Progress and Prospects in Capsicum Breeding for Biotic and Abiotic Stresses

The genus Capsicum (chili), one of the important Solanaceae crop plants, is grown widely for producing vegetables and spices and for extraction of the coloring agent. Chili fruits contain a vast number of metabolites that are crucial for human health, viz., carotenoids (provitamin A), vitamin E, vitamins C, flavonoids, and capsaicinoids (destroy free radicals). However, Capsicum production is highly affected by biotic and abiotic stresses and, thus, needs urgent attention of Capsicum researchers/breeders. Abiotic stresses mainly include drought, heat, cold, and salinity, while major biotic stresses comprise of root, stem, leaf, and fruit rots; leaf spot, viral, and powdery mildew diseases; and diseases caused by nematodes. Several studies identifying/mapping QTLs/genes conferring resistance/tolerance to major biotic and abiotic stresses have been reported. The global initiative to collect and share and systematic evaluation of phenotypes of Capsicum genetic materials for abiotic and biotic stress resistances/tolerances would greatly enhance the understanding of genetic mechanism regulating those traits, thereby helping in sustainable production to meet the worldwide demand and increase the income of the farmers. Furthermore, the introduction of high-throughput next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies to sequence genomes and transcriptomes within a short period of time with comparatively cheaper cost would be helpful to decipher the genome structure and function of genes.