Abstract
Bacterial wilt caused by Ralstonia solanacearum is a major source of damage during the production of green bell pepper (Capsicum annuum). The grafting of susceptible but high-quality pepper cultivars onto highly resistant rootstocks has been adopted to manage this disease. Recently, however, bacterial wilt has begun to occur again during summer-autumn cultivation in Yamaguchi Prefecture. To enhance the resistance provided by the rootstocks and control infection, we developed a new high-grafting strategy. In this approach, grafting is done at a higher position (11 to 14 cm above the ground) than usual (3 to 4 cm). In greenhouse experiments in Yamaguchi and Ibaraki prefectures, high grafting slowed disease development and resulted in less-severe wilting than with grafting at the usual height. In healthy plants, plant growth, yield, and the quality of the peppers did not differ significantly between the grafting treatments. Our results indicate that high grafting could be an effective strategy for managing bacterial wilt of green bell pepper.
