Originating thousands of years ago in South America, peppers (Capsicum spp.) are a major cash crop cultivated around the world. Pepper growers in the United States and elsewhere, however, face increasing viral outbreaks, which cause mottling, mosaic, vein banding, ring spots, necrosis, deformation, leaf blistering, and stunting of entire plants. These problems can significantly reduce yields or lead to total crop failure.
In 2019, Professor of Biological Science Akhtar Ali received a grant from the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture and Forestry and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to study pepper viruses. "Before I began this project, there was no comprehensive information on how many and what sort of viruses infect pepper plants," Ali remarked. "Scientists and growers were desperate to understand the nature of these viruses, their transmission methods, and possible sources of resistance."
Healthy pepper plant (right) vs infected plant (left)
Research conducted in Ali's lab at The University of Tulsa's Oxley College of Health & Natural Sciences led to five chapters in the recently published book Pepper Virome: Molecular Biology, Diagnostics, and Management, which Ali co-edited. Three of those chapters were co-authored with biological science doctoral students Caleb Paslay (M.S. '23) and Connor Ferguson. The book contains contributions by additional experts in the United States and seven other countries.
"With the publication of this volume, plant pathologists – as well as pepper growers and breeders – have, for the first time, a record of the 166 viruses that infect pepper crops worldwide," Ali said. Details include diagnostic strategies along with insights into viral transmission through seeds, insect vectors, alternative hosts for viruses, and possible sources of resistant pepper varieties. "Taken together," Ali concluded, "the chapters in this pathbreaking anthology provide crucial knowledge that will help combat pepper viruses and develop long-lasting, eco-friendly management strategies."
For more information:
University of Tulsa
utulsa.edu