Study the effect of cucumber mosaic virus (cmv) on different growth stages of chili

Abstract

Abstract : A field experiment was conducted during winter 2011-12 to examine the effect of Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) infection on growth and yield attributes of chili at different plant growth stages. Significant variation was observed in CMV incidence as well as growth and yield attributes among ten chili genotypes at different growth stages. Although the highest disease incidence was found at late plant growth stage followed by mid and early stages, the maximum reduction in plant height and canopy diameter was recorded at early stage. Similarly, the minimum reduction in fruit number per plant, fruit length and fruit weight was observed at late stage infection by CMV, while the maximum reduction in these parameters was recorded at early stage infection. The results indicate that CMV infection at early stage of plant growth is destructive in reducing growth and yield attributes in chili. These findings may help to design effective management practices to reduce the negative effect of CMV disease in chili.