Pepper golden mosaic

Pepper golden mosaic is a serious plant disease caused by a group of viruses belonging to the genus Begomovirus within the Geminiviridae family. These viruses contain a circular single-stranded DNA genome and are notorious for causing significant yield losses in Solanaceous crops globally.

The primary host for this viral disease is the sweet pepper (Sweet Pepper). However, the virus possesses a broad host range, often affecting tomato, tobacco, and wild weed reservoirs, which serve as overwintering sites for the pathogen and its vector, facilitating the disease's persistence in agricultural areas.

Clinical signs of infection include vivid yellow or golden mosaic patterns, leaf yellowing, and severe stunting of the plant. Infected plants exhibit leaf curling and deformation, which significantly reduces photosynthetic capacity. The fruit development is often impaired, leading to malformed, unmarketable produce.

The disease is transmitted exclusively by the tobacco whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) in a persistent, circulative manner. Environmental factors such as high temperatures and drought conditions favor the rapid proliferation of whitefly populations, which consequently spikes the incidence of the golden mosaic virus in the field.

Management of pepper golden mosaic is challenging because there is no direct cure for viral infections once a plant is infected. Therefore, primary focus is placed on prevention. This includes the use of virus-resistant varieties, strict whitefly population control through integrated pest management (IPM), and the removal of alternative weed hosts from surrounding areas to break the transmission cycle.