SCREENING OF CAPSICUM ACCESSIONS FOR RESISTANCE TO CUCUMBER MOSAIC-VIRUS

Eighty-three sweet or hot pepper accessions (Capsicum annuum L.) and 5 7 other Capsicum spp. accessions were screened for resistance to cucum ber mosaic virus (CMV). Most C, annuum accessions developed symptoms a fter the first inoculation with CMV but 45 plants in 22 accessions wer e symptomless. When the latter were re-inoculated, 15 symptomless plan ts in 10 accessions were selected for progeny testing. The resistance of some progenies derived from symptomless plants was higher than that of the parents. The resistant progenies are preserved as seed stocks. Of the 57 Capsicum spp. accessions, most showed CMV symptoms after th e first inoculation. Five, 21, 7, and 7 symptomless plants were observ ed in accessions of C. chinense Jacquin, C. frutescens L., C. baccalum L., and C. pubescens Ruiz & Pavon, respectively. Of the symptomless p lants which were re-inoculated, 19 symptomless plants mostly of C. fru tescens were progeny tested. As a result, five progenies of C. frutesc ens and one of C. baccatum were selected as seed stocks for future tes ting.