Chapter Five - Effects of Timing of Tev Infections on Growth, Yield and Quality of ‘scotch Bonnet’ Pepper (capsicum Chinensis Jacquin) Fruit in Jamaica

The effect of tobacco etch virus (TEV) (Genus: Potyvirus, Family: Potyviridae) on growth and yield of Capsicum chinense Jacquin cv. ‘Scotch Bonnet’ and ‘West Indian Red’ peppers was investigated. Peppers were manually inoculated at 7, 28 and 56-57 days after transplanting (DAT), which corresponded with early vegetative stage, onset of flowering and completion of first stage of flowering, respectively. Plants in control plots were not inoculated with TEV. Reflective mulch and JMS Stylet-Oil were used to protect the uninoculated and late-inoculated plants from natural infections. Scotch Bonnet plants inoculated with TEV 7 DAT were 33% shorter and produced 57% less canopy than plants in the control plots, which averaged 50 cm in height and 4,000 cm in canopy. Height and canopy of Scotch Bonnet plants infected with TEV at 28 and 57 DAT were similar to heights and canopies of control plants. Total number of fruit produced per Scotch Bonnet plant inoculated with TEV 7 and 28 DAT were 69 and 36% less than the number (100 on average) of fruit produced per plant in the control plots, respectively. The marketable weight of fruit produced per Scotch Bonnet plant inoculated with TEV 7 and 28 DAT were 78 and 57% less than the marketable weight of fruit produced per plant in the control plots, which was 1 kg on average, respectively. Number and weight of fruit produced by Scotch Bonnet plants infected with TEV at 57 DAT were not significantly different from those by control plants. Results suggest that decreases in Scotch Bonnet pepper yield can be avoided by protecting plants from TEV infection from the seedling stage through the first stage of flowering (approximately 50-60 DAT). Height, canopy and yield of West Indian Red plants were not adversely affected by TEV.