The assessment study was carried out in Bako Tibe and Nonno districts of West Shoa Zone of Oromiya, Ethiopia in
2012 with the objective to assess the pepper wilt disease intensity and evaluate pepper cultivars resistance against
bacterial wilt pathogen. To determine the hot pepper disease intensity, field survey was carried out in purposively
selected kebeles of two districts. The hot pepper bacterial wilt pathogen was isolated and identified in Ambo National
Plant Protection Research Center from the collected diseased samples of two districts. Evaluation of hot pepper
cultivars for their resistance against the identified bacterial wilt was conducted under greenhouse condition in Ambo
Plant Protection Center. The result of the study revealed that, among 120 hot pepper field surveyed in both the districts,
116 fields were affected with wilt disease. The overall mean prevalence and incidence of the disease were 96.7% and
86.4%, respectively. The highest prevalence and incidence were noted at Bako Tibe district with 98.57% and 93.81%,
respectively. In Nonno district it was resulted to 94% prevalence and 78.66% incidence. Laboratory biochemical
identification and pathogenicity tests were revealed that one bacterial bacterium, Ralstonia solanacearum was identified
as wilt causing pathogen. The percentage of occurrence or of the frequency of wilt causing bacterial pathogen was
100%. Of the seven hot pepper cultivars evaluated against the identified wilt causing bacterial pathogen, all were
susceptible to the test pathogen with varying degrees. Thus, it is suggested that other hot pepper cultivars to be tested
further against the identified pathogens. In addition the hot pepper improvement/breeding program has to give focus in
developing resistant hot pepper varieties against the identified bacterial wilt disease, Ralstonia solanacearum.