A Rapid Screening Method for Resistance to Anthonomus eugenii (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in Capsicum (Solanaceae) spp. Plants

The objectives of this study were to develop a rapid screening method for resistance to Anthonomus eugenii Cano (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in pepper by assessing insect mortality and leaf consumption in seedlings as resistance traits, and analyze their interaction with leaf morphological parameters under greenhouse conditions. Seedlings were grown from seeds harvested from fruits collected from 23 populations (10 landrace and 13 wild) in Mexico as well as commercial cultivars. Leaves of 40-d-old seedlings were infested in micro-cages with 5 weevils per seedling. Eight plants were screened for each population to analyze insect mortality and leaf consumption. The experiment was replicated twice in 2 consecutive yr. The wild and landrace populations showed significantly higher number of dead adults, and lower feeding punctures and damaged leaf area from 5 to 19 d after infestation in comparison with the commercial cultivars, suggesting that wild and landrace populations are less sensitive to A. eugenii damage. The number of dead adults was correlated negatively with the feeding punctures and damaged leaf area, suggesting that the lower feeding damage was a result of higher A. eugenii mortality. This study provides a new rapid and simple method for screening resistance for control of A. eugenii in pepper populations and provides a promising source of resistant plant material that may be useful in breeding programs.