THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE INCIDENCE OF BACTERIAL SPOT DISEASE OF PEPPER AND SOME ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS

Bacterial spot caused by Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria is an important bacterial diseases of pepper and tomato. The present work was planned to record the disease incidence under protected agriculture and open field conditions in different localities of Nile Delta. Also to study the relationship between environmental factors (average daily temperature and relative humidity) and disease severity. The disease was not recorded under open field conditions the survey localities and in the growing seasons of 2007-2009. Under the protected agriculture conditions, the disease was recorded in all surveyed localities and in the above growing seasons. The highest disease severity was recorded in (El-Khatatba, El-Fayoum and El-Salhia regions, while it was moderately shown at El-Bosaily; Gazera-El-Dhab and Kha) regions but it was not severely record at El-Giza region. However, the disease severity of bacterial spot disease of pepper increased with increasing the average of daily temperature and relative humidity. Also, the disease was more sever during growing season 2007-2008 than growing season 2008-2009, and that probably due to the changes in the climatic differences the two different seasons.