How to Identify Common Pepper Pests? Detailed Explanation of Control Measures

As one of the ingredients commonly used in home cooking in regions such as Hunan and Sichuan, peppers are grown over a very wide area, from the south to the north. Below, we will teach you to identify common pepper pests and carry out control measures well, so you can double your yield!

1. Bacterial wilt

1. Disease characteristics: When a plant becomes diseased, the leaves at the top of the affected plant wilt during the day and recover on cloudy days or in the morning and evening. After 2-3 days, the leaves remain green but the whole plant wilts. When the diseased stem is cut open, the vascular bundles are brown. If the cut end is immersed in water, a white cloudy bacterial fluid flows out from the cut.

2. Disease pattern: Pepper bacterial wilt is a bacterial disease. It becomes severe when the soil temperature reaches 20°C-25°C, the air temperature reaches 30°C-37°C, and the soil moisture content reaches above 25%. When heavy rain is followed by sudden clearing, the temperature rises rapidly, humidity is high, and transpiration is large, the pathogen is highly active, diseased plants increase, and damage is severe. The pathogen develops best when the soil pH is 6.6.

3. Control methods:

(1) Choose disease-resistant varieties;

(2) Adjust soil pH, applying 50-100 kg of lime per mu;

(3) Practice crop rotation to prevent continuous cropping or repeated cropping;

(4) Inspect promptly, and immediately pull out and burn diseased plants when found; scatter lime powder in the planting holes; in the early stage of the disease, 100-200 PPM agricultural streptomycin or one packet of kasugamycin can be mixed with 150 jin of water to drench the soil, with continuous control 3 times, and root irrigation once every 10-15 days, for 2-3 consecutive times.

2. Pepper viral disease

1. Symptoms: Pepper viral disease is mainly mosaic virus disease. It often occurs on the top leaves, with symptoms showing as leaf mosaic, yellowing, and leaf curling; plants appear shrunken and smaller, or the fruit has streak symptoms. When several viruses infect together, streak symptoms are caused, with dark brown streaks appearing on leaves and fruit. In severe cases, the whole plant defoliates, severely hindering photosynthesis in the pepper plant.

Sometimes malformed leaves appear on individual plants, with new leaves not expanding and appearing needle-like, and the plant grows slowly or “runs wild”, or the top becomes black and necrotic.

2. Control methods:

(1) To control pepper viral disease, follow the principle of “control pests first to prevent disease”. It is now wheat harvest season, and the temperature is high, so aphids, planthoppers, and thrips occur heavily. These insects are the main culprits spreading viral disease. Measures such as covering with insect-proof netting to avoid insects and using pesticides to kill insects can keep pests controlled at the stage of spot or patch occurrence.

(2) If conditions allow, choose insect-proof netting with a mesh greater than 60 mesh. For chemical control, after transplanting, spray Pulideng fish protein at 400-500 times dilution, spraying once every 5-7 days for 2-3 consecutive sprays, to ensure vigorous plant growth and enhance the plant's antiviral ability.

(3) For peppers that have already developed the virus, treat according to the symptoms. You can choose Bingduling or Zhibingling at 1000 times + Pulideng fish protein at 400 times + imidacloprid or Yibianjing at 1500 times.

3. Pepper anthracnose

1. Symptoms: When leaves are infected, initially there are faded green water-soaked spots, which gradually turn brown with a light gray center, and small black dots form in concentric rings on the lesions. When the fruit stalk is affected, brown sunken spots form.

When fruit is damaged, initially water-soaked yellow-brown round spots or irregular spots appear, with raised concentric rings on the spot surface and many small black dots. When humid, the lesion surface oozes a red sticky substance. The lesions on the fruit easily dry and shrink into a membrane-like form, and some split open.

2. Pattern: Anthracnose is a major disease of summer peppers, especially field peppers. High temperature and rainy weather, excessive use of nitrogen fertilizer, and flood irrigation all easily trigger anthracnose. Once anthracnose occurs, it develops quickly and often causes large-area leaf drop and fruit rot, especially in the middle and late stages of pepper growth, when pepper anthracnose is more likely to occur.

3. Control methods:

(1) Strengthen field management. Plant at a reasonable density, fertilize according to formula, avoid high temperature and high humidity, pay attention to drainage, promptly remove diseased leaves, diseased fruit, and residues, and appropriately increase the use of phosphorus and potassium fertilizer when topdressing peppers. Along with watering, per mu you can apply Pulideng fish protein 2-4 kg + balanced nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium water-soluble fertilizer 5-10 kg by flushing with water.

(2) It is best to prevent in advance. In the early stage of the disease, spray 70% thiophanate-methyl wettable powder at 600-800 times dilution, or 80% mancozeb wettable powder at 500 times dilution; prochloraz at 1200-1500 times dilution can also be used, sprayed once every 5-7 days for 3-4 consecutive sprays.

4. Pepper broad mite

1. In summer, open-field peppers have many pests. Besides aphids, cotton bollworms, and thrips, broad mites are also likely to occur. Broad mites are not easy to find in the early stage, and in the initial stage they cannot even be seen with the naked eye. But once they occur, they will cause large-area yellowing and leaf drop in peppers. In the later stage, they are often impossible to prevent in time, so broad mites should be prevented in advance.

2. Control methods:

(1) Because broad mites have a strong tendency to seek tender growth, mainly distributed most densely and causing the most severe damage at the initial growth parts of the crop's terminal buds and tender tips, pesticide should be applied in advance for prevention, and spraying should focus on the young tender parts.

(2) Use Pulideng fish protein at 400 times + 1.8% abamectin emulsifiable concentrate at 1500-2000 times dilution or 15% pyridaben emulsifiable concentrate at 3000 times dilution + Pulideng fish protein at 400 times dilution, spraying on the leaves 2-3 times, which can effectively prevent and control the damage of broad mites.

In addition, pepper flower and fruit drop is mainly caused by low temperature. Pay attention to regulating the temperature inside the greenhouse, maintaining a greenhouse temperature of 25-28 degrees in the morning during the day, which is favorable for flowering and pollination. Above 28 degrees, begin ventilation to release moisture, and keep it at around 15 degrees at night. You can use Aiduoshou at 5000 times dilution for spraying, once every 5-7 days for 2-3 consecutive sprays.

Some disinfection work before sowing peppers is also very important. Do not be careless just to save effort. Be sure to disinfect the greenhouse, seeds, and soil well, as this can reduce a lot of work later. In addition, the most important thing is that once pests and diseases occur, they must be dealt with promptly to avoid affecting other healthy plants.