A Chilli Thrips Field Day will be held on 30 November 2023 to demonstrate the nine thrips tolerant sources with susceptible and hybrid checks under high thrips pressure at World Vegetable Center’s South and Central Asia Regional Center, Hyderabad, India.
Thrips pose a tremendous challenge to chilli farmers worldwide and are a perennial problem. In early 2022, WorldVeg initiated the evaluation of breeding lines from two Capsicum species for host resistance to Thrips palmi in artificial infestation experiments. In late 2022 and early 2023, nine highly thrips resistant lines were identified and further validated to contain host resistance to thrips. The resistant lines were sequenced to establish relatedness and to characterize the host resistance factors and a recurrent selection program was initiated to increase the levels of resistance and to map QTLs and develop molecular markers associated with host resistance to thrips.
A trial of nine highly resistant lines is set up in Hyderabad during peak thrips pressure to confirm whether the host resistance holds. After the Field Day, WorldVeg will launch Chilli Thrips Project entitled "Developing Host Resistance to Thrips in Chilli" in March 2024 through APSA-WorldVeg Vegetable Breeding Consortium to conduct research to answer some of the critically important and largely neglected questions surrounding thrips resistance, including information on thrips diversity, to ultimately reduce smallholder farmer losses associated with thrips damage in chilli.
Shuttle bus pick-up and drop-off will be complimentary to all participants from ICRISAT main gate to the conference room and fields.
TIME (UTC+5.30) | AGENDA |
09:30 - 10:00 |
Registration at ICRISAT 212 Conference Room |
10:00 - 10:10 |
Welcome Remarks |
10:10 - 10:30 |
Background and preliminary results of chilli thrips resistant trials |
10:30 - 10:50 |
Q&A session
|
10:50 - 11:15 |
Coffee & Tea Break (near 212 Conference Room) |
11:15 - 13:00 |
Visit the Chilli Thrips Evaluation Trial |
13:00 - 14:00 |
Lunch at ICRISAT Canteen |
14:00 - 15:00 |
One-on-one interaction, Q&A and feedback
|
15:00 - onwards |
Departure of Participants |
If you have any questions or need any assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact Ms. Xiaofeng Li at xiaofeng@apsaseed.org or Ms. Mandy Lin at mandy.lin@worldveg.org