Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Verticillium wilt is a fungal disease that can be a problem in greenhouses, especially in commercial
growing, where crop rotation is neglected. Symptoms: first a few individual leaves, then the entire
plant wilts. The fungus clogs nutrient pathways, and the plant becomes unable to take up water. The
disease is easily diagnosed: cut a cross section at a node below a wilted leaf. Tissue infected with verti-
cillium wilt has a brown discoloration. Treatment: remove infected plants. Prevention: do not grow
peppers for four years at this location.
CULTIVATION HISTORY
Wild peppers are native from Central America to the warm, temperate re-
gions of southern South America. Most wild forms produce small, red fruits that stand vertically on the
plant; the fruits are attractive to birds, who eat them and spread their seed. Since birds have no sensory
receptors for spiciness, they do not feel the heat of these extremely hot fruits. Indigenous Americans
domesticated these plants in at least three separate events. Domestication changed the plants: fruits
now hang below the leaves and stay attached to their stems. Peppers are among the oldest crop plants
of the western hemisphere. Archaeobotanical finds show that
Capsicum chinense
has been gathered
since 8000
BC
(cultivated since 2000
BC
in Peru and 1500
BC
in Chile),
C. annuum
gathered since
5000
BC
(cultivated since 3500
BC
in Mexico), and
C. baccatum
and
C. pubescens
gathered since 2500
BC
in Bolivia.
