Pepper diseases and pests: treatment and protection. Pepper diseases

Pepper diseases can cause significant damage to the crop. Let's look at the characteristic signs of pepper diseases in order to learn to recognize the onset of the disease in time and minimize possible risks reducing the yield of this crop.

Phytoplasmosis (stobur) of pepper

The disease is caused by microorganisms - mycoplasmas and begins to manifest itself, as a rule, from the tops of the shoots. The leaves at the edges bend upward and curl, then dry out. Gradually, the disease spreads to the entire plant, the bush turns yellow, the fruits grow small, irregularly shaped, and begin to turn red. ahead of schedule. If pepper is damaged at an early stage of growth, the plant later acquires dwarf form. Stolbur is not transmitted from planting material(seeds), and is spread by insect pests (aphids, thrips, mites). Peppers do not have varieties resistant to stolbur.

Prevention and treatment of phytoplasmosis:

• Growing hybrids from seeds resistant to phytoplasmosis.
• Control of insects that carry disease.
• Diseased plants must be destroyed.
• After harvesting, carry out disinfection treatment internal parts of greenhouses and garden tools.
• Removing plant debris after harvest.
• Removing weeds on the site.

Late blight

Late blight (late blight) is a disease caused by the fungus Phytophthora infestans and can cause significant damage to the pepper crop. With late blight, the leaves of peppers appear brown spots, which spread throughout the plant. With the subsequent development of the disease, damage to the fruit occurs, with the formation of dark, wet spots.

Prevention measures are associated with the selection of varieties resistant to this disease, compliance with and implementation of disinfection measures.

Blackleg

Black leg - fungal disease cause pathogens various types, develops at the initial stage of growth and most of all affects seedlings and pepper seedlings, although adult plants in greenhouses can also get sick.

Infection and spread of the disease occurs through seeds, soil or crop residues. Too dense planting of seedlings and poor aeration in greenhouses contribute to the development of the disease.

A characteristic sign of the disease is darkening of the lower part of the stem, which then rots and dries out, leading to the death of the entire plant.

Prevention and treatment of Blackleg:

• It is necessary to inspect the seedlings daily in order to detect the disease in a timely manner.
• At the very beginning of the disease, seedlings are watered with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. If the plantings are dense, the seedlings must be thinned out.
• The soil used for planting should be spilled with a weak solution of potassium permanganate immediately before planting the seeds or disinfected at high temperatures (steamed in the oven, spilled with boiling water, spilled with phytosporin).
• Monitor the moisture of the top layer of soil - constant dampness contributes to the development of the disease. Therefore, it is better to water the pepper seedlings more abundantly, but less often.
• To not allow high humidity indoors with seedlings. This requires periodic ventilation, protecting the peppers from drafts.

Fusarium

Fusarium wilt of peppers or Fusarium wilt is caused by a fungus of the genus Fusarium. It affects the vessels in the plant stem, causing them to become blocked. As a result, the nutrition of the entire plant is disrupted and it is poisoned with toxins. The leaves begin to curl and turn yellow when the plants are watered normally, resistant varieties have time to begin to bear fruit. In varieties susceptible to fusarium, as a rule, the first signs appear with the beginning of bud formation; after 10-20 days (depending on the variety), the plant dies.

Fusarium has no cure. Diseased plants are destroyed.

Prevention of fusarium:

• Plant varieties resistant to this disease.
• Before planting, the seeds are treated at the rate of 100 milligrams of the drug per 10 grams of seeds.
• Remove organic debris after harvest.
• Topsin-M 0.2% and Fundazol help curb the development of fusarium, although they do not guarantee a complete cure.

Pepper Verticillium or Wilt

The disease is caused by bacteria. The development of the disease is initially asymptomatic; the leaves gradually begin to turn pale, as with a serious lack of nitrogen. Then the leaves become corrugated, the formation of fruits sharply decreases, the peppercorns themselves are small, deformed, and there are practically no seeds in them. In varieties of peppers resistant to wilting, the disease proceeds slowly, in many imported varieties it is fleeting; at the beginning of mass flowering, peppers begin to wilt sharply, and in 3-10 days the bushes dry out completely, without having time to set fruit.

Pepper verticillosis cannot be treated. Diseased plants should be burned. As a preventative measure: observe crop rotation (all nightshades are susceptible to wilt), and after wilt is detected, thoroughly disinfect the soil in the greenhouse.

Spotted wilt (bronzing)

Bronzing of peppers is caused by the Tomato spotted wilt virus, spread by thrips.

A characteristic sign of spotted wilt of pepper is the coloring of young leaves in a bronze or gray-violet color. With further progression of the disease, brown spots appear on the leaves and young stems, sometimes in the form of stripes. These spots begin to form at the base of the leaf and then spread along the leaf. Spots appear on the fruits in the form of rings of green, brown or yellow flowers. The fruits are covered with light yellow, green and brown ring-shaped spots. Brown stripes form at the base of the fruit.

Before diagnosing the bronze color of peppers, it is worth excluding sunburn on the leaves of the seedlings (out of habit, the leaves can take on a bronze tint).

Prevention and treatment of bronzing of peppers:

• Disinfect seeds
• Conduct preventative treatment plants and greenhouses against disease carriers thrips and leafhopper aphids.
• Do not plant pepper seedlings near flower beds (this is a sure source of thrips, especially double ones - peonies, asters).
• While weeding.
• Trim and burn affected branches. Garden tools are disinfected in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate
• Foundationazole is used for treatment, but first you need to remove the fruits that are sufficiently ripe.

Cladosporiosis (leaf mold, brown spot)

Cladosporiosis is caused by the fungus Fulvia fulva. Most often, plants in a greenhouse get sick in conditions of high air humidity. The fungus is carried by spores that land on the ground, clothing, garden tools, and greenhouse walls.

A characteristic symptom is the appearance on the leaves of brown spots on the outside of the leaf and a gray velvety coating with inside. Subsequent spread of the disease leads to the death of leaves and death of the plant.

Prevention and treatment of cladosporiosis:

• Treatment of soil, equipment and greenhouses in the fall with a solution copper sulfate, which is prepared at the rate of 1 glass per 10 liters of water.
• Treatment of greenhouses in the spring by burning.
• Compliance - you cannot plant peppers in the same place every year.
• Use for growing varieties resistant to cladosporiosis.
• If a disease occurs, it is necessary to reduce watering and reduce air humidity in the greenhouse.
• If a disease occurs, treat the plants with fungicides: Barrier, Barrier.

Black bacterial spot

A disease of bacterial nature. It is characterized by the appearance of small olive-colored spots on the leaves. Subsequently, the spots turn black, affecting all parts of the plant.

Sweet pepper is a fairly resistant crop; in any case, it is not as susceptible to diseases as a tomato, and it is not as damaged by pests as eggplant. However, this plant under certain conditions can suffer from both infections and insects. Therefore, every person involved in growing sweet peppers must be prepared to face problems and be able to quickly solve them. Now let’s talk in more detail about the harmful agents that a gardener may have to fight on his plot.

Pepper diseases

Of the diseases, pepper most often suffers from tobacco mosaic, bacterial spot and late blight, a little less often - from false powdery mildew and infectious wilt, and in greenhouses – also from gray rot (ventilation protects against it).

But under certain conditions Bell pepper may suffer from other types of infectious and metabolic diseases. Let's consider this issue in more detail.

The following diseases of pepper are known:

1. Sunburn
2. Blackleg
3. Tobacco mosaic
4. Streak
5. White spot
6. Late blight
7. Brown spot
8. Bacterial cancer
9. Black spot
10. Downy mildew
11. Alternaria blight
12. Gray rot
13. White rot
14. Apical rot
15. Lythracnose

So, let's look at these diseases in more detail.

Sunburn

In the hot summer, pepper can get sunburn, if it is located directly in the sun or if water gets on its leaves in the heat.

Symptoms

Burns on fruits look at first like just a pale area, and then this place turns completely white and becomes a little like paper.

Prevention

You can protect the fruit from this by hanging shading film.

Blackleg

A viral disease that can affect peppers in the seedling stage. Infection occurs through contaminated soil and equipment.

Provoking factors

1. Planting density.
2. Overmoistening of the soil.

Symptoms

Blackening and rotting of the root section of the stem.

Prevention

1. Compliance with the planting scheme to avoid planting density and correct mode glaze.
2. Pre-sowing treatment of seeds for 10 minutes in a solution of potassium permanganate, with a concentration of the active substance of 0.05% and subsequent washing of the seeds.
3. Till the soil twice with Previkur solution, according to the instructions.

Treatment

1. Removing affected plants.
2. Soil treatment with copper sulfate at 3% concentration.

Read about other methods of dealing with blackleg.

Alternaria blight

This fungal disease can develop during dry weather on plants grown in open ground or in greenhouses. Read more.

Provoking factor

Sudden temperature change.

Symptoms

1. At the beginning, dark brown spots appear on the leaves.
2. Later, watery spots form on the fruits, which become covered with fluff after rain, which turns into plaque. dark color.

Prevention

1. Maintaining crop rotation.
2. Additionally, on protected ground – stabilization of the air temperature inside the greenhouses.

Treatment

Treatment of infected individuals with a 4% solution of copper oxychloride or 10% Bordeaux mixture.

Gray rot

This fungal disease most often affects fruits, but does not affect them at all. root system plants. Within a few days the pepper rots completely.

Provoking factors

1. High humidity, especially in protected soil conditions.
2. The density of pepper plantings.

Symptoms

Gray spots on the fruits, gradually acquiring a dark gray color.

Prevention

Planting peppers according to the approved scheme.

Treatment

1. Removal of affected fruits.
2. If the process is localized on the stems, coat the affected areas with a mixture of lime and the fungicide Rovral in equal proportions (the composition can be replaced with ash or crushed charcoal).

White rot

A dangerous fungal disease that first affects the stems and leaves of pepper, gradually affecting its fruits.

Provoking factors

1. Increased air humidity.
2. Acid reaction of soil solution.
3. Planting density.

Symptoms

1. The plant gradually fades, turns yellow and dries out.
2. At high air humidity, spots covered with white mycelium appear on the stems and leaves.

Prevention

1. Maintaining crop rotation.
2. Planting peppers according to the optimal scheme.
3. Liming of acidic soils.
4. Removing crop residues from the field.

Treatment

Treatment of infected plants with copper preparations.

Apical rot

This pathology can be classified as a metabolic disease, since it is based on a deficiency of calcium ions.

Provoking factors

1. Insufficient supply of vegetative plants with calcium.
2. Excessive application of nitrogen fertilizers.
3. Uneven watering.
4. Changes in atmospheric humidity.

Symptoms

1. Watery spots develop on the tops of young shoots.
2. Then the tops gradually dry out.

Prevention

1. Regular watering.
2. Loosening the soil.
3. Mulching the soil.
4. Pre-sowing bubbling of seeds for 18 hours followed by drying.
5. Feed the plants with a glass of solution for each bush. The solution consists of: two tablespoons of potassium carbonate, two tablespoons of calcium nitrate per 10 liters of water.

Treatment

1. Removal of affected fruits.
2. Spraying plants with a solution of lime milk or 0.3–0.4% calcium chloride.

You can find more information about blossom end rot.

Verticillium and fusarium wilt

These are two similar fungal pathologies that lead to plant wilting. The only clear difference between them is the localization of the process at the very beginning of the development of the disease.

Symptoms

1. The wilting of plants begins with their lower leaves (Verticillium wilt).
2. The first symptom is yellowing of the top and leaves of the plant (Fusarium wilt).
3. Next, the vascular bundles in the lower part of the stem turn brown (verticillium wilt).
4. The whole plant withers.

Prevention

1. Growing varieties resistant to these pathologies.
2. Treating pepper seeds half a month before sowing in Fundazol (0.1 g of medicinal substance per 10 g of seeds) or dusting in the same ratio, immediately before sowing, with Trichodermin.

Treatment

Absent.

Lythracnose

This disease affects the base of the stem and the root of the plant.

Symptoms

1. Brown spots appear on the roots of the pepper.
2. Fruit growth is slow.
3. Later, the fruits become covered with watery spots, shrink and fall off.

Prevention

1. Crop rotation.
2. Healthy seed.

Treatment

Treatment is carried out with copper oxychloride (aqueous solution 0.4%) or Bordeaux mixture with a concentration of the active substance of 1%.

Late blight

A fungal pathology common in our latitudes that can affect all plant organs.

Provoking factors

1. Low air temperature.
2. Excessive humidity.

Symptoms

Appearance of spots Brown, which are surrounded by pale green fabrics.

Prevention

1. Pre-sowing treatment seed material potassium permanganate solution.
2. Spraying plants with infusions of onion or garlic.

Treatment

Treatment of plants with Bordeaux mixture. Read more.

White spot

This is a fungal disease that can destroy up to 50% of the crop in a short time; it develops both in greenhouses and in open ground.

Symptoms

1. Dull white spots appear on the leaves of the plant, surrounded by a dark border.
2. Further, darker dots appear on the surface of the spots, which contain spores.
3. The spots merge into one whole.
4. The leaves are drying.
5. The infection spreads to the trunk and fruits.

Prevention

1. Pre-sowing seed treatment.
2. Maintaining crop rotation.

Treatment

1. In the initial phase of the disease, treatments with Trichodermin and Fitosporin are effective.
2. At a later stage, it is recommended to remove damaged plants from the garden bed.

Streak

A viral pathology that affects fruits and the upper part of plants.

Provoking factors

1. Mechanical damage to plants by contaminated tools.
2. Availability large quantity insect vectors - aphids, mites, thrips.
3. Sowing infected seeds.

Symptoms

1. There are red-brown stripes on the foliage, stems, and fruits.
2. Affected parts of plants become brittle.
3. The leaves are deformed.
4. Plants grow and develop more slowly.

Prevention

1. Sowing healthy seeds.
2. Maintaining crop rotation.

Treatment

Absent.

Bacterial cancer

Bacterial pathology predominantly affecting plants peppers, which are grown in film greenhouses.

Provoking factors

1. Constantly high air humidity.
2. Stable high temperature.
3. Thickened plantings.
4. Application as sprinkling irrigation.

Symptoms

1. Dark brown spots appear on the shoots, leaves and fruits of pepper, edged with lighter colored tissues.
2. The spots merge with each other into an ever-lengthening spot.
3. This spot gradually becomes crusty.

Prevention

1. Double disinfection of greenhouses with methyl bromide: in autumn and spring.
2. Use healthy seed.
3. Using drip irrigation.
4. Maintaining temperature and humidity conditions while growing peppers.
5. During an outbreak - treatment healthy plants copper preparations - copper oxychloride or copper sulfate.

Treatment

Absent, infected plants are removed from greenhouses.

Black bacterial spot

The bacterial infection that causes this disease can affect the stems, petioles, fruits, and leaves of peppers.

Provoking factors

1. A sharp drop in temperature.
2. Increased air humidity.

Symptoms

1. Dark spots on the petioles and stems of the plant.
2. Numerous watery spots on the foliage, gradually increasing in size, with a light central area and a darker periphery.
3. Dark spots small size on the fruits, slightly convex, oily, gradually increasing in size, which eventually become ulcers, with greenish tissue along the periphery.

Prevention

1. Healthy seed.
2. Crop rotation.
3. Pest control.

Treatment

Absent.

Downy mildew

A dangerous fungal disease, the second name of which is. The pathology is characterized by its widespread distribution, regardless of climate zone.

Provoking factors

1. High air humidity.
2. Heat.

Symptoms

1. Numerous dots appear on the leaves at the very beginning.
2. Later they turn into light-colored spots yellow color angular in shape limited by leaf veins.
3. Then the spots merge, the color changes to brown.
4. A finely pubescent coating appears on the lower surface of the leaf blade.
5. The leaves dry out and severe cases fall off.
6. Plants are stunted in growth, fruits are underdeveloped.

Prevention

1. Compliance with crop rotation rules.
2. Growing infection-resistant hybrids.
3. Removing infected plants.

Treatment

Treatment with Kuproxat or Oxychom in the initial phase of the disease.

Tobacco mosaic

The pathology is caused by a fairly widespread species in nature.

Provoking factors

1. Insufficient lighting of peppers.
2. High ambient humidity.
3. Mechanical damage to plants.

Symptoms

1. A variegated, mosaic color appears on the foliage.
2. Then the leaves turn black and fall off.
3. Plant growth slows down.
4. The fruits are deformed small size and are covered with spots of yellow and brown.

Prevention

1. Healthy seed.
2. Soak the seeds before sowing in a solution of potassium permanganate for 30 minutes.
3. Correct crop rotation.
4. Water the seedlings every 21 days with a light pink solution of potassium permanganate.
5. Feeding plants with microelements.
6. Spraying vegetative plants with a solution of milk in water, ratio 1:10, plus 3–4 drops of iodine solution. Then cover the peppers with film.

Treatment

Absent.

Brown spot

A dangerous fungal disease, the second name of which is cladosporiosis, which affects the foliage, petioles, stalks and ovary of sweet peppers.

Symptoms

1. Light spots on the undersides of the leaves of the lower part of the plant, gradually turning brown and covered with bloom.
2. Further, these pathological formations move to the upper sides of the leaves.
3. The disease spreads to the upper part of the plant.
4. The affected plant dies.

Prevention

1. Timely thinning of pepper seedlings.
2. Compliance with the planting scheme.

Treatment

Treatment of infected plants with garlic infusion or copper sulfate solution at a concentration of 0.2%.

Pepper pests

In addition to humans, there are a number of creatures in nature who appreciate the taste of pepper, and not only the fruits, but also other parts of this plant. Of the pests both in greenhouses and in open ground, peppers are most often damaged by aphids, in greenhouses by whiteflies, and in open ground by cutworms, thrips, Colorado beetle and bears.

So, the most common pepper pests are:

1. Scoop
2. Whitefly
3. Thrips
4. Colorado beetle
5. Medvedka
6. Wireworm
7. May beetle and its larvae

Let's take a closer look at each pepper pest.

Aphid

Insects of this species harm both seedlings and adult plants. Aphids nest on shoots, leaves, and flowers of pepper, sucking the juice from them, thereby leading to curling of the foliage, drying out of the flowers, and underdeveloped fruits.

Control measures

Agricultural technology: ventilation of greenhouses to normalize temperature and humidity balance.

Biological products: spraying affected plants with infusions of wormwood or yarrow.

Pesticides: Use of the drug Fosbecid.

Most often, peppers grown in greenhouses and greenhouses suffer from this insect. Ticks live under the leaves, pulling them in bottom side a thin web. Foliage affected by insects becomes covered with light dots turning into spots, and later turns yellow and dries. The mite also causes the flowers, ovaries and fruits of pepper to fall off, and sometimes to the death of the entire plant.

Control measures

Agricultural technology:

1. Cleaning up plant residues.
2. Treatment of greenhouses and greenhouses with a 2% bleach solution.

Biological products: Fitoverm.

Pesticides: Aktellik.

Greenhouse whitefly

Very dangerous pest causing great harm vegetable crops closed ground. Damage to peppers is caused by insect larvae, which suck the juice from the foliage, causing it to curl and dry out.

Control measures

Pesticides: Phosbecide.

Wireworm

These are click beetle larvae that live in the soil and eat the roots of pepper plants, causing them to stunt.

Control measures

Agricultural technology:

1. Destruction of larvae during digging.
2. Do not plant peppers next to perennial herbs.

Biological products: Place bait heaps of grass up to 35 cm in diameter in the rows and destroy the beetles that have accumulated there.

Pesticides: Soaking the roots of pepper seedlings in Aktara

Scoop

This moth protective coloring, with a wingspan of up to 5 cm. Peppers are harmed by its caterpillars, which have gnawing-type mouthparts and cause gross injuries to plants: they skeletonize foliage, gnaw off flowers, eat fruits from the inside. A butterfly can make two clutches of eggs per season.

Control measures

Agricultural technology: Installation of traps with light or pheromones.

Pesticides: Karate Zeon.

Thrips

Very small, elongated, slender insects, whose sizes rarely reach 5 mm. Oral apparatus pricking. Both larvae and adult thrips feed by sucking cell sap from plant tissue. For this reason, leaves and stems turn yellow, discolor and die. In addition, thrips carry a wide variety of infectious diseases.

Control measures

Agricultural technology: Application sticky traps at the sites.

Biological products: Fitoverm.

Pesticides: Aktellik.

They feed on the leaves of peppers, as well as their fruits. They eat holes in them, leaving behind trails of dried white mucus. Fruits damaged by these insects subsequently rot.

Control measures

Agricultural technology: Timely removal of weeds.

Biological methods: Covering the soil around plants with quicklime.

Pesticides: Granular metaldehyde.

Colorado beetle

Both the beetle itself and its larva actively feed on all parts of the plant. They start eating the pepper from its upper part and can destroy it completely, with the exception of the trunk and the thinnest branches, from which they still eat the skin.

Control measures

Pesticides:

1. Soaking the root system of seedlings in the Aktara preparation.
2. Treatment of plants "Commander".

Medvedka

These are large, scary-looking insects, reaching 50 mm in length and loving dampness. The roots of the mole cricket plant are destroyed in two cases - for food and in order to clear the area around the laying of their eggs. Plants whose roots have been gnawed by this insect wither and die.

Control measures

Agricultural technology:

1. Deep plowing in spring and autumn.
2. Regular loosening of rows.

Biological methods: Arrangement of trapping nests up to 40 cm deep, with manure laid on the bottom. The mole crickets crawl there for the winter, and in the spring the insects are removed from there and destroyed.

Pesticides: Medvetox.

Khrushchev (chafer beetle) larvae

These thick white worms love to eat the roots of pepper seedlings, and adult plants too, leading to their death. The larvae live in the soil for 3–4 years, and the most noticeable harm is caused by those that have reached the 2nd–3rd year of development.

Control measures

Agricultural technology: Deep plowing in late autumn and spring.

Biological products: Introducing nematodes into the garden (however, it should be remembered that nematodes can also cause harm to some cultivated plants).

Pesticides: Soaking the roots of seedlings in Prestige or Aktar.

Growing a full-fledged and high-quality harvest of sweet peppers is quite a troublesome, but rewarding task. AND delicious preparations for yourself, and the fairly high prices on the market at which pepper can be sold will appeal to any gardener.

When growing plants, every gardener is faced with the peculiarities of agricultural technology for each crop. But even after fulfilling all these conditions, you may encounter various crop diseases that seriously affect the harvest. We will look at what pepper diseases can be - photos and their treatment. What to do to prevent them.

Pepper belongs to the Solanaceae family and suffers from the same diseases as its other representatives. The only difference is that he reacts more or less to some diseases.

What diseases can affect pepper:

1. Fungal.
2. Bacterial.
3. Viral.

The main cause of all emerging diseases is violation of the rules of planting and care. Another important point– this is feeding, since a lack of nutrients causes a significant portion of diseases.

Diseases of pepper seedlings

Seedlings are like a child who needs to be protected in every possible way and warned against everything possible problems. Therefore, it is important to know what you can encounter when growing pepper seedlings.

Typical diseases of pepper seedlings:

• blackleg;
• white, gray and apical rot;
• cladosporiosis;
• late blight;
• fusarium and sclerocinia;
• powdery mildew;
• verticillium wilt of pepper;
• black bacterial spot;
• fulminant bacterial wilt;
• soft bacterial rot;
• pepper bacterial cancer;
• tobacco mosaic;
• stolbur.

Diseases in pepper seedlings often occur due to violation of growing rules and careless actions: a broken branch, a damaged root during cultivation or planting, a lack or excess of microelements in the soil, improper watering.

In case of mechanical damage, you can adjust the cultivation technology and everything will return to normal. With an infectious disease, much more measures need to be taken, because they spread to other plants and, accumulating in the soil, can affect crops planted in this place for several years.

More detailed description with photos for each pepper disease (including seedlings) are given below in the article.

Disease Prevention

Carrying out preventive measures will definitely give positive results. It has long been known that avoiding a problem is the most The best decision. Peppers also have some recommendations for disease prevention.

1. The first preventive measure is carried out in the fall - the ground is dug up to about 25 cm in depth. This is a standard procedure that allows you to destroy most fungal diseases and pests. They will simply die in the cold.
2. The second important approach when growing peppers is. They cannot be planted in one place for two years in a row. And they are also not planted after other Solanaceae. Otherwise, diseases accumulate and the risk of damage tends to 100%.
3. The third most important procedure is proper watering. A drip irrigation system would be ideal. Overmoistening leads to putrefactive phenomena on the plant, so you need to do this extremely carefully and if there is a lot of rain, it is better to stop watering altogether.

Even compliance with such simple rules can prevent up to 90% of all possible diseases. Now let’s look at the main diseases and measures to combat them.

Fungal diseases

These are the most common diseases in peppers and other representatives of the Solanaceae. Their share among common diseases reaches 80%. This is due to the fact that fungal spores are easily carried by various insects and wind. They are also stored in the soil for a very long time and, when favorable conditions are created, begin to develop, affecting plants.

Blackleg

More often found in seedlings and large bushes when grown in a greenhouse. Caused by various pathogens that spread in the soil through the remains of other plants. The occurrence of the disease can be triggered by insufficient ventilation of the greenhouse and by dense planting.

This disease can be identified through a rotting and drying stem, first in its lower part. To detect it in a timely manner, it is important to inspect plants as often as possible.

Prevention consists of treating the seeds and soil with a manganese solution before planting seedlings. The bushes should not be over-watered, and if they are planted densely, they must be thinned out.

Gray rot

Causes: Botrytis cinerea

Appears on the lower part of the stems in the form of brown spots. Over time, they become covered with a gray coating. The spores of this fungus can be stored for quite a long time, and they are also carried by insects, wind and water.

At high humidity and temperature, they begin to develop and infect pepper bushes. More typical for the greenhouse growing method.

How to fight:

• Plant seedlings in a timely manner, ventilate the room and do not plant seedlings too densely.
• At the earliest stages, pepper bushes are treated with chalk or crushed activated carbon.
• Affected plants are removed.
• Garlic tincture also helps well.

More common when grown in a greenhouse. Spread by spores that can enter the soil through gardening Tools, wind, plant debris or insects.

It appears as brown spots on the outer part of the leaves, and a gray coating appears on the inner part. Leads to rotting of the stem and fruit.

As soon as the first signs appear, you need to reduce the amount of watering, ventilate the greenhouse more often and spray the bushes with antifungal drugs.

Late blight

Called: Phytophthora capsici

The most common disease in Solanaceae. In peppers it appears in the form of brown spots that spread throughout the bush and ultimately affect the fruits. Wet brown spots appear on them.

The main methods of control and prevention are:

• correct crop rotation,
• treating bushes with anti-phytophthora preparations,
• affected plants are removed and burned.

This disease can also appear as a result of a lack of microelements. Therefore, it is important to fertilize using various means– manganese, iodine, potassium, copper.

A remedy made from a tincture of garlic with manganese is effective against late blight. To 10 liters of water add 1 g of manganese and a medium head of chopped garlic.

Fusarium

The disease begins with damage to the roots of the peppers, and then the passages inside the stem close. As a result, the plant first sheds its leaves and then dries out - this is the main external sign this disease.

The disease develops with excess humidity and sudden temperature changes. It is quite difficult to determine the initial phase, so already affected bushes are removed from the beds and the soil is treated with antifungal drugs. The same methods as for late blight will also work.

White rot (sclerocinia)

Called: Sclerotinia sclerotiorum

This fungal disease manifests itself on the stem closer to the root in the form of plaque. white. Subsequently, black seals appear inside the stem, from which a fungus grows, which completely poisons the entire plant. The disease begins to develop in conditions high humidity air and low temperature.

Preventive measures and control:

1. Watering should be done only with warm water.
2. When growing in a greenhouse, it is necessary to regularly ventilate the room.
3. It is extremely difficult to save already affected plants, so they are completely removed.

Powdery mildew

Called: Leveillula taurica.

The disease is more typical for the greenhouse growing method. On upper parts large spots of irregular shape form on the leaves and become covered with a white coating. As the disease develops, the leaves become completely covered with it, become deformed, dry out and fall off. The plant may lose all its foliage.

The disease actively develops in dry weather when high temperature and low air humidity.

Control measures:

• Need to create the necessary conditions cultivation - regular watering and irrigation of plants.
• Diseased parts of the plant are removed, and the soil and the entire greenhouse structure are disinfected.
• After the disease is discovered on initial stage provide increased humidity and treat the bushes with fungicides, contact and systemic.

Verticillium wilt of pepper

Caused by: Verticillium dahliae, V. albo-atrum, Verticillium spp.

Most often appears before flowering begins. The leaves grow small, dark green, and growing spots appear on the lower ones. They turn yellow, die and fall off. The disease develops from the bottom up and as a result only the upper leaves remain. But over time, the entire bush dies. On a section of the stem you can see necrosis of blood vessels and darkening.

The disease develops at temperatures above +25ºС and low soil moisture. With the onset of cold weather, the plant can begin to recover. Often occurs due to planting pepper or similar crops in one place several times in a row.

What measures need to be taken:

1. After the growing season, all bushes and their remains are removed.
2. Compliance with crop rotation rules.
3. Growing seedlings on disinfected soil.
4. During the growing season, soil moisture must be maintained at 80%
5. For prevention, you can apply the biofungicide Trichodermin or water it with prestige.

Bacterial diseases

Such diseases are quite insidious as they are difficult to diagnose. Symptoms are often similar to other diseases. Lead to local or widespread lesions.

Their distributors are insects and they penetrate the plant through microholes. Lead to putrefactive phenomena, necrosis, tumors, burns.

Black bacterial spot

Cause: Xanthomonas euvesicatoria

Appears in the form of dark growing spots. A yellow stripe is visible along the edges of the spots and as a result the bush dies. It can even occur at seedlings.

What measures to take:

• The seeds are soaked for 10-12 minutes in a solution of potassium permanganate for disinfection, after which they can be planted.
• The soil for planting must be disinfected by any means.
• Periodically, the seedlings are sprayed with Bordeaux mixture.
• Already infected plants are disposed of.

Fulminant bacterial wilt

Called: Ralstonia solanacearum

Bacteria infect the vessels of pepper bushes, closing the passages for nutrients and release toxins. It is detected on the cut stem in the form of a white liquid.

Control measures:

• All affected plants are removed from the beds.
• The seeds are processed in a garlic solution - crushed two cloves are poured with water and soaked for 30 minutes. They are then dried and sown.
• They fertilize, follow the rules of crop rotation, and maintain temperature regime and humidity.

Soft bacterial rot

Caused by: Pectobacterium carotovora, P. atrosepticum, Dickeya chrysanthemi.

It also affects blood vessels and the entire bush. The power supply stops, the plant withers and dies.

Signs include hollow stems and discolored leaves. main reason– high humidity.

Ways to fight:

• Before planting, disinfect the seeds and soil.
• Provide regular ventilation and prevent water stagnation during irrigation.
• Remove all affected bushes.

Bacterial cancer of pepper

Cause: Clavibacter michiganensis

The disease develops at high humidity and high air temperatures, as well as on dense, unthinned plantings. The carrier can be insects or the person himself through tools.

Appears on peppers in the form dark spots brown with a light color inside. The spots gradually merge into larger ones and become crusty.

How to fight:

• Sick bushes are treated with copper sulfate or another preparation containing copper.
• They get rid of already deeply affected plants.
• If this is a greenhouse, then it should be treated with methyl bromide and it is better to replace all the soil.

Viral diseases

The main distributors of viruses are insects - aphids, thrips, nematodes. Diseases of this nature are less common, but they pose a greater threat.

A distinctive feature of such diseases is the infection of plant cells by the virus. Which ultimately leads to pathologies in development, growth and deformities different parts bushes

Tobacco mosaic

This disease got its name because the virus destroys chlorophyll. As a result, spots appear that form a marble pattern on the leaves. Plant cells gradually die.

What to do to fight:

• Treat the seeds before planting.
• When picking and replanting, avoid damage through which the virus can penetrate.
• From time to time it is necessary to treat the bushes against pests that carry this disease.
• Plant remains must not be left in greenhouses and the premises and soil must be disinfected regularly.

One week before transplanting, pepper seedlings are treated boric acid. This procedure is repeated again a week after planting.

Stolbur

The second name is phytoplasmosis. It appears with upper shoots pepper, the edges of the leaves curl up and dry out. Subsequently, this spreads to the entire bush of the plant, the fruits acquire irregular shape and turn red ahead of schedule.

The causative agents are insects, so the main fight takes place with them. Affected plants must be removed and disposed of, and after harvesting, the soil must be treated with special preparations.

Growing lettuce peppers at home requires certain skills and knowledge. Gardener's enemy No. 1 - dangerous diseases pepper seedlings, which can destroy the fruits and the plants themselves. Some of them appear immediately after seed germination, others make themselves known later. If you want to harvest a full harvest, you should know how to save fragile seedlings and learn to identify symptoms of diseases at an early stage. You need to navigate not only by photos, but also by descriptions.

Healthy Harvest bell pepper

If there are no more than a dozen pests that can feed on the fruits and leaves of paprika, then there are much more diseases of peppers in seedlings. Their appearance depends on changes weather conditions, nature of watering, type of soil, ingress of fungal spores and other nuances.

Diseases are fungal, viral or bacterial in nature.

It is not necessary to know all diseases; it is worth paying attention to the most common ones:

• gray rot;
• blackleg;
• late blight;
• fusarium wilt;
• Alternaria blight;
• cladosporiosis;
• septoria;
• sclerotinia;
• verticellosis wilt of seedlings;
• tobacco mosaic.

Once you know the main symptoms and see photos of pepper diseases, fighting them will become a targeted set of actions, because you will know what you are dealing with.

Healthy pepper seedlings for the greenhouse

You can buy drugs for treating plants at any seed or farm store.

Diagnostics and methods of plant treatment

Please note that problems may arise with peppers grown both indoors and outdoors.

Gray rot of bell pepper

The causative agent of this pepper disease is the microorganism Botrytis cinerea. Fungal infection is caused by excessive humidity in a greenhouse or open ground when the air temperature is below 20°C.

A sign of gray mold damage is the appearance of watery spots on the fruit pulp, leaves and even stems. If action is not taken in time, the stains will turn into mold. gray.

Gray rot of pepper

Tips for preventing and treating gray mold are as follows:

• pluck from the bush and destroy mold-affected peppers, including very small ones;
• treat all plants with fungicide, spraying even those that look healthy;
• the development of the disease will help stop the thinning of paprika rows so that air can circulate better between the bushes;
• if vegetables are grown in a greenhouse, it must be maintained optimal humidity and arrange ventilation.

Blackleg - symptoms and prevention

This disease of pepper seedlings manifests itself in the form of darkening of the lower part of the stem and drying out of the plant. Noticing the slightest change in the color of the stems, many begin to panic and spray the plants with everything that was found in the “gardener’s first aid kit.” Be careful not to damage the harvest! First, carefully look at the photo of the disease in pepper seedlings, and start treating them only when you are sure that you have a black leg and not another problem.

This is what a black leg looks like on an adult bush

Preventive measures and treatment:

• inspect the seedlings daily, especially their root zone;
• if darkening appears on the bushes, they should be treated with a weak solution of ordinary potassium permanganate;
• if the plants have grown very densely, be sure to thin them out;
• the soil should not be too damp - this leads to the development of blackleg;
• If the greenhouse is too humid, ventilate it regularly, remembering to protect the seedlings from drafts.

How effective way prevention of blackleg development experienced gardeners It is recommended to water the soil in which the seeds will be planted with a solution of potassium permanganate (4-5 g per 10 l). You can also bake the soil in the oven so that any fungi in it are killed. Another way is to pour boiling water on the ground.

Black leg on seedlings

“Black leg” most often affects young seedlings, subsequently the stem becomes thinner and they wither.

But there are cases when the disease harms already large pepper bushes. Usually the problem manifests itself as follows: the leaves begin to turn yellow, the stem at ground level changes color from green to dark brown, and its tissues in this area seem to be pressed inward. This happens due to plant nutritional disturbances.

Signs and prevention of late blight

Late blight, also known as Phytophthora infestans, is a disease caused by a fungus. At risk are plants that are exposed to temperature changes or sudden, prolonged cold snaps, as well as excess air and soil humidity.

Late blight can insidiously infect peppers at any time during the growing season, but most often this occurs in the last phase of flowering.

Late blight on pepper leaves

Phytophthora looks like this on a plant:

• large watery brown spots with a light green rim appear on the leaves;
• Watery spots form on the fruits;
• the stem begins to be affected by rot, forming dark depressed spots on it;
• the stalk dries out and the root collar rots.

Phytophthora infection of the entire bush

TO preventive measures This includes selecting pepper varieties that are as resistant to this disease as possible, as well as disinfecting the area before planting seedlings. It is also important to observe crop rotation and carefully remove wilted plants from the garden after harvesting so that they do not become a “breeding ground” for fungi.

If late blight is detected on the site, it is better to remove the infected plants from the garden bed.

Manifestations of fusarium wilt and prevention

Unfortunately, fusarium is a destructive disease of pepper seedlings that cannot be cured. If its appearance is confirmed, all diseased bushes will have to be destroyed, which is why it is so important to know about preventive measures. The causative agent of this dangerous lesion is the Fusarium fungus, which causes blockage of blood vessels in the stems of plants. The plant's nutrition is disrupted, and it dies from withering even with abundant watering.

Fusarium infection of pepper

To protect the crop from Fusarium wilt, the following measures should be taken:

• choose varieties that are resistant to Fusarium fungus (for example, Elena F1);
• always remove the remains of bushes from the garden;
• treat purchased seeds with Fundazol, using 100 mg of the drug for every 10 g of pepper seeds.

Fusarium-infected peppers wilt even when watered

It is possible to restrain the development of fusarium with the help of Fundazol or Topsin-M, but this does not guarantee a cure if the fungus has already entered the vessels of the stems.

From the onset of the disease to the complete death of the fruit, 10 to 20 days pass, depending on the variety. If the disease affects the bushes already during the harvesting process, then it is worth using drugs to prolong the life of the plants.

Symptoms and protection against Alternaria pepper blight

Alternaria blight, also known as dry spot, is a disease caused by Alternaria solani. Its manifestation is most noticeable in autumn period when harvest time approaches. Plants do not always die, but the quality of the fruit may suffer and they will be unsuitable for sale. Most often, of course, the leaves of bell peppers suffer, which reduces the efficiency of photosynthesis.

Damage to crops by dry spotting

Alternaria symptoms (external manifestation):

• angular spots appear on the leaves, limited by veins;
• color of spots – black or dirty brown;
• there are no patterns in the growth of spots, but their diameter, as a rule, does not expand more than 2 cm;
• over time, dry spotting takes on a rounded forum and can spread to stems and fruits;
• Alternaria blight on paprika fruits has several forms - at first they are watery spots, then they darken and become covered with a coating resembling mold.

To prevent damage from dry spotting, the remains of fruiting plants should be removed from the soil.

This will reduce the amount of infection on the soil, but for complete disinfection you need to steam or treat it. You can stop the development of the disease in pepper seedlings for 3 weeks by spraying the bushes with strobillurins. This method can be used 2 times per season.

Damage by Alternaria

Damage to pepper by cladosporiosis and methods of protection

The fungus Fulvia fulva, which causes this pepper disease, is spread by spores. You can spread them around the area yourself, because they stick to clothes, garden tools and even the walls of the greenhouse. When the spores fall on the plant, the disease appears as brown spots on the outside of the leaves, and on the inside appears gray plaque. After this, cladosporiosis leads to the death of leaves, which can cause the plant to die.

Cladosporiosis spots on a leaf

Prevention measures:

• spring treatment of greenhouses by burning sulfur bombs;
• autumn treatment of tools and greenhouses with copper sulfate solution. It is also worth treating the soil with this solution (1 cup of vitriol per 10 liters of water);
• choose varieties for cultivation that are not afraid of cladosporiosis;
• do not plant peppers in one place every year (observe crop rotation);
• treat plants with a fungicide when signs of disease occur and reduce watering.

Treating peppers with garlic infusion will save the harvest

If you encounter cladosporiosis at the fruiting stage of peppers, you can fight the disease with natural remedies.

Treating plants with an infusion of chopped garlic helps (infuse 3 liters of water and a glass of chopped garlic for 10 days). After this, take a glass of infusion with 10 liters of water and spray the plants.

Features of the defeat and treatment of septoria

Septoria, also known as white spot, is a fungal disease that can destroy about half of the salad pepper harvest. Its spread is provoked by hot and rainy weather, when it is easiest for fungal spores to enter plants. Externally, you can distinguish septoria by the presence of white spots on the leaves with a small frame. A little later they will be covered with black dots - spores. Without treatment, the leaves will dry out, and the disease will spread further - to the fruits and stem.

Septoria on plant leaves

First, the disease affects the lower part, giving preference to old leaves, then it spreads to the upper ones. Over time, the white spots merge and completely cover the surface leaf blade. As soon as you notice signs of septoria, spray the bushes with a preparation containing copper. Repeat the treatment after 14 days.

Remember that the pathogen will remain in the soil, so the soil must be treated in the new season.

Sclerotinia and its symptoms

The disease develops at air temperatures below 18-20°C and humidity above 80%, affecting the basal part of the sweet pepper stem. The fungus covers the tissues with a white coating, under which black formations are hidden. If the disease affects the fruits, they become soft and also covered with plaque.

Prevention measures include creating optimal conditions for plants, timely removal of diseased bushes from the garden, as well as plucking diseased leaves.

Fluffy white coating– a sign of sclerotinia

Verticella wilt of lettuce peppers

In some ways, this disease is reminiscent of the tobacco mosaic virus, because in both cases it can be attacked vascular system stem. Characteristic features the onset of Verticellium wilt is too dark color leaves and their noticeably smaller size. Another warning sign is when some plants are stunted in growth compared to others. There are other symptoms of pepper verticellosis:

• on lower leaves yellow spots appear, which then spread to the entire surface of the plate;
• diseased plants do not produce ovaries, and if the fungus strikes already at the fruiting stage, the peppers become wrinkled and grow poorly;
• signs of the disease spread from the bottom of the stem to the top, leading to the death of the crop.

Pepper verticellosis kills the plant gradually

Viral mosaic of sweet pepper

Tobacco mosaic of pepper leaves

Tobacco mosaic is viral disease which is difficult to deal with. If you identify affected bushes, you will have to pull them out and burn them so that the virus does not spread to other plants.

Externally, tobacco mosaic can be recognized by a change in the pattern on the leaves - they are covered with light and dark green spots, truly reminiscent of a mosaic pattern. When the virus spreads to fruits, it thins their skin and forms dark sunken spots.

Pressed spots on pepper

Growing sweet peppers can be overshadowed various diseases this crop, but with proper care and timely detection of signs of damage, you will be able to get decent harvest.

Now you know what diseases of pepper seedlings look like, and you can respond quickly and correctly. If necessary, contact specialists to choose reliable drugs for treating bushes.

Sweet peppers are grown mainly in greenhouses and greenhouses. Despite the efforts expended, not everyone manages to grow sweet peppers - diseases prevent them from doing so. Although any vegetable grower wants to get a decent harvest in his garden.

When grown, this tasty vegetable can be affected by bacterial, viral and fungal diseases. Let's look at the most common of them.

Bacterial diseases

Disease bacterial cancer develops at a temperature of 25-35°C and high humidity. This is also facilitated by compaction of seedlings and sprinkler irrigation. The shoots, foliage and fruits of the vegetable are damaged.

Dark brown spots with a light color in the center appear on the foliage. Then they all merge and a crust appears.

The fruits are covered with small brown spots with a light edging, which then merge into large spots up to 3 cm in diameter.

Bacterial rot has the following signs of the disease: the color of the plant changes, the stems become hollow, and brown watery depressions appear near the stalk. Pepper wilts - first separate branches, and then the whole plant. The disease develops due to prolonged warm and damp weather.

Symptoms of bacterial spot can be found on foliage, stems and fruit. The first signs are small watery spots on back side leaves. Over time, they enlarge and become dark brown or black and are visible on the surface of the foliage. If you do nothing, the leaves will begin to fall.

The spots on the fruit are saturated with water. As the spots increase, the fruits crack.

Viral diseases

They are characterized by: dwarfism of plants, small leaves, atrophy of some parts of the vegetable, spots in the form of rings, coloring of leaves similar to a mosaic.

The most famous viral diseases:

1. Cucumber mosaic.
2. Internal necrosis of fruits.
3. Tobacco mosaic.

Infection with tobacco mosaic is possible through soil and seeds. Dampness and poor lighting contribute to the spread of the virus. Symptoms of the disease are varied and depend on the strain of the virus, growing conditions, variety, and stage of plant development.

The main symptom is variegated leaves, mixed with dark green, yellow and light green, reminiscent of a mosaic. In addition, the leaves become deformed, turn black and begin to fall off. Pepper grows poorly and produces ugly, small fruits with brownish or yellowish spots.

But some varieties of pepper, especially hybrids, are resistant to this disease, for example, Yubileiny Semko F1, Aries F1, Cardinal F1, Fidelio F1.

Cucumber mosaic appears in 4 forms:

1. Transient - the vegetable dries quickly, remaining green.
2. Brown - during the budding period, areas of leaves and shoots dry out, and then the damaged tissues dry out and become brown. The virus spreads from the roots to the top.
3. Yellow - stems and shoots turn yellow and become deformed. The plant stops growing and there is no fruit set.
4. Dwarf - the plant grows poorly, the shoots branch strongly and form small leaves, the ovary falls off, and the resulting fruits are ugly.

Cucumber mosaic differs from tobacco mosaic in that the virus is not transmitted by seeds. It is carried by hands, tools, insects.

Fungal diseases

These are the most common diseases.

When growing vegetables, black leg is most common. The disease can destroy seedlings, especially with high humidity and poor lighting. The fungus is transmitted through soil, plant debris and seeds.

Main features:

• dark root collar;
• rotting and thinning of the stem in this place;
• wilting of the plant.

Blackleg damages both seedlings and mature plantings. But the latter have slightly different signs of damage: the stem at ground level becomes as if depressed and dark brown in color.

Gray rot appears in greenhouses at humidity above 80% and temperature +10-15°C. The plant is completely damaged by the disease.

The disease is indicated by brown, damp spots with a gray coating. Fungal spores are spread through soil, water, and plant debris.

White rot damages peppers in the root zone. On the stems in places affected by the disease, a white coating with fluff forms, and from the inside - hard black formations. Peppers affected by the fungus become soft and watery, and in some places a white coating forms.

The causative agent of the disease is either in the soil or on plant debris.

The disease late blight develops under certain conditions:

• sudden changes in temperature;
• prolonged cold snap;
• high humidity.

The symptoms of the disease are as follows:

• rotting of the stem and root collar with the formation of depressed dark spots;
• the appearance of large watery brown spots on the fruits and foliage;
• drying out of the stalk.

Disease Prevention

To prevent all of the above diseases, you must:

• change the place where peppers are planted every year;
• do not plant peppers after tomatoes and eggplants;
• After harvesting, remove all plant remains from the greenhouse;
• when it is impossible to change the place where the pepper is planted, cultivate the soil in a greenhouse or replace it;
• take seeds only from healthy fruits;
• Before sowing, treat the seeds with potassium permanganate, then wash and dry;
• remove diseased seedlings immediately;
• Maintain an acceptable temperature and humidity for the vegetable in the greenhouse;
• do not compact the planting of seedlings;
• create air circulation and good lighting in the greenhouse;
• spray peppers with copper-containing preparations;
• pull out weeds in and around the greenhouse so that there is fewer insects- the main carriers of diseases.

So, due to crop diseases, growing sweet peppers is not at all as easy as it seems at first.