Vegetable production: Pest and weed control for your bell peppers

Here’s some expert advice on weed and pest control for your bell peppers.

Aphids (mainly Myzus persicae or green peach aphids) are small, soft bodied insects that can be green, black, yellow or pink.
They are found on the terminal growth ends or underneath the leaf of the plant.
Once established, an aphid colony can increase rapidly.
Aphids cause direct damage to plants by sucking the plant fluid or sap from them, causing stunting, yellowing or curling.
The insects cause indirect damage due to the secretion of honeydew, a sticky substance.
Honeydew is a growing medium for certain black sooty moulds that can inhibit plant growth or make the fruit unmarketable.
Aphids are carriers (or vectors) of certain viruses.
The best control is early detection, so regular scouting is important.
Their natural enemies include ladybugs, but the reproduction rate of the aphid can outnumber the impact of these predators.
Applying insecticides as control can kill these natural predators, so keep that in mind when applying chemical control.
When applying chemical control, keep in mind that the aphids live underneath the leaves and are protected from aerial spray.
Infestation in a greenhouse can be controlled by good sanitation.
Weed control around your fields can aid to the control of the aphids.
Destroy infested crop debris soon after harvesting.

The European corn borer (Ostrinia nubilalis) causes damage to a variety of agricultural crops, including sweet peppers.
The worm causes direct damage to the fruit by feeding or boring into the fruit, leading to premature ripening and fruit rot.
The wound caused by the worm is an entry point for other pathogens.
Their presence can be indicated by small egg masses on leaves or holes in the fruit.
The damage might not always be visible from the outside.
Plant your peppers as far away as possible from maize fields to lower chances of infestation. Weed control around the edge of your field is important.
Chemical control after infestation is difficult since the worm is shielded inside the fruit.
It is better to apply preventative control.
The overuse of pyrethroid insecticides as control can lead to problems with aphids, due to the reduction of their natural enemies.
It is advised to use it in rotation with other insecticides.
Applying insecticides to control the worm during bloom is harmful and deadly to foraging bees and is not advised.
It should otherwise be administered when the bees are not active, during the early morning or late afternoon.
Infested crop residue should be destroyed and ploughing during the fall can destroy most of the overwintering larvae.

Feeding broad mites causes downward curled leaves.
Affected leaves develop a bronze colour, especially on the lower side where they become thick and brittle.
The surface of affected fruit becomes russeted and corky and may become distorted.
Weeds, like nightshade that serves as hosts for mites, should be controlled to reduce infestation.
Spotted spider mites reduce the chlorophyll content of the plant, with damages leaves appearing bleached and stippled with small silver-gray or yellow speckles.
Heavy infestation causes leaves to die off and webbing can be visible on the plant.
Mites are difficult to control and biological control in the form of the predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis is the best form of control.
Mites don’t like high humidity, so regular watering of plants should reduce infestation.

Feeding damage from thrips cause distortion and the upward curling of leaves. Leaves become crinkled, and develops a silvery sheen that later turns bronze.
Signs of damage on the fruit include distortion and russeted streaks.
The Western flower thrip is a vector for the tomato spotted wilt virus.
The virus causes yellowing and browning of young leaves, that eventually die off.
Long streaks of dead tissue appear on the stems extending to the growing tips.
Large dead streaks of tissue and spots appear on the fruit after infection, while young fruit can completely die off.
Disease infected plants must be destroyed immediately.
Thrip resistant cultivars are the best control, as well as mulching with plastic.

Weeds in your pepper fields negatively affect the yield of peppers in several ways.
Weeds compete for moisture and nutrients and are hosts to several pests and diseases that can be carried over to the pepper plants.
Peppers are very sensitive to weed competition, especially 12 to 48 days after transplanting.
It is therefore important to control weeds in and around your sweet pepper field.

Sources:
http://www.nda.agric.za/docs/Brochures/sweetpepper.pdf
https://www.starkeayres.co.za/com_variety_docs/Sweet-&-Hot-Pepper-Production-Guideline-2014.pdf
https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/ef103
http://www.producegrower.com/article/spot-pests-that-affect-bell-peppers/
https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/ef301

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