and 65.4% of the isolates were polymorphic. Shannon’s index of diversity (I) for the P. capsici isolates collected was 0.42, indicating that the pathogen population is highly clonal. These findings have significant implications for the development of sustainable disease management strategies including resistant genotypes in Bhutan.
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