Screening black pepper ( Piper nigrum L.) varieties/cultivars against Phytophthora disease in the nursery

Fifty genotypes of black pepper ( Piper nigrum L.) including released varieties and cultures were screened against Phytophthora capsici foot rot disease in nursery to identify resistant materials. None of the genotypes screened were immune to P. capsici. ‘Kalluvally II’, ‘Panniyur 5’, and ‘Kalluvally IV’, however, showed less than 60% leaf infection and were statistically at par with ‘Balankotta’, ‘Cheriyakaniakadan’, and ‘Shimoga’. ‘Kalluvally II’ also suffered relatively lower mortality rates (26.67%), implying some tolerance against P. capsici. ‘Panniyur 5’ was moderately susceptible while the remaining cultivars were clearly susceptible to the disease, as they showed higher leaf infection and mortality.