What to Do About Sweet Pepper Plant Death? Cause Analysis and Control Methods

Sweet pepper is a common vegetable with high medicinal value and economic benefit, but during cultivation the phenomenon of plant death has become increasingly serious, severely affecting sweet pepper yield and bringing huge losses to growers. So what are the causes of sweet pepper plant death? How should it be controlled? Let's learn together.

1. Soil compaction

After watering, the soil retains a high water content for a long time, causing soil compaction, which leads to poor soil permeability. Sweet pepper roots are distributed relatively shallowly, and soil compaction causes their roots to suffocate from lack of oxygen, resulting in serious plant death. Most vegetable growers use machinery when plowing, which makes the subsoil especially compact and uneven; and even if the surface soil is level, after irrigation small areas of water accumulate between the ridges and cause plant death.

Control method: When preparing the land, be sure to plow and harrow carefully to ensure the soil is loose and has good air permeability. Also pay attention to the watering method; do not water too much at one time, and after watering you can shallow hoe to break up the compacted soil.

2. High temperature and high humidity

When the ground temperature is too high and humidity is relatively high, the stem base of the plant develops ring-shaped rot all around, causing the whole plant to die. This situation generally occurs in June and July, during the high-temperature season. At this time the seedlings are short, have few leaves, and cannot form effective shade; the ground temperature is relatively high, and combined with relatively high humidity, stem base rot is extremely likely to occur under high temperature and high humidity.

Control method: When planting in summer, shade nets must be used, and pay attention to high temperatures; appropriate watering can replenish water and lower the temperature. When humidity is relatively high, strengthen ventilation to reduce humidity and avoid stem base rot and death.

3. Improper fertilization

During cultivation, improper fertilization causes root burn and plant death. Sweet pepper cultivation generally does not require concentrated fertilization, and it is even more important not to apply incompletely decomposed chicken manure or soybean cake, which can very easily cause fertilizer burn and plant death.

Control method: Farmyard manure must be fully composted and fermented before application, and after fertilizing, turn and level the ground. After ridging, irrigate and seal the greenhouse; this can both disinfect the soil and create suitable soil moisture, and can also avoid root burn that leads to plant death.

4. Diseases

There are three common diseases that cause sweet pepper plant death: first, phytophthora blight; second, sclerotinia rot; and also bacterial soft rot. All three of these diseases may cause sweet pepper plant death in the later stages.

Control method: An effective preventive measure against plant death is, in the early stage of disease occurrence, as long as the rot has not reached half a ring, use a blade to remove the rotted part of the plant, then mix fruit-setting hormone and thiophanate-methyl and smear it on the removed area. The diseased area must be cleaned thoroughly.

The above is an introduction to the causes and control methods of sweet pepper plant death. We hope it can help you. If you want to learn more related knowledge, please follow us.