What are the diseases in sweet pepper: methods of dealing with them and photos of leaves

Sweet peppers are planted by gardeners all over the country. To collect a rich harvest from the site, preventive measures are taken against diseases. If the plant is already sick, action is required immediately. The causes of infection are different: climate, improper care, acidic soil. The article will tell you what diseases of sweet pepper are and how to deal with them.

How to understand that pepper is sick

Recognize disease by external signs. With some diseases, the bushes curl and turn yellow, with others, the leaves become dry and covered with dark dots. The fruits become lethargic, lose their firmness and shape. In some diseases, the peppers are covered with ulcers, the stem darkens.

In order to detect the symptoms of diseases in time, it is recommended to inspect the beds daily. At the first detection, gardeners immediately take remedial measures.

Reasons why peppers can get sick

The causes of diseases are conventionally divided into several groups. Let's consider each of them in detail and identify the distinctive features:

1. Climatic reasons: drought or heat, rain or sudden changes in weather. For example, fungal diseases spread quickly in rainy and hot summers, viral diseases - in any weather. To prevent disease, it is recommended to choose the variety of pepper based on the characteristics of the region.
2. Agrotechnical: increased acidity of the soil, lack of necessary minerals and other nutrients in the earth, groundwater located near the beds. All this leads to the fact that the plant does not have enough strength for development. Immunity weakens, which makes the bell pepper sick. Gardeners advise planting the vegetable on a mixture of loamy and sandy loam soils located on hilly, spacious and sunny beds.
3. Improper care: lack or excessive amount of watering, lack or excess of organic and mineral fertilizing. Peppers also get sick from the lack of loosening and weeding. To harvest a healthy and rich harvest, it is recommended to water the beds every five days, use warm water for watering. Fertilize the soil every 10 days.

Diseases of sweet pepper

Diseases of bell pepper are divided into several groups - fungal, bacterial, viral and non-infectious diseases. They differ in symptoms, causes of infections, consequences. Let's consider in detail each group and photos of common diseases.

Fungal

Fungal diseases are common in regions with hot and humid summers. Most often they appear in greenhouses or hotbeds. Fungal spores develop rapidly due to excessive watering, penetrate into the plant and disrupt the metabolism of pepper. Spores live up to 10 years and are carried by wind, insects, or the remains of other plants.

The most common fungal diseases are:

1. Blackleg appears on young seedlings or ripe fruits. The causative agents are spores of the fungus; they live in the upper layers of the soil and live off organic residues. A thickened planting, moisture, lack of mineral nutrition lead to a black leg. To combat the disease, a solution of Bordeaux liquid is used - 80 ml of the drug is used for 10 liters of water. About 0.5 l of the solution is poured onto one plant. Bordeaux solution is also used as a prophylactic agent. Before that, be sure to wear a respirator, goggles and gloves.
2. Gray rot manifests itself as light watery spots on fruits. Lead to disease: acidic soil, lack of fertilizers, weeds. If measures are not taken in time, the peppers deteriorate and become moldy. At this stage, the plants cannot be treated - the bushes are removed from the garden and burned. To avoid gray rot, gardeners spray the beds with a solution based on dry wood ash (60 g of ash is taken per 1 liter of water).
3. Late blight Is one of the most common fungal infections of greenhouse peppers. The late blight fungus on pepper appears during the period of rains, fogs and temperature extremes. The leaves become covered with dark spots, dry out and wither, the stalk becomes watery. After a few days, the fruits become deformed and lose their taste. Infected plants are removed from the garden and burned, the remaining peppers are sprayed with the preparation "Fitosporin" or "Previkur". For 2 liters of water, 3 ml of the drug is used, the consumption is 2 liters per 1 sq. m of land. Photo of leaves affected by late blight is below.
4. Cladosporium appears in greenhouses and in open ground. The fungus enters the beds with plant debris, weeds, or together with garden tools. Brown spots appear on the inside of the leaf, gray or black on the outside. If medical measures are not taken in time, the peppers die. For treatment, a solution of copper sulfate is used - 10 ml per 1 liter of water. The bushes are sprayed in the morning or in the evening, the consumption is 1 liter per 1 sq. m.

Bacterial

Sources of bacterial diseases are animals, plants, insect pests. Therefore, it is important to maintain the microflora of the beds, competently and regularly take care of the plants.

Among bacterial diseases, the following are distinguished:

1. Black spot... Bacteria develop actively with a lack of potassium or iron, with prolonged rains and fogs. Leaves and fruits are covered with dark, watery spots. It is useless to treat black spot - the infected plants are removed. As a preventive measure, spraying with milk with iodine is used - for 1 liter of water, 30 ml of milk and 10 ml of iodine are required. Such spraying strengthens the immune system of the pepper.
2. Lightning decay. The bacteria invade the stem and quickly spread throughout the plant. White mucus appears in the stem, it interferes with the access of nutrients to the fruit. The affected bushes are removed, for prophylaxis use the drug "HOM" or a solution of Bordeaux liquid. With these means, peppers are sprayed or watered, per 1 sq. m use about 1 liter.
3. Bacterial rot affects peppers at any stage - it can be seedlings or already harvested fruits. Watery spots appear on the peppers, which grow in size over time. As a preventive measure, it is recommended to weed the beds and remove weeds once a week, to water plants with water at room temperature. In case of infection, the fruits are thrown away, the bushes are eliminated from the garden.
4. Bacterial cancer - local disease of pepper fruits, affects plants in the open field. Bacteria persist in the ground and on plant debris, often contamination occurs through seed. The fruits are covered with a large white bloom, deformed and become soft, begin to taste bitter. Bacterial cancer cannot be treated, so gardeners take preventive measures: remove weeds, observe watering and top dressing.

Viral

The causative agents of diseases are viruses that live in plant cells.

Reference. Infected plants begin to die off in parts: viruses first infect the leaves, then move to the stem and petioles.

The most dangerous viral diseases:

1. Tobacco mosaic appears due to low light and high humidity, typical for greenhouse peppers. Virus infection occurs through soil or seed, therefore it is important to disinfect before planting. Yellow spots appear on the leaves in the form of a mosaic, over time they darken and the foliage falls off.For therapeutic and prophylactic purposes, spraying with a solution of milk is used (1 liter of milk and 5 ml of iodine are taken for 10 liters of water).
2. Cucumber mosaic manifests itself in the form of deformation of plants. The virus is transmitted through aphids or other insect pests. There are several varieties of cucumber mosaic: yellow, brown, fleeting, dwarf. They vary in symptoms and effects. The virus is common in regions with low temperatures, short daylight hours and fogs. The mosaic is treated with the Quadris preparation. Plants are sprayed, consumption is 400 ml per 1 sq.m.
3. Streak. Dark areas appear at the top of the plant. Leaves and stem become brittle and brittle. Growth stops, the fruits wither. Streak appears in areas with clay and acidic soils, rains contribute to the rapid development of the virus. In the fight against streak, sodium salt is used. For 1 liter of water use 100 g of a 15% solution. The affected leaves and fruits are removed before spraying.
4. Internal fetal necrosis. Fruits become covered with dark brown spots and lose their taste. Necrosis is one of the common diseases in indoor peppers. Bushes are deformed, dark ulcers appear. For therapeutic and prophylactic purposes, irrigation with a solution of potassium permanganate is used - 10 g per 1 liter of water.

Non-infectious

Non-infectious problems cause less damage to peppers than viral, bacterial, or fungal problems. They are easier to treat, arise for various reasons:

1. An excess of nitrogen leads to an increase in green mass. The leaves become fluffy and large, and the fruits themselves stop growing. It is recommended to use nitrogen fertilization at the stage growing seedlings, an adult plant does not need it in large quantities.
2. The lack of nitrogenous fertilizers also negatively affects the development of bell pepper - the bush stops growing, the leaves and stem become weak and fragile, the fruits slowly gain weight and color.
3. Lack of potassium leads to yellowing of the leaves, lack of phosphorus - slow development of the root system and purple color of the fruit. If the plant lacks boron, it sheds its leaves.

For a balanced diet and prevention of diseases, gardeners alternate mineral and organic fertilizers.

Important! Bell peppers are fed every 10-15 days, after watering the beds. From organics use nettle infusion, milk solution, onion peel.

Preventive measures

The best way to avoid plant treatment is to take preventive measures in time. They will strengthen the immune system of the pepper, make the fruits more useful and tasty.

Gardeners recommend:

1. Plant peppers in seedlings. To do this, disinfect the seeds with a solution of potassium permanganate, acquire a special seedling container and pickle the soil. Seedlings are watered and fertilized, kept in warm and sunlight. Peppers planted in seedlings are less sick and are distinguished by fast and friendly fruiting.
2. Choose a variety based on the climatic conditions of the region... In some regions, they choose varieties that are resistant to sudden changes in the weather: Atlant, Funtik, Akkord; in others, any peppers are planted - this allows a warm and temperate climate. It is recommended that you read the fit recommendations on the packaging.
3. Disinfect the beds before planting- remove weeds and remnants of last year's plants, dig up the beds. If the soil is acidic, it is recommended to add lime and wood ash.
4. Observe the rules of crop rotation - do not plant peppers in one place for more than three years in a row. The best precursors for planting are cabbage, carrots, peas. It is not recommended to plant bell peppers after potatoes or tomatoes.
5. Maintain your garden beds regularly: water, fertilize, loosen and weed. If the variety so requires, it is formed into one or two stems. Proper care depends not only on protection against diseases, its taste and quality of pepper.

In the middle lane and in the north, Bulgarian pepper is planted in a greenhouse, in the south of the country - in open ground.

Conclusion

Why do peppers get sick? Agronomists identify several reasons: improper care, changeable climate, lack of nutrition. To defeat pepper disease, it is worthwhile to study the symptoms and causes of common diseases and methods of their treatment in advance.

To strengthen immunity and prevent disease, spraying with Bordeaux liquid or potassium permanganate solution is used. For treatment, use drugs "Fitosporin", "Quadris" or "HOM". It is important to follow the dosage and recommendations for use.