Abstract
Hot pepper (Capsicum chinense Jacquin) cvs Scotch Bonnet and West Indian Red pepper were manually inoculated with tobacco etch virus (TEV) (Genus: Potyvirus, Family: Potyviridae) at 7, 28, and 56-57 days after transplanting (DAT). Plants in the control plots were not inoculated with TEV. Reflective mulch and JMS Stylet-Oil® were used to protect the uninoculated and late-inoculated plants from natural infections. The TEV infection negatively impacted cv. Scotch Bonnet plant growth and fruit yield, but had no affect on cv. West Indian Red. Growth and fruit yield of cv. Scotch Bonnet plants inoculated with TEV 7 DAT, were severely reduced compared to the control. The cv. Scotch Bonnet plants infected with TEV at 28 DAT yielded less than the control, although the rate of growth was similar. Cultivar Scotch Bonnet plants infected with TEV at 57 DAT were similar to control plants in size and fruit yield.
