MAIN PESTS AND DISEASES OF PEPPER

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Compared to other plants, pepper plants tend to have fewer pest problems, but they aren’t exempt. There are plenty of insects that think these plants are delicious and snack-worthy. Here are a few of the most common pepper plant pests.

Insects

  • Aphids: Aphids weaken plants as they feed on plants and may cause the death of young plants when present in large numbers.
  • Cutworms: Plant leaves and/or stems are eaten by cutworm caterpillars. Plants can be cut off when young, thereby, reducing density and harvest.
  • Fruit flies:  Fruit flies attack on pepper results in a sharp decrease in yield as fruits drop frequently even when they are not matured. Maggot-infested peppers are not marketable.
  • Leafminer fly: The attack of leafminer result in leave defoliation, which may lead to fruit sunscald in warm weather.
  • Fruit borers: Fruit borers attack may cause flower abortion, falling of young fruits, and may also result in hole development and rot in the fruits.
  • Whiteflies: Whiteflies are vectors of viral diseases which may give rise to major yield losses. This is the main threat to yield posed by whiteflies. Honeydew depreciates the market value of the fruit.
  • Thrips: Thrips are vectors of the tomato spotted wilt virus. It results in a significant reduction if growth is slowed by severe attacks on young plants particularly in hot weather.

 

Vegetable Leafminer
Image courtesy of entnemdept.ufl.edu

Mites

  • Broad mite: Fruits attacked by broad mite are deformed and unfit for sale.
  • Red spider mite: Spider mites can kill plants under hot and dry conditions. The attack may be considerably reduced particularly under dry hot conditions due to the defoliation of plants.

Fungi

  • Anthracnose: Symptoms appear as development of mycelium inside the fruit or stem and results in fruit infection, rendering them not marketable.
  • Damping-off: Damping-off results in the death of seedlings prior to and after emergence. Development of mycelium inside the stem.
  • Fusarium wilt: Fusarium wilt causes yellowing of foliage and finally results in the wilting of plants.
  • Powdery mildew: Powdery mildew causes a reduction in output due to the presence of the fungus at young crop stage.

 

Broad Mite Damage
image courtesy of
vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu

Bacterial Diseases

  • Bacterial soft rot: The bacteria enter into the fruit by wounds done by insects or after cutting the stem at harvest. Fruit infected often collapse and hang on the plant like a water-filled bag. It can be a destructive post-harvest (market) disease.
  • Root-knot nematode: Infested plants are very sensitive to drought or irregular irrigation and plant will die if attacked at an early stage.

Viruses

  • Cucumber mosaic: Cucumber could be transmitted by aphid or mechanically.
  • Pepper veinal mottle: Pepper veinal mottle is transmitted by aphid.
  • Tobacco mosaic: Tobacco mosaic transmitted mechanically.
  • Tomato spotted wilt: Tomato spotted wilt is transmitted by thrips.
  • Chilli leaf curl: Chilli leaf curl transmitted by whitefly.

Physiological Diseases

  • Blossom-end rot: Blossom-end rot occurs due to calcium deficiency and water imbalance. Fruits attacked by blossom-end rot are not marketable.
  • Sunscald: Sunscald disease occurs due to fruit exposure to direct sunlight and excessive heat.

Information provided by https://pip.coleacp.org

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