First record of pepper chat fruit viroid in Türkiye
Pepper chat fruit viroid (Pospiviroid parvicapsici - PCFVd) is a recently described viroid on tomato and capsicum. PCFVd was first reported in the EPPO region in the Netherlands. It was subsequently eradicated (EPPO RS 2013/127) but was later intercepted in seed (RS 2018/108). PCFVd is a quarantine pest for the United Kingdom.
During a survey to detect the presence of PCFVd in Türkiye, 140 leaf samples of sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum) and chilli pepper (Capsicum frutescens) were collected from symptomatic plants showing yellowing, mottling, stunting and reduced fruit size in Adana, Gaziantep and Kahramanmaraş provinces from May to September 2024. Molecular testing confirmed the presence of PCFVd in 30% of samples from Adana and 10% of samples from Gaziantep and Kahramanmaraş. The authors consider that the high incidence of PCFVd across these provinces suggests that PCFVd is already widespread in Türkiye.
Sources
Balsak SC (2025) First molecular characterization of Pepper chat fruit viroid infecting pepper crops in Turkey. Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection 132, 96 https://doi.org/10.1007/s41348-025-01091-4