What to do if the fruits of the peppers turn black: identify the cause and effectively fight it

The appearance of black spots on the fruits of peppers is a dangerous signal for the gardener, indicating that the plant is infected with fungus or bacteria. When the peppers turn black, you need to immediately begin treatment with chemicals and the introduction of fertilizers to stop the spread of the disease.

Possible causes of blackening of pepper

Why do pepper fruits turn black? Blackening in most cases is an indicator of serious and contagious diseases, less often - the result of a sharp temperature drop or exposure to pests. Dark spots often appear on both the fruit and the leaves. It is important to establish the exact cause of the darkening: if the disease is contagious, then the infection can quickly spread to all seedlings.

Alternaria

The pathogenic fungus Alternaria solani, which is dangerous for nightshade crops, causes Alternaria. The fungal pathogen multiplies rapidly after heavy rainfall and hot weather. Typical symptoms of the disease:

• localization of blackening - fruit and leaves, spots first appear on the lower leaves, then necrosis passes to the skin of the fruit in the region of the peduncle, sometimes the stem is also affected;
• the color of the spots is from dark brown to black (the higher the humidity, the darker the plaque will be);
• the development of the disease - individual round spots with a diameter of less than 20 mm appear on the pepper, which grow and join over time.

In the last stages of Alternaria, the pepper dries up and dies.

Important! Even small speck indicates the penetration of the mycelium into the fruit, which will lead to seed infection.

Phytophthora

Phytophthora is understood as a genus of mushroom-like organisms that provoke infection of nightshade crops. The causative agents of late blight live in the ground, so the pepper can be infected from a nearby potato or tomato bush.

The main signs of the disease:

• blackening is localized on the skin of pepper, leaves and stems;
• the color of the spots varies from dark brown to black with a lighter frame, a whitish coating with fungal spores forms over the blackened area;
• the most dangerous period, when most of the infections occur, is during fruit ripening, from July to early September.

The factors that provoke the blackening of fruits due to late blight include a sharp drop in temperature, high humidity, the use of ice water for irrigation and planting bushes too close.

Fusarium wilting

The disease is difficult to diagnose in the early stages. A noticeable deterioration occurs when the pepper can no longer be saved. The plant most often gets sick during the fruit setting.

Stages of fusarium wilt:

1. Yellowing and wilting of the upper leavesdespite abundant watering.
2. The withered leaves turn pale light green or light brown.
3. The area near the peduncle is covered with black dents cracked from dryness. In the case of high humidity, a fluffy coating of a pink hue appears on the blackened areas.

The infection remains in the ground and on the dead bush, posing a danger to other plants, for two to three years. Gardeners are advised to immediately dig up and burn the diseased plant in order to avoid an epidemic.There are no cures, only preventive measures.

Council. You can protect the peppers if the seeds are immersed in Fundazol before planting.

Vertex rot

Vershinnaya rot - a viral disease provoked by calcium deficiency and nitrogen excess. A common mistake gardeners make, which leads to damage to the skin, is irregular watering, and peppers do not tolerate sudden changes in humidity.

At first, barely noticeable translucent areas appear on the skin. After a while, the affected area will become coarser, dry out, fall inward and turn a dark brown color.

Black rot

Black or gray rot is a disease caused by a fungus. Mostly fruits are hit, less often stems and leaves... The root always remains intact. After infection, gray areas appear on the skin, which darken over time. The pepper completely dies in 3-5 days.

There are 2 risk factors:

• high humidity;
• closely planted bushes.

The affected fruits can no longer be saved, therefore they must be promptly removed. But the bush itself can survive if the treatment is organized correctly.

Blackleg

The disease affects seedlings. The area between the upper root and the graft site becomes soft, darkening occurs. The affected part of the seedlings will soon dry out and tighten the root collar.

Risk factors:

• poorly ventilated seedlings;
• high humidity;
• hard crust on the soil surface;
• cold;
• tightly planted peppers.

It is impossible to save the infected fruits. Seedlings are urgently removed from the soil in order to save the rest of the plants. In the case of blackleg, only preventive measures are used to prevent infection of peppers.

Pepper bacterial cancer

Cancer is caused by the aerobic bacteria Clavibacter michiganensis. The disease is rare, more susceptible to it greenhouse peppers, growing in warm regions. Cancer affects not only fruits, but also stems with leaves.

Symptoms of the disease:

• small blackenings, which grow over time and combine into black ovals with a diameter of 2-3 cm;
• if pepper cancer is at an advanced stage, then the leaves lose color;
• with a slight shaking of the bush, the leaves immediately come off.

Even after the death of the pepper, bacteria live in the dead bush and soil around, and therefore pose a danger to other plants. To stop mass infestation, clean the soil 2-3 times a month.

Sclerotinosis

The fungus attacks the lower part of the stems, the fruits of sweet and bitter peppers. Optimal conditions for the development of pathogenic microorganisms - humidity over 85% and temperatures below + 20 ° C.

Manifestations:

• the stem is covered with a whitish film - if you rub it, you can see the blackened areas of tissue;
• fruits of peppers soften and overgrow with a similar film.

It is better to remove the bushes affected by sclerotinosis immediately.

Low temperature

Bell peppers do not tolerate sudden changes in temperature and hardly tolerates cold. In the event of an unexpected cold snap, the root system ceases to absorb nutrients from the soil, and then the plant takes the nutrients necessary for life from the fruits and leaves. Shoots are the first to turn black. You can save the pepper if you restore the normal temperature.

Pests

Blackening is provoked by spider mites. Favorable conditions for the development of pests: heat, high humidity and stuffiness.

Typical signs of a bush infestation:

• dots on leaves and fruits, which after a while merge into a large spot;
• the color of the darkened area is dark brown;
• leaves and stems are tangled due to the constant movement of pests;
• intertwined shoots dry out over time due to respiratory failure, and the fruits die.

Due to attacks of spider mites, 50-60% of planted peppers can die. Chemical and folk methods are effective in pest control.

Control methods

Most bacterial diseases that cause skin blackening are not cured.A diseased bush is dug up, the seedlings are destroyed. But some deviations can be stopped if diagnosed in a timely manner.

Chemical

The method of treatment differs depending on the type of disease:

1. Alternaria. To inhibit the necrotic process, the bush is sprayed 1-2 times per season with strobilurin-based agents. During the breaks, fungicides are used: "Tiovit Jet" and "Cumulus".
2. Late blight. The beds are treated with "Alirin-B" at the rate of two tablets per bucket, "Fitosporin-M" - 10 g is diluted in 5 liters of liquid. The bushes are sprayed with "Gamair", to prepare the solution, two tablets are diluted in 1 liter of water. If there are a lot of bushes, then Quadris will do.
3. Vertex rot... Feeding is carried out with calcium chloride (0.4%) or calcium nitrate. During one growing season, feeding is done up to four times.
4. Bacterial cancer. The peppers are sprayed with copper-based products.
5. Blackleg. In the first stages, watering with a light pink solution of potassium permanganate will help.

Folk

Traditional methods are most effective for combating spider mites:

1. 1/2 of laundry soap is dissolved in 5 liters of water. The shoots are treated with the mixture.
2. During the flowering period, henbane is harvested. To process the beds, you will need 2-2.5 kg. The herb is cut, boiled over low heat for 2.5 hours, filtered. Ordinary water is added to the broth so that the total volume is 8 liters. The liquid is used for spraying.
3. The shoots are wiped with ordinary alcohol. There is no need to add water.

Agrotechnical techniques

To stop the spread of infection, gardeners use the following techniques:

• complete removal of infected shoots;
• decrease in watering volumes;
• steaming the soil in which pathogenic microorganisms have started;
• loosening the soil around the bushes;
• with excessive moisture, the soil is sprinkled with activated carbon, ordinary sand or ash;
• airing the greenhouse.

If the seedlings became infected and died, then you cannot use the same soil for the next batch of peppers. Dangerous microorganisms remain in the soil, which will kill new plants.

Features of the occurrence of problems and their treatment

The risk of contracting various bacterial and fungal infections varies depending on where the nightshade is grown. The variety has little effect.

In the greenhouse and in the open field

Outdoor peppers, in humid and hot climates, are more likely to get sick and turn black. To reduce the risk of illness, choose a sunny, ventilated area for your garden bed.

For greenhouse crops, the following rules apply:

• periodically the greenhouse needs to be ventilated and a draft created;
• to avoid waterlogging, water is poured under the bottom of the stem;
• water condensation on the walls of the greenhouse must not be allowed.

The methods for treating peppers are similar: the same fertilizers will help. Only the methods of normalizing the temperature regime and the level of humidity differ.

For sweet peppers / for bitter

Both types of peppers are demanding to maintain. Sweet varieties suffer the most from late blight. Bitters have a weak stem and root system, therefore such crops often die. It is important not to overdo it with watering and soil compaction.

Experienced agronomist tips

To protect the nightshade crop from blackening, follow these recommendations:

1. Crop rotation must be taken into account - you cannot plant peppers in the same place every year, since there will not be enough phosphorus in the soil. Suitable precursor crops are peas, cabbage, carrots, beetroot, pumpkin. Not suitable: potatoes, tomatoes and eggplants.
2. Seeds are disinfected with special chemicals before planting.
3. For prophylaxis in the spring, spraying with a 1% solution of copper sulfate and fungicides is carried out.
4. If fungal pathogens multiply in the ground, fungicides are constantly used for seeds and bushes.
5. All remnants of dead plants are carefully removed from the site.
6. The seeds of the blackened fruit are not used.
7. Bushes are planted at intervals from each other.
8. Water for irrigation should be warm.
9. The earth is constantly loosened to provide air access.
10. A clear control of the amount of water for irrigation is important - excess moisture must not be allowed.
11. Ash or lime is added to the soil to prevent the occurrence of infections, peat is prohibited.

Fruits and leaves are constantly examined to identify blackening in time.

Conclusion

Peppers are a fairly resistant culture to fungi and viruses, but they still have a risk of infection. If you forget about preventive measures and do not remove the blackened bushes from the garden in time, you can lose the entire crop. Blackening of pepper fruits is practically not cured, since the disease is detected too late.