Diseases of Capsicum (Chilli) and their management
Disease Pathogen/Causal agent
Damping-off Pythium aphanidermatum
Anthracnose and fruit rot Colletotrichum capsici
Powdery mildew Leveillula taurica
Cercospora leaf spot Cercospora capsici
Wilt complex Rhizactonia solani & Fusarium solani
Murda complex Complex Diseases
Leaf curl virus Chilli leaf curl virus
1. Damping-off: Pythium aphanidermatum
Symptoms:
There are two types:
1. Pre-emergence damping off
2. Post-emergence damping off
Sprouting seedlings are infected and wither before emergence from the soil (Pre-
emergence damping off) results fail in germination.
Minute water soaked lesions appear on the stems near the soil surface, soon
girdling the stem leading to toppling over of the seedlings
(Post-emergence damping off).
Etiology: Pythium aphanidermatum
Coenocytic (aseptate) mycelia, inter & intracellular haustoria, asexual spores are zoospores,
sexual spores are oospores.
Disease cycle:
Soil Inhabiting fungi which cause Damping off, root rot, wilt etc
Primary source - soil borne oospores
Secondary spread- Irrigation water
Favourable conditions:
Excessive soil moisture
High humidity and Overcrowding of seedling
Management:
Deep summer ploughing
Seed bed area have to be changed every year
Optimum seeds are used
Seed treatment with Apron 5g/kg of seeds, or Trichoderma 10g/ kg
Top soil of the seed bed mixed with the with FYM based Trichoderma
Use of light soil for nursery, raised seed bed.
Soil Solarisation immediately after bed preparation.
Provide frequent irrigation and better drainage,
Drenching with Copper Oxychloride @ 0.2 % or
Metalaxyl @ 0.2% fungicides at 8-10 days interval
2. Powdery mildew:
Symptoms:
White powdery growth on the lower surface, sometimes the powdery coating can
also be seen on the upper surface.
Correspondingly on the upper surface yellow patches are seen.
Severe infection results in the drying and shedding of affected leaves.
Etiology: Anamorph: Oidiopsis taurica
Teleomorph: Leveillula taurica
Mycelium is hyaline and endophytic, Conidiophores are long and branched. Conidia
are cylindrical or pyriform (flame shaped) hyaline, borne singly or in short chains.
Mode of spread and Survival:
Spread: Through air-borne conidia
Survival: As dormant mycelium in the infected crop debris.
Disease cycle:
Primary source: cleistothecia in the infected plant debris.
Secondary Spread: Air-borne conidia.
Management:
Remove the infected plant debris and destroy.
Spray Wettable [email protected]% or Dust Sulphur at 25 kg/ha and repeat after 15
days.
3. Fruit rot and Die-back:
Symptoms:
Shedding of flowers due to the infection at pedicel and tips of branches.
Under favourable conditions this infection spreads to stem through the flower stalk
and causes die-back of branches.
Fruit infection:
Ripe fruits are more liable for attack than the green ones.
Brown water soaked patch appears on the skin of the fruit.
Severe infection result in the shriveling and drying of fruits.
Such fruits become white in colour and lose their pungency.
On the surface of the lesions minute black dot like fruiting bodies called ‘acervulli’
occur. The affected fruits may fall off subsequently
Etiology: Colletotrichum capsici
Mycelium is septate, light to dark grey in colour. Acervuli are round and elongated,
setae are brown, 2-5 septate and scattered. Conidiophores short, hyaline, cylindrical, conidia
falcate, fusiform with acute apices, single celled and hyaline.
Mode of spread and survival:
Survival: On the infected fruits.
Spread: Through infected seeds (Externally seed-borne) and air-borne conidia.
Optimum temp. 22-25°c humid weather with rainfall at frequent intervals.
Management:
Deep summer ploughing
Collect seeds only form fruits without infection.
Crop debris should be collected and destroyed.
Seed treatment with Captan or Thiran 4g/kg or Carbendazim @ 0.2 %
Spraying Carbendazim or Hexcaconazole @ 0.1%
Resistant Varieties: Byadagi Kaddi
4. Murda complex:
Thrips - upward curling
Mites – downward curling with elongation of petioles, copper like metallic shining
on lower surface of leaves
Viruses – curling, filiform of leaves, rat tail symptoms
Management:
Nursery beds should be covered with nylon or straw to protect the seedlings from
viral infection.
Use of barrier crops: chilli crops bordered with sorghum or maize against aphids,
thrips, and mites control
Use of inter crops: chilli + Onion, chilli + Garlic and Chilli + Coriander (1:2 ratio)
Mulching: Alluminium foil mulching / paddy straw, polythene sheet and Glyricidia
Nutrient management: Application of K2O @ 105 kg / ha and manganese
supplementation through foliar spray or soil drenching.
Neem cake 500 kg / ha with 50 % RDF
Release of Amblyseives sp (Predatory mite) 15-20 mites/plant against thrips and mites
Lecanicillium lecani or Beauveria bassiana 2g / l against insects.
Use resistant hybrid: Arka suphal, Arka abhir, Arka harita, Arka meghana, Arka
khyati and Arka sweta
Chemical: Seed treatment : Imidacloprid (3ml/kg)
Before sowing Carbofuran3G 25g/bed
Insecticide spray Imidacloprid 17.8SL (0.3ml/l) or Thiomethoxam25WG (0.3g/l)
or Acephate 75SC (1g/l) or Spinosad 45 SC @ 0.25 ml/l
White fly : Triazophos 1.5ml/l
Mites : Dicofol @ 0.1 % or Diafenthiuron 50 SP @ 1g/l or Spiromesifin 30SC @
2ml/l
