Pepper Plant Diseases With Pictures | A Visual Guide

Pepper plants are a staple of many gardens, and everyone wants these colorful vegetables in their gardens. Just like other plants, they are also attacked by different diseases which compromise their yield and health.

Everyone can now curve those pepper diseases once they have recognized them. Well today is your lucky day because we have listed some of the most common pepper plant diseases with pictures so you can match your pepper plant condition, identify the symptoms, and start treating as soon as possible.

In the blog below, I have listed and explained some of the diseases on pepper plants with proper images for your identification. I also share some personal experiences, so let’s get to it.

Diseases of Pepper Plants:

Like other plants, pepper plants have different diseases; pests cause some, while fungi, nematodes, etc, cause others. There are a lot of diseases that are hard to identify, and that’s why we provide you with a picture of the diseases from which you know their condition. So whenever you suspect any diseases in your pepper plants, just match them with images of any of them. After it matches then, start using the treatment accordingly. You can use the below images for pepper plant diseases identification.

Below, we listed some of the common diseases of bell pepper plants with pictures for your ease, so let’s get to it.

Bacterial Leaf Spot:

The bacterial leaf spots in pepper are water-soaked marks that mostly happen to its leaves, burning black and brown. It also has a yellow halo around it. It is usually caused by a bacteria named Xanthomonas campestris, which attacks or thrives in warm conditions as you can see in above pictures of pepper plant diseases .

Solution:

There are a couple of different solutions: one is to use bactericides, preferably copper-based, and another is to practice crop rotation and avoid overwatering.

Bacterial Wilt:

The sudden wilt that happens to a pepper plant is usually caused by bacterial wilt. In the process, the bacteria block the water supply to the plant. It is generally caused by Ralstonia solanacearum, a bacteria that gets into pepper plants through its roots.

Solution:

As a solution, you need different practices, like good sanitation, soil solarization, avoiding planting pepper in destructive means that infect soil, and trying resistant verities.

Anthracnose:

Anthracnose is a fungal disease that causes dark and brown spots on the fruit and leaves. It is common in pepper plants and caused by a fungus called Colletotrichum. It usually attacks in warm and wet weather conditions. You should match you plant condition with pepper plant diseases photos.

Solution:

You can use any good fungicide and good air circulation on the pepper plants for its solution. You can also remove the affected part to prevent it from spreading further.

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Powdery Mildew:

It is one of the most common disease of pepper plants and also other vegetables. In powder mildew, the pepper has powdery spots on the stem, and the leaves weaken when the entire it with time passes. It is mainly caused by Levella Taurica, which happens to a plant due to dry conditions.

Solution:

You can use fungicide but only sulfur bases in its solution because they work very well against powdery mildew. You also need to avoid the pepper plant over-watering with proper air circulation.

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Fusarium Wilt:

In sweet pepper plant diseases, the wilt is caused in the lower leaves, which start wilting and eventually lead to stunning plant growth. It is caused by fusarium oxysporum in the soil and enters the pepper plants through its roots.

Solution:

You can practice soil solarization, planting resistive varieties, and crop rotation, which is very useful.

Pepper Mosaic Virus:

The mosaic virus in peppers causes stunted growth, mottled green and yellow leaves, and malformed peppers. Its symptom include mosaic patten on the leaves, along with fruit distortion and leavies curling. Insects, especially aphids, cause it.

Solution:

The solution to this virus is simple: just control the aphid and its population with a home made spray. For aphids, I use my spray which I have made by mixing some essential oils like clove, thyme, peppermint, and rosemary oil. I put about 5 to 6 drops each in a small to medium spraying bottle and put some water in it, and after properly mixing it, I start spraying on aphids and their eggs. I found one very effective on aphid. You can also protect your plants if you remove the infected plants.

Blossom End Rot:

The blossom end rot causes black spots on the bottom of the pepper. It causes pepper plants and other vegetables and fruits to be affected by this disease. It is usually caused by nutrient deficiency, especially calcium deficiency; sometimes, inconsistent water causes it.

Solution:

You should maintain the amount of necessary water of your pepper plants. try to keep the soil moisture and you can also use calcium supplements.

Sunscald:

Sunscald is one of the diseases caused by exposure to much sunlight. In this pepper disease, the fruit has papery white patches due to overexposure to sunlight. If you grow pepper plants indoors, the risk of getting sunscald is slim to none.

Solution:

To prevent your pepper plant from getting sunscald, you need to provide shade for the plant during peak sun hours. If you plant it in a pot, keep it in a place where it only gets morning and evening sunlight and gets under a shade during the noon when the sun is at the extreme.

Southern Blight:

In southern blight, the pepper plant stem base gets rotting, yellowing, and wilting. In some cases, the pepper plant has white moldy growth. It is caused by a fungus called Sclerotium rolfssii, which attacks plants in warm and mist conditions.

Solution:

For its solution, you need to cut the infected parts, and if the whole plant is infected, then remove that as well. You can also use fungicide spray.

Verticillium Wilt:

So in the list of disease in pepper plant, the next one is verticillium wilt, which usually starts at pepper plants as wilting leaves on one side and spreads to the whole plant. It is caused by a fungus named verticillium dahliae, and the first thing it does is stop the water supply to the plants from its roots.

Solution:

Before planting, you must check the soil for infection rot, eat the crops, and use resistible varieties only.

Damping Off:

Another in the list of pepper plants diseases, is damping off, which usually affects the pepper planting in the seedling stage. When damping off seedlings, collapses and usually dies soon after germination. It is caused by some soil-borne fungi, including fusarium, pythium, and Rhizoctonia, which usually attack ap seedlings when cool and wet.

Solution:

So, for its solution, you should always use sterilized soil and proper ventilation and avoid overwatering.

Phytophthora Blight:

Phytophthora is one of the common diseases of pepper plants, that consider the best of mainly killing the pepper plant. At first, it starts wilting, rots the stem, and then rots the fruit, eventually killing the pepper plant. It is caused by mold phytophthora. It spreads into the pepper plant through the water and soil.

Solution:

You need to have proper drainage in your soil that prevents overwatering. You also need to use fungicides for further treatment.

Alternaria Leaf Spot:

Suppose you spot any small, dark, circular spot on the leaves of pepper plants. In that case, it is Alternaria, caused by Alternaria solani, which usually attacks the plant in humid and warm weather.

Solution:

The best action against Alternaria is to apply fungicides to the pepper plants. Also, make sure that your plant has proper air circulation.

Grey Mold:

Grey mold, also known as botrytis blight, appears on pepper leaves and has greyish, fuzzy mold growth. It can also attack the stem and peppers, mostly leading to decay. It is caused by a fungus called botrytis cinerea, which attacks the plant in cool and moist environments.

Solution:

For its solution, you first need to remove the infected plants and then apply fungicide spray.

Nematode Damage:

In Pepper, nematode damage is one of the most common diseases or conditions every other plant faces. Nematodes are small microscopic worms that feed on plant roots, weakening the plant, and the plant starts yellowing the leaves. Root-knot nematodes mostly cause it.

Solution:

As a solution, you should use nematode-resistant varieties and check the soil for nematodes.

Pepper Mild Mottle Virus:

Mild mottle virus affects the pepper plant very badly by mottling and yelling at the leaves and stems. It also distorted fruits, which means peppers. It is caused by infected seeds and also by plant debris.

Solution:

You should use certified disease-free seeds to control aphid attacks and remove infected plants.

Preventing pepper plant diseases:

Now, let’s discuss some steps you can follow to prevent common pepper plant diseases.

Cultural Practices:

To protect your pepper plants from diseases, you need to follow some cultural practices, which include practicing crop rotation to avoid getting soilborne diseases, improving air circulation, using verified seeds that are disease-free, removing infected plants along with other weeds that could infect or spread diseases into you pepper plants. You can also plant good pepper companion plants along with you pepper plants and also avoid bad companion plants.

Use Proper Watering Techniques:

Proper watering is crucial for plants to prevent diseases. Fungal diseases are common in almost every other growing plant due to over-watering. So, you must keep track of your watering practice and avoid overwearing. Also, make sure to use soil that has good drainage and prevents waterlogging.

Soil Management:

Most of the soil that attacks pepper plants and every other plant comes from the soil. So, before plating pepper plants, test the soil for nutrients, pH levels, and nematodes. You can then take action accordingly.

Use Diseases Resistant Varieties:

One of the possible ways to prevent those diseases is to use disease-resistant varieties. Different pepper varieties can withstand specific diseases. You can get it from your local nurseries.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for Pepper Plants:

Integrated pest management, which stands for IPM, is a process that combines biological, cultural, and chemical practices to manage diseases and pests in an environment according to a specific plant. Most gardeners prefer this method because it can reduce the use of chemicals, including pesticides and fungicides, and provide you with more healthy gardening practices.

Monitoring and Detection:

During the IPM process, you need to regularly monitor the pepper plants. You can detect any pest and disease attack early with the help of visual inspection and using different traps. So, with the help of these traps, you can start intervention as soon as possible and prevent it from spreading further.

Action thresholds:

In IPM, the first set of the IPM threshold in which an environment or pest population indicate that a proper pest control action can be taken. You need to understand these thresholds so you can know when to take action and how they can be effect for your crops.

Here is a full Video Details of IPM

Conclusion:

The Pepper plant diseases are preventable in the early stage if you can detect what they cause. Now, you can identify it with the help of its pictures. So, you must regularly check the plants for signs of pests and diseases. If you find one, then match it with a picture and start its further treatment.

I hope you understand the pepper plant diseases, but if you still have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comment section, and I will get back to you as soon as possible.