CMV and CPMMoV impact in open field Ibarra chili pepper and its prevalence in wild flora around the crop in the Basque Country (northern Spain)
During the 2018 and 2019 crop cycles, an outbreak of mild leaf mosaics, fruit thickening and reduction in yield quality was observed in several open field Ibarra chilli pepper growing plots in the Basque Country (northern Spain). DAS-ELISA analyses and subsequent confirmation by RT-PCR pointed out the presence of a tobamovirus, displaying a high nucleotide identity (>99.1%) with Chili pepper mild mottle virus (CPMMoV, GenBank: MN164455), representing the first detection of this newly identified Tobamovirus in Europe.
The predominant cultivar in this region, ‘Ibarroria’, lacks resistance to the group of Tobamovirus and also to other aphid-transmitted viruses like Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV). Furthermore, weeds may contribute to the spread of plant virus epidemics by acting as reservoirs of viruses or/and their vectors.
To understand the incidence of these viruses in open field cultivation, random samplings were conducted in the crop and surrounding weeds during the 2021 and 2022 crop cycles.
At the end of the 2021 crop cycle, CMV was detected in 50% of the crop plants and CPMMoV in 52.2%. At the end of 2022, CMV was detected in 100% of the crop plants and CPMMoV in 16.7%. Additionally, in a 2022 survey of 397 weeds at the plot edges, only one plant, Cerastium glomeatum was CPMMoV-positive, and three CMV-positive plants were identified as Capsella bursa-pastoris, Cardamine flexuosa, and Stellaria media. This study illustrates the considerable incidence and potentially deleterious impact of Tobamovirus and CMV on Ibarra chili pepper crops in the Basque Country, emphasizing the urgency for developing effective control measures and resistant varieties to mitigate losses and preserve crop yield quality.
Ojinaga, M., Mendarte, S., Arizmendi, J. and Larregla, S. (2025). CMV and CPMMoV impact in open field Ibarra chili pepper and its prevalence in wild flora around the crop in the Basque Country (northern Spain). Acta Hortic. 1416, 305-312
DOI: 10.17660/ActaHortic.2025.1416.40
https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2025.1416.40
DOI: 10.17660/ActaHortic.2025.1416.40
https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2025.1416.40
virus epidemics, plant virus reservoir, Capsella bursa-pastoris, Cardamine flexuosa, Stellaria media, Cerastium glomeatum, Capsicum annuum
English
1416_40
305-312