Abstract
A greenhouse study was conducted to confirm the availability of resistance in pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) to western flower thrips [Frankliniella occidentalis Pergande)]. Host plant resistance ratings confirmed earlier observations that there is a considerable amount of variability within pepper germplasm for reaction to F. doccidentalis. Plants of `California Wonder', `Keystone Resistant Giant', `Mississippi Nemaheart', `Sweet Banana' and `Yolo Wonder L' were resistant to the insect and exhibited only mild injury. Plants of `Bohemian Chili', `Carolina Cayenne', and `Santaka', however, exhibited the symptoms of severe thrips injury, i.e., poorly expanded, deformed and distorted leaves, greatly shortened internodes, and severe chlorosis. The resistance in pepper to F. occidentalis appears to be due to tolerance mechanisms, not nonpreference or antibiosis mechanisms. The levels of resistance identified in this study are sufficiently high to justify the initiation of breeding efforts to transfer F. doccidentalis resistance into susceptible pepper cultivars.
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