How to Control Fungal Diseases of Chili Pepper and Effective Management Strategies

Fungal diseases can be a major challenge for chili growers, but they can control their impact and ensure a healthy crop with the right management strategies. The key to effective management is to focus on prevention through good cultural practices such as crop rotation and soil management, as well as careful monitoring and early detection of any signs of disease.

In this guide, we’ll provide simple and easy-to-read tips and techniques for controlling fungal diseases in chili, including identifying common fungal diseases, implementing preventative measures, and using organic and chemical control methods when necessary.

How to Control Fungal Diseases of Chili Pepper

What are Fungal Diseases?

Fungal diseases are caused by various types of fungi that can infect plants, including chili peppers. These diseases can significantly impact the growth and yield of chili plants and can be spread by wind, water, and soil. Some common fungal diseases of chili peppers include powdery mildew, anthracnose, and damping-off.

Powdery mildew appears white, powdery coating on the leaves and stems of plants, while anthracnose causes dark, sunken spots on fruit and leaves. Damping-off, common in young seedlings, causes the stem to rot and the plant to collapse. Managing fungal diseases in chili peppers requires a combination of preventative measures and treatment, including good cultural practices and fungicides when necessary.

Chili Plant Characters and Importance of Chili Cultivation

Chili plants are part of the Capsicum genus, including sweet and spicy varieties.
The plants are typically small bushes growing up to 3 feet tall, with green foliage and white flowers.
Chili peppers come in different shapes, sizes, and colors, ranging from mild to extremely hot.
Chili cultivation is important for food and medicinal purposes. Chili peppers are used in many dishes and are believed to have health benefits such as boosting metabolism and reducing inflammation.
Chili cultivation can profit farmers as the demand for spicy foods grows worldwide.
Growing chili peppers can also help diversify crop rotations and increase soil health, as chili plants have beneficial effects on soil microbiota.

Importance of Controlling Fungal Diseases in Chili Plants

Fungal diseases can significantly reduce the yield and quality of chili peppers.
Infected plants may also have stunted growth and reduced vigor.
Fungal spores can easily spread to healthy plants, leading to widespread damage.
Properly managing fungal diseases can help minimize crop losses and maintain plant health.
Effective control strategies include prevention, early detection, and fungicides when necessary.

Factors Influencing or Favorable Conditions for Disease Symptoms

Host-parasite relation: The intensity of the disease depends upon the susceptibility/resistance of the host to the pathogen.
Environmental factors: can be grouped as soil-borne, seed-borne, and air-borne.
Soil-borne: Soil pH, structure, texture, moisture, organic matter, fertility, cultural operations, and irrigation.
Seed-borne: Seed moisture and storage environment.
Air-borne: Temperature, relative humidity (RH), rainfall, and wind.

Die Back/ Anthracnose Disease and Effective Management Strategies

Symptoms

Necrosis of tender twigs from the tip backward, leading to the dieback of branches and stem. The disease begins during flowering, causing flowers to drop and dry up, producing low-quality fruit. The pathogen overwinters in crop debris and infected seeds/fruits and is favored by cloudy weather, heavy rains, and dew.

Effective Management

Use disease-free seeds, treating seeds with Thiram or Captan 4g/kg to eliminate seed-borne inoculum, and spraying with Ziram 0.25%, wettable sulfur 0.2%, copper oxychloride 0.25%, or zineb 0.15% three times. Spraying should be done before flowering, at the time of fruit formation, and two weeks after the second spraying. Chili cultivars BG-1, Lorai, and Perennial are resistant to the disease.

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Cercospora Leaf Spot Disease and Effective Management Strategies

Symptoms

Circular brown lesions on leaves with light grey centers and dark brown margins and elliptical lesions on stems, petioles, and pods. Severely infected leaves drop off prematurely, leading to reduced yield. The fungus survives on seed and crop residue and is disseminated by wind, rain, or intercultural operation tools. The fungus thrives at 20-30°C, but growth reduces at ten °C and stops at 40°C.

Effective Management

Strategies include removing and burning crop debris, collecting seed from healthy plants, and spraying twice with Mancozeb 0.25%, Chlorothalonil 0.1%, Captafol 0.3%, or Triadimefon 0.1% at 10-15 day intervals.

Phytophthora Leaf Blight and Fruit Rot Disease and Effective Management Strategies

Causal Organism: Phytophthora Capsici

Symptoms

The disease affects all plant parts, and severity varies based on climatic conditions. The fruit rot phase is particularly damaging with water-soaked, dull green spots that expand and become mummified. Leaf lesions are dark green, water-soaked, round, or irregularly shaped areas that expand rapidly. The pathogen survives in infected crop debris or soil and can be associated with crops such as cucurbits, brinjal, and tomato. Oospores serve as a survival structure. Warm temperatures combined with high humidity favor disease development.

Effective Management

Cultural practices like crop rotation, timely removal of diseased plants and parts, avoiding contact of fruits and leaves with soil, use of the disease-free seed, mulching with straw, and earthing up plants after transplanting is recommended.

Biological control agents such as Pseudomonas cepacia, Bacillus polymixin, and Streptomyces violaceoniger are effective against the disease.
Fungicides such as Metalaxyl-copper oxychloride, metalaxyl-dithranol, and Oxadixyl-Chlorothalonil mixture have been reported to control fruit rot and anthracnose effectively.

Fusarium Wilt Disease and Effective Management Strategies

Causal Organism: Fusarium Oxysporumf.sp.capsici

Symptoms

Plant wilting, upward and inward rolling of leaves, yellowing, and death of leaves. Vascular discoloration in lower stem and roots. Epidemiology: High temperature and wet soil conditions favor disease development, which is more severe in poorly drained soils.

Management

Use wilt-resistant varieties.
Drench with 1% Bordeaux mixture or Blue copper 0.25%.
Seed treatment with 4g Trichodermaviride formulation or 2g Carbendazim per kg seed.
Mix 2kg T.viride formulation with 50kg FYM, sprinkle water, and cover with a thin polythene sheet. Apply the mixture in rows of chili in an area of one acre when mycelia growth is visible on the heap after 15 days.

Powdery Mildew Disease and Effective Management Strategies

Causal Organism: Leveillula taurica

Symptoms

White to grey powdery masses of fungus appear on the infected leaves, progressing from older to younger ones. Lower leaf surfaces also turn necrotic. The heavy infection leads to leaf shedding, resulting in yield losses. Cultivated and wild hosts serve as pathogen sources during the offseason. The optimum temperature for disease development is 20°C. Temperatures above 30°C are lethal for the fungus.

Effective Management

Spray Wettable sulfur @0.25 % or Dinocap @0.05 % 2-3 times at 10-15 day intervals.
Use varieties such as B15, R7, Padasali, Tinwari, and Golden Superior which have been reported as moderately resistant.

Damping-Off Disease and Effective Management Strategies

Causal Organism: Pythium aphanidermatum

Symptoms

Water-soaked lesions at the collar region, brown and rotted areas, shriveling, and plant collapsing due to softening of tissues. It affects nursery beds and young seedlings resulting in reduced seed germination and poor stand of seedlings. High soil moisture and relatively higher temperatures are conducive to rapid disease development.

Effective Management

Damping-Off disease caused by Pythium aphanidermatum, drench soil with Copper oxychloride, avoid shaded areas for nursery, use recommended seed rate, avoid flooding irrigation, and maintain the optimum moisture level in the nursery. Use Thiram or Captan at 4g/kg seeds for seed treatment.

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Conclusion

Effective management strategies are crucial for controlling fungal diseases of chili, including Fusarium wilt, Powdery Mildew, and Damping-Off. Measures such as using resistant varieties, seed treatment, and soil drenching with appropriate fungicides can help reduce the incidence and severity of these diseases, resulting in improved chili yields.

How to Control Fungal Diseases of Chili Pepper and Effective Management Strategies