What causes rotten fruit in peppers? Detailed explanation of the causes and control methods
Peppers are highly nutritious and come in a very wide range of varieties, both hot and mild, and are grown almost everywhere. What troubles growers is that peppers often develop rotten fruit during the fruiting stage. Let us take a look below at the causes of rotten fruit in peppers and an introduction to their control methods.
I. Causes of rotten fruit in peppers
1. Sunscald causes rotten fruit in peppers
In hot weather, the sun-facing part of the pepper fruit is exposed to direct sunlight, causing the skin to fade and harden and producing grayish-white leathery spots; the surface of the affected area becomes thin, and the flesh tissue dies and hardens. In the later stage it is easily infected by other pathogens, developing black mold and rot.
2. Phytophthora blight causes rotten fruit in peppers
In most cases the disease starts at the stem end, appearing as water-soaked grayish-green lesions, which then rapidly turn brown and soft-rot. In humid weather, a sparse white mold layer grows on the surface, and the diseased fruit shrivels without falling off. On other parts, such as stems, branch forks, twigs and leaves, water-soaked brown spots are often present. Prevention and control must be strengthened.
3. Soft rot causes rotten fruit in peppers
In the early stage of the disease, the pepper fruit appears water-soaked with dark green spots, then the whole fruit soft-rots and gives off a foul odor; the inner flesh decays, the skin turns white, and after shrinking the fruit generally remains hanging on the branch and falls off only when subjected to external force.
4. Blossom-end rot causes rotten fruit in peppers
The pepper fruit is affected at the blossom end, initially showing dark green water-soaked spots that rapidly expand, the affected area shrivels, and in the later stage the surface becomes sunken. It often turns black or rots because of secondary infection by other pathogens. The cause is mainly high temperature and drought, insufficient soil moisture supply, and an imbalance in the calcium supplied to the pepper (sweet pepper) plant, resulting in calcium deficiency in the fruit. In addition, excessive application of nitrogen fertilizer can also affect the plant's absorption of calcium, leading to calcium deficiency in the pepper fruit and the occurrence of blossom-end rot.
5. Viral disease causes rotten fruit in peppers
Viral disease causes mosaic, yellowing, necrosis and deformity in peppers. Mosaic is the earliest and most common symptom to appear on pepper plants, mainly manifesting as mottling of dark green and light green on the diseased leaves. Depending on the severity, mosaic is further divided into mild mosaic and severe mosaic. With mild mosaic the leaves are basically flat; with severe mosaic the leaves have blister-like spots and are shriveled, and the leaf surface is often uneven.
II. Control methods for rotten fruit in peppers
1. Before sowing, the land must be deep-plowed, so as to eliminate pathogens in the soil and also improve soil permeability. Avoid continuous cropping.
2. Water reasonably. After watering, ventilate promptly to remove moisture, and after rain do a good job of drainage and waterlogging prevention.
2. Avoid using degraded varieties; use those with good disease resistance. Before sowing, the seeds and soil should be physically disinfected, and then sowing can be carried out.
3. When fertilizing, use fully decomposed organic fertilizer, avoid excessive nitrogen fertilizer, and appropriately increase some phosphorus and potassium fertilizer in the middle and late stages.
4. During the production period, peppers should avoid high temperature and high humidity environments; during the day the temperature should be kept between 25-30°C, and at night the temperature only needs to be kept at around 15°C.