Abstract

Powdery mildew disease in chilli pepper caused by Leveillula taurica has been affecting chilli pepper grown in greenhouse and open fields. Inheritance of powdery mildew disease resistance is complex and least understood. In the present study, we identified SCAR markers using F2 mapping populations developed from a cross between a resistant parental line ‘Odisha Local' and a parental line susceptible to powdery mildew ‘9907-9611'. The nucleotide sequence obtained from a genome of resistant chilli pepper line ‘Odisha Local’ using OPA15 primer showed partial identity with RPP13 like disease resistant protein. The molecular markers developed in this study will be very helpful in chilli pepper breeding programs for powdery mildew resistance for indirect selection of the resistant plants.

Key words: Chilli pepper, powdery mildew, SCAR markers.