The present study investigates the impact of using saline water on pepper crop yield and the application of a numerical model in predicting soil moisture and relative yield under saline irrigation conditions. In the greenhouse experimental study conducted in Antalya, Turkey, the effects of different irrigation regimes with salinity treatments using a drip irrigation system were investigated for two pepper varieties. The irrigation regimes consisted of four irrigation treatments with four salinity levels in two cropping seasons—spring 2011 and autumn 2011. The numerical model SALTMED was used and calibrated using measured soil moisture of a control experiment run during spring 2011. After the calibration, the model was validated using other experimental treatments during spring 2011 and all the experimental treatments in autumn 2011, with appropriate salinity stress parameter π50 values which are calibrated versus the highest salinity treatments in the spring 2011 and autumn 2011 experiments. The predicted results show the ability of the model to reproduce the measured soil moisture at three soil layers 0–20, 20–40 and 40–60 cm. The predicted relative yield results are in good agreement with measured data. Although the numerical model SALTMED has been used in several studies in the past, this is the first study that illustrates the potential capacity of the model for use in managing greenhouse production. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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The Effect of Saline Irrigation Water on the Yield of Pepper: Experimental and Modelling Study

Capsicum (Capsicum annuum L var. grossum Sendt) commonly known as bell pepper or sweet pepper, is one of the most economical agricultural crop grown under both open and polyhouse conditions. The presence of Pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV) from different districts of Himachal Pradesh was confirmed by double antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (DAS-ELISA) and RT-PCR using coat protein (CP) gene amplification. The first complete genome sequence of Indian isolate of PMMoV (HP-1) was elucidated and compared with other members of Virgaviridae family and PMMoV isolates. Sequence homology, multiple alignment and phylogenetic analysis on the basis of nucleotide and amino acid sequences showed that PMMoV-HP1 isolate is more closely related to the PMMoV-J, the Japanese isolate. Based on CP gene amino acid sequence analysis, the PMMoV-HP1 isolate showed 100 per cent identity with P12 pathotypes (capable of breaking L
 2
 gene mediated resistance in capsicum). This is the first report of the PMMoV complete genome organization intercepted in India.

Characterization and complete nucleotide sequencing of Pepper Mild Mottle Virus infecting Bell Pepper in India

Pepper (Capsicum spp.) is an important vegetable crop in the Eastern Africa region where it is grown mainly by small-scale farmers. However, productivity of the crop is limited by many abiotic and biotic constraints. The abiotic constraints include high cost of seeds and inputs, shortage of improved varieties, drought, low soil fertility and lack of technical knowhow among others, while biotic constraints are dominated by diseases and insect pests. Numerous diseases especially those that are caused by viruses pose serious threats in pepper production. Currently, over 68 viruses are known to affect pepper on a worldwide scale and have serious impact on the quantity and quality of pepper produced. Out of the 68 viruses, 12 belonging to seven genera namely Potyvirus, Cucumovirus, Tobamovirus, Polerovirus, Tospovirus, Alfamovirus and Potexvirus have been reported in Eastern Africa. Pepper veinal mottle virus, Potato virus Y and Cucumber mosaic virus are the most widespread and damaging viruses in the region. Yield losses ranging from 10 to 100% in pepper production have been reported for various viruses namely; Pepper veinal mottle virus, Potato virus Y, Chilli veinal mottle virus, Ethiopian pepper mottle virus, Cucumber mosaic virus, Pepper mild mottle virus, Tobacco mosaic virus, Pepper vein yellows virus, Tomato spotted wilt virus, Alfaalfa mosaic virus and Potato virus X. This article provides an overview of the important pepper viruses occurring in Eastern Africa with reference to their geographic distribution, yield-losses, symptoms, transimission, management methods and research gaps that need to be addressed. It can be concluded that viruses are a major constraint to pepper production in the target region.

Diversity and economic importance of viral diseases of pepper (Capsicum spp.) in Eastern Africa

Nucleotide Sequence of the Japanese Isolate of Pepper Mild Mottle Tobamovirus (TMV-P) RNA.

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Comparison of two Near-Isogenic Lines of Bell Pepper (Capsicum annuum): One Endornavirus-Infected and the Other Endornavirus-Free

Severe systemic viral symptoms were observed on the leaves of infected pepper ( Capsicum annuum L.) plants cultivated in Antalya located in the Mediterranean coast of Turkey, in 2008. The symptoms on the diseased pepper plants included, mosaic, mottle, chlorosis coupled with stunting, chlorotic spots, distortion of the leaves and fruits. Using Pepper mild mottle tobamovirus (PMMoV) specific polyclonal antisera, PMMoV was detected in symptomatic pepper plants by double antibody sandwich-enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (DAS-ELISA). Disease occurrence (the percentage of plants infected) of up to 30% was estimated in the region outbreaks. It was observed that, symptomatic pepper samples collected from Antalya province were infected with PMMoV (47.14%) according to the results of the study. Key words : Virus, pepper, outbreak, double antibody sandwich-enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (DASELISA), Pepper mild mottle tobamovirus (PMMoV), disease occurrence.

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Mehmet Ali Sevik

Papers

Occurrence of pepper mild mottle virus in greenhouse-grown pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) in the West Mediterranean region of Turkey.