A fresh-market capsicum improvement program has developed genetic resistances to two tospoviruses, Capsicum chlorosis virus (CaCV) and Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) in new parent lines with commercial potential.

Both CaCV and TSWV cause significant crop damage in the largest production areas of Queensland with typical annual crop losses of $15M. In South Australia TSWV is responsible for major losses in the protected cropping industry.

The specific outputs from the project include a range of advanced CaCV/TSWV resistant parent lines, identification of two new advanced F1 cultivars and their potential CaCV-resistant equivalents and at least one functional DNA marker for CaCV resistance. The introduction of this new material should provide an immediate improvement in agronomic performance and fruit quality as a result of the underlying attributes of the adapted parent lines; furthermore, host plant resistance to CaCV in particular should increase marketable yields by up to 15% in those production areas in Queensland where losses are most severe. The multiplier effects of this benefit are considerable in an industry valued conservatively at $160M.