The use of fungicides to control powdery mildew in sweet pepper has been ineffective and genetic resistance is the best alternative. Resistance sources identified in Capsicum annuum L. are rare and unsatisfactory. The purpose of this work was to study the inheritance of C. annuum reaction to powdery mildew. Three homozygous powdery mildew resistant parents, HV-12, Chilli and #124 and three susceptible lines, 609, 442 and 428 were used to obtain seven F1's and respectively their generations F2: HV-12 x 609, 442 × HV-12, 428 × HV-12, Chilli × 609, #124 × 609, Chilli × HV-12 and #124 × HV-12. The powdery epidemic was natural using inoculum from highly sporulating susceptible pepper host. Powdery mildew host reaction evaluations were carried out during the fruit production using a rating system based on disease severity scales varying from 1 (resistant) to 5 (highly susceptible). The experimental design was completely randomized. The following genetic parameters were estimated: locus numbers, gene action, heritability coefficient, expected selection gain and observed progress in F3 generation, and possibly allelic relationship among resistance genes of different resistance sources. The HV-12×609 cross was the only one that showed absence of dominance. Other genetically analyzed crossings showed dominant and epistatic effects. Resistance was characterized as being due to at least four pairs of genes. The heritability and selection gains estimates were high. The resistance mechanisms of #124, Chilli and HV-12 showed differences in their expression.
sweet pepper; powdery mildew; genetic resistance; gene action; allelism