ABSTRACT
Capsicum annuum is the most popular and important Capsicum species in the world, but it lacks resistance to anthracnose. Important sources of anthracnose resistance in Capsicum have been found in C. chinense “PBC932” and C. baccatum “PBC80” and “PBC81.” The resistance mechanism is characterized as hypersensitive reaction (HR), which shows no symptoms on chili fruit. In general, C. baccatum is resistant to all Colletotrichum species, including the most aggressive, Co. scovillei. Introgression of the resistance from C. baccatum and C. chinense into elite cultivars of C. annuum can be achieved via wide hybridization with or without embryo rescue. Anther culture, used to produce double haploid lines, is also achievable in C. annuum. The key finding in the genetic studies of anthracnose resistance is that the resistance is expressed variably at different stages of fruit maturity due to the different gene loci. Successful breeding for anthracnose resistance relies highly on the selection process for the resistance trait, which is currently based on the fruit bioassay.
