Disease
a. Leaf curl
- Spread by Bemsia tabaci fly
- Leaves curling and become small, light yellow
- Internodes reduced and plant become dwarf
- No fruit set and if there is fruit size is reduced
- Management: Spray Metasstox@0.15 to reduce the population of flies
- Grow resistant varieties like Pant C1.
b. Anthracnose
- Caused by Colletotricum capici fungus
- Visible symptoms much more clear on ripened fruit
- On fruits brown spots appear which later on turn blackish and finall fruit drop
- The disease is more common in rainy season
- Management: Use disease free materials and treat the seed with Captan @ 2 g per kg
- Spray DM-45 @0.2 % at 15 days interval
c. Bacterial spot
- Caused by Xanthomonas vesicatoria bacteria
- Raised spot appear on the leaves
- In the early stage they are smooth but later on they become rough
- Leaves become yellow anddrop down
- Management: Use disease free materials and treat the seed with Captan @ 2g per kg
- Follow crop rotation
d. Mosaic
- Caused by chilly mosaic virus
- Spread by aphid
- Green or yellow raised spots appear on the leaves and they start curling
- Affected plants do not set fruit
Management:
- Remove or burn the affected plants
- Spray the crop with Metasystox @0.15% at 15-20 days interval
- Grow resistant varieties
e. Chilli thrips
- Tiny sucking insects
- Feed on leaves and lacerate tissues
- Suck cell sap at the stage of plant growth
- More prone during flowering
- Causes curling and yield reduced
Management:
- Spray the crop with Metasystox @0.15% at 15-20 days interval
Insects
a. Cut worm
- Cut small plants during early stage from the soil surface
- Management: Apply 20-25 kg Aldrex dust per ha in the soil before transplanting
b. Pod Borer
- White small caterpillars bore the bods and young shoots but the incidence is not very common
Management
- Spray the crop with Sevin @ 0.2% at an interval of 10-15 days
- Aphids: Same as thrips control.
