Еvaluation of pepper breeding lines and accessions to Xanthomonas euvesicatoria and X. vesicatoria and fruit traits.

At the Maritsa Vegetable Crops Research Institute, species X. euvesicatoria and X. vesicatoria were isolated from pepper and molecularly identified. The isolates belonging to X. euvesicatoria refer to pathotypes P (P6 with 2 strains and P4 with 2 strains) and PT (P4T2 with 5 strains and P2T2 with 2 strains). The predominant races of X. vesicatoria were PT (P1T2 with 3 strains and P2 with 2 strains). From all examined isolates, it was established that X. euvesicatoria was more often isolated from pepper. Of the available pepper gene pool, 13 breeding lines and 3 accessions have been studied for their reaction to X. euvesicatoria P6, P4T2, and X. vesicatoria P2 and P1T2. Immune to X. euvesicatoria P6, P4T2, and X. vesicatoria P2, P1T2 were of pepper genotypes K915, K917, K925, SOL-300 and SOL-361, the rest were classified as resistant. The studied genotypes varied by fruit characteristics-size, shape, orientation, color, and taste. Breeding line K915 has been identified as immune to all studied races of bacterial spot (X. euvesicatoria P6 and P4T2 and X. vesicatoria P2 and P1T2), which combined with its fruit traits, makes it extremely valuable for breeding activity in this direction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]