Determination of Resistance to Tomato Spotted Wild Virus in Pepper Genotypes from Turkey and Nigeria Using Molecular Markers

as both a vegetable and a spice. Pepper like other agricultural crops, are vulnerable to various biotic and abiotic stress factors. To mitigate these threats, they must possess effective defense mechanisms and resistance genes. The Tsw gene, found in Capsicum chinense, confers resistance to Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus (TSWV) and is expressed as a dominant allele (Tsw) in many genotypes. The SCAC568 CAPs marker, linked to TSWV resistance, allows for the co-dominant differentiation of resistant and susceptible pepper genotypes (RR, Rr, rr). Due to its close association with the Tsw gene, this marker is a valuable tool for marker-assisted selection and for screening pepper germplasm collection in pepper breeding programs. Therefore, in this study the resistance of 60 pepper local genotypes from Turkey and Nigeria to TSWV were evaluated by the SCAC568 CAPs marker linked to Tsw. The genomic DNA of the samples was amplified with the SCAC568 marker PCR protocol and then subjected to digestion with the Taq1 enzyme. The digested products were resolved by electrophoresis on a 2% agarose gel and visualized under UV light. For validation purposes, three control genotypes, including Capsicum chinense PI152225 (homozygous resistant) and two Capsicum annuum genotypes (homozygous susceptible and heterozygous resistant) were included. In the marker screening, 60 pepper genotypes were evaluated, revealing that 13 of these samples were homozygous resistant (RR), 24 were heterozygous (Rr), and 23 were homozygous susceptible (rr). Amongst the tested genotypes, Nigerian pepper genotypes showed more resistance to TSWV. These results validate the utility of the SCAC568 CAPs marker in pepper breeding programme for identifying genotypes with resistance or susceptibility to Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus. In addition, it is shown that, the resistant local pepper genotypes in this study can be used in the TSWV resistance breeding programme.