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Photo Gallery of Vegetable Problems

Pepper

General Pepper Disease and Pest Management

Bacterial spot damages Michigan peppers, Spring and summer rains favor disease; coppers can help but not cure bacterial spot on peppers. Mary Hausbeck, Michigan State University.

Growing Peppers in Home Gardens, Extension Bulletin FS220E, by Michael R. Bush, Entomology & Pest Management, Washington State University Extension- Yakima County. Mark D. Heitstuman, County Director, Washington State University Extension- Asotin & Garfield Counties. Lizann Powers-Hammond, Regional Food Specialist, Washington State University Extension- Benton County.

Pepper & Eggplant Disease Guide - A Practical Guide for Seedsmen, Growers and Agricultural Advisors. Published by Seminis Vegetable Seeds, Inc.’s Plant Health Department.

Diseases

Disease: Cucumber mosaic
Pathogen name: Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV)
Host crops: Numerous plant species (>300) can be infected with CMV. The virus is vectored by a number of aphids. CMV also can be seedborne and seed transmitted in pepper.

Foliar symptoms on pepper plants infected with Cucumber mosaic virus.
Photo Source: Lindsey du Toit, Washington State University

Online Resources:

Pepper (Capsicum spp.)-Virus Diseases, PNW Plant Disease Management Handbook, a Pacific Northwest Extension Publication.

Virus Diseases of Pepper, Vegetable MD On-line, Fact Sheet Page: 736.00, T. A. Zitter and D. Florini Dept. of Plant Pathology Cornell University and R. Provvidenti Dept. of Plant Pathology New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, Geneva.

Seed transmission of Cucumber mosaic virus in pepper, Ali A, Kobayashi M, Department of Biological Science, University of Tulsa, published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health (pubmed.gov).

Cucumber Mosaic Virus - Aphid-Transmitted Cucumovirus, Ray Cerkauskas, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, published by AVRDC – The World Vegetable Center.

 

Disease: Gray mold
Pathogen: Botrytis cinerea

Photo Source: Photographer – Sharon Collman Submitted by Jenny Glass

On-Line Resources:

Pepper Diseases: Gray Mold: Botrytis cinerea, AVRDC – The World Vegetable Center.

Insect/Mite Pests

Common name: Broad mites are tiny (0.2 mm-long adult females), oval, light yellow to amber or white or even green arachnids (so they have eight legs). Male adults are smaller. There are four life stages: egg, larva, nymph and adult. Eggs are colorless, translucent, elliptical, about 0.08 mm long, and covered with white tufts on the upper surface. Young broad mites have only three pairs of legs, are slow moving, and whitish in color. The quiescent stage is an immobile, engorged larva. Injury to broad mites can be difficult to diagnose because of how small the pests are and the locations where they feed on plants. Broad mites typically feed within growing meristems and require magnification to be seen.
Latin binomial: Polyphagotarsonemus latus (Arachnida: Acari: Tarsonemidae)
Host crops: Broad mites have a wide host range in tropical areas and commonly infect plants in greenhouses in temperate and subtropical areas. Hosts include many perennial and annual plant species, including ornamentals, citrus, grape, and vegetables such as bean, cucurbits, eggplant, tomato, pepper, potato, etc. Adults feed on the lower surface of leaves and on fruit.

Severe damage to pepper plants caused by broad mites.		Close-up image of broad mite eggs on pepper.Close-up image of broad mite eggs on pepper.	Close-up image of tiny, white, broad mites on pepper fruit.
Photo Source: Washington State University Puyallup Diagnostic Lab

Damage to pepper plants by broad mites.
Photo Source: Lou Almasi

Online Resources:

Broad Mites in Fruiting Vegetables, Penn State Extension, Plants and Pests, Vegetable, Small Fruit, and Mushroom Production News.

Broad Mite, Featured Creatures, Entomology & Nematology, FDACS/DPI, EDIS, University of Florida.

Broad mite is becoming an increasing problem, Dan Gilrein, Greenhouse Management Magazine.

Broad Mite, Entomology: Insects Associated With Vegetable Crops in Georgia: Solanaceous Crops, University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Broad mite: Not your typical Michigan mite, Michigan State University Extension News.

Common name: Brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB)
Latin binomial: Halyomorpha halys
Host crops: Very wide host range including Oregon berry, grape, tree fruits, hazelnuts, vegetables including pepper, ornamentals, etc.

Photo Source: Nik Wimann, Oregon State University

	Symptoms of feeding injury on pepper fruit from the brown marmorated stink bug.		Brown marmorated stink bugs (immatures and adults) feeding on pepper fruit.
Photo Source: Nik Wimann, Oregon State University	Photo Source: Todd Murray, Washington State University Skamania County Extension		Photo Source: Peter Shearer, Oregon State University Entomologist

Brown marmorated stink bugs (immatures and adults) feeding on pepper fruit.
Photo Source: Peter Shearer, Oregon State University Entomologist

On-Line Resources:

Brown Marmorated Stink Bug in Oregon, Oregon State University

Pest Watch: brown Marmorated Stink Bug, Washington State University Extension Fact Sheet FS0079E

Pest Alert: Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, A quick ID guide from the Oregon Department of Agriculture

See Diseases, pests, and other problems common to many vegetables: Brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB).
 

Common name: Flea beetle
Latin binomial: Pictured is the western potato flea beetle, Epitrix subcrinita, but the tuber flea beetle, Epitrix tuberis, may also damage foliage.
Host crops: Eggplant, pepper, potato, and tomato.

Potato flea beetle damage on potato foliage appears as scallop-like scoops, rounded pits or shotholes originating from the underside of the potato leaf.	The adult flea beetle is small (~1/16 inch long), oblong, and dark brown to bronze in color.	The most distinctive feature of the flea beetle is the enlarged hind legs that provide the insect the ability to jump considerable distances when approached or disturbed.
Photo Source: Michael Bush, WSU Extension, Yakima, WA

On-Line Resources:

Potato Flea Beetles: Biology and Control. Washington State University Extension Bulletin 1198E (PDF).

Potato Flea Beetles. Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae Western Potato Flea Beetle Epitrix subcrinita, Tuber Flea Beetle Epitrix tuberis

Pacific Northwest Insect Management Handbook. Chapter: Irish Potatoes, Section: Flea Beetle to Grasshopper.

Vegetables: Pepper, Eggplant: Flea beetles. Washington State University Hortsense.

See Diseases, pests, and other problems common to many vegetables: Flea beetle.
 

Common name (of damaging stage): Tomato hornworm
Latin binomial: Manduca quinquemaculata
Host crops: Pepper, eggplant, potato, and tomato.

Mature tomato hornworms can reach 3 inches long. They come in various hues of green to gray, but are distinguished from other hornworms by the eight v-shaped stripes running along the length of their bodies and a black horn on their rear end. The coloration allows these large caterpillars to remain cryptic within the canopy of tomato plants.	Tomato hornworm is a plant defoliator feeding on entire leaves, small stems, and even parts of immature fruit. Often this defoliation is first noticed near the end of the growing season (August or early September) when the hornworm is approaching maturity.	The tomato hornworm has one generation per year and overwinters as a pupa in the soil. Adults will emerge in the spring.	The tomato hornworm adult is a large (3.5 to 5.25-inch wingspan) moth known as the five-spotted hawk moth for the five pairs of orange spots on the abdomen. The adult is rarely encountered by growers and home gardeners as it tends to fly around dusk.
Photo Source: Michael Bush, WSU Extension, Yakima, WA

On-Line Resources:

Pacific Northwest Insect Management Handbook. Washington State Chapter: Vegetables, Section: Tomato Part2: Fleabeetle to Wireworm.

Vegetables: Tomato: Tomato hornworm. Washington State University Hortsense.

UC Pest Management Guidelines: Tomato Hornworms. UC IPM Online, University of California.
 

Parasitic Plants

Common name: Field dodder
Latin binomial: Cuscuta spp.
Host Crops: Bean, beet, carrot, onion, pepper, potato, tomato, and many other crops (not only vegetables)

Field dodder is a plant species that is parasitic on many crops.	Field dodder produces clusters of small whitish flowers and seed capsules. Dodder will attach itself directly to the host plant, making it impossible to disengage the parasitic plant from the host plant.	Recognized by the orange to yellowish, string-like stems that intertwine with host plants.	The field dodder “net” can completely envelope, smother and kill crops.
Photo Source: Michael Bush, WSU Extension, Yakima, WA

On-Line Resources:

See Diseases, pests, and other problems common to many vegetables: Field dodder.
 

Abiotic Problems Common to Pepper

Problem: Blossom end rot
Cause: Calcium deficiency resulting from various environmental conditions and management practices, e.g., inadequate Ca in the soil, inconsistent water as a result of alternating wet and dry periods that decrease Ca uptake by plants, and even excellent growing conditions such as a period of very bright sunshine and warm temperatures mid-season.
Crops affected: Tomato, pepper, eggplant, and various cucurbits.

Blossom-end rot is a physiological disorder that first appears as a water-soaked, light brown spot on the distil end of the fruit. As the fruit matures, the spot becomes sunken, leathery, and brown to black. Secondary pathogens can infect the area, causing fruit rot. The disorder is more common on earliest maturing fruit. Blossom end rot is associated with a low concentration of calcium in developing fruit. In eastern Washington, this is often caused by excessive soil moisture fluctuations, drought stress, or excessive nitrogen fertilization. Soil surface mulches, appropriate irrigation timing and frequency, soil amendment with limestone, and foliar applications of calcium may reduce the incidence of this disorder.		Symptoms of blossom end rot on tomato fruit.
Photo Source: Mike Bush, WSU Yakima Co. Extension Educator		Photo Source: Krishna Mohan, University of Idaho

On-Line Resources:

Blossom-End Rot of Tomato, Pepper, and Eggplant. By Miller, S.A., R. C. Rowe, and R. M. Riedel, The Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet HYG-3117-96.

Blossom end rot: Understanding a perennial problem. Michigan State University Extension.

See Diseases, pests, and other problems common to many vegetables: Blossom end rot of vegetables.

 

Problem: Vivipary (germination of seeds while still attached to the mother plant)
Crops affected: Solanaceaous vegetables like tomato and pepper.

This atypical tomato developed a dark discoloration just under the skin of the ripe fruit. When cut open, seeds within the tomato fruit were germinating. This physiological disorder is known as vivipary, where the seeds germinate while still in the fruit. It is suspected to be caused by plant stress such as drought, water stress, or potassium deficiency within the fruit. The fruit are still edible.

Photo Source: Michael Bush, Washington State University Extension, Yakima, WA

On-Line Resources:

Effect of potassium nutrition during bell pepper seed development on vivipary and endogenous levels of abscisic acid (ABA).. By Marrush, M., M. Yamaguchi and M. E. Saltveit. 1998. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 123(5):925–930.

Physiological and Nutrient Disorders. University of Kentucky Vegetable Integrated Pest Management Program. Vegetable Manuals.

See Diseases, pests, and other problems common to many vegetables: Vivipary.