Identification of resistantsources againstchilli leaf curl virus disease through field and molecular screening in chilli

A study was conducted to discover resistant sources in 109 F6 families of a Recombinant Inbreed Lines (RIL) population against Chilli Leaf Curl Virus (ChiLCV) disease, a serious menace to chilli crop in India. The Population was characterized for yield and disease related traits that revealed presence of significant variability in the population. Fruit yield followed by number of fruits per plant, fruit weight and PDI (at 120 days after transplanting) were key traits contributing significant portion of this variation as explained by principal component analysis. Twenty virus-free plants were identified under natural field condition at 60 and 120 days after transplanting along with molecular screenings using universal primers. These potent plants having ChiLCV resistance and superior plant and fruit morphology will be utilized in breeding programme for development of resistant varieties/hybrids against chilli leaf curl virus disease.