Experience in preventing and treating wilt disease on peppers

Wilting disease on peppers is often related to fungi, bacteria or waterlogged soil conditions and weak roots. Effective prevention and treatment needs to start with clean seeds, drained soil, crop rotation, field hygiene and early treatment of diseased plants.

Summary: Chilli wilt is a group of diseases that are difficult to treat once it has spread, because the cause often lies in the roots, root collars and soil. The plant may wilt during the day, recover slightly at night, then completely droop and die. To reduce damage, it is necessary to do well from soil, seed, drainage and field cleaning. When diseased plants are detected, they must be zoned early, do not over-water and do not leave disease residue in the field.

Applies to: Chili peppers grown in fields, beds, greenhouses or large pots, especially in areas that have withered.
Duration: Prevent diseases before planting; Treatment of diseased plants should be done immediately upon detection.
Difficulty level: Medium. It is necessary to observe the roots, root collar and soil conditions.
Estimated additional costs: Depending on the level of soil improvement, crop rotation, substrate, biological products and drainage system.

Recognizing wilt disease on peppers

Common signs:

The plant wilts in the sun, but can initially recover in the cool of the afternoon.
The leaves droop but are still green in the early stages.
The tree grows slowly, the leaves gradually turn yellow from the bottom up.
The root or root collar may be brown, dark, or soft.
There are few hairy roots, dark brown roots or bad smell if the soil is waterlogged.
The disease often appears in clusters, then spreads with water or care operations.

You should not just look at the leaves to conclude that there is a lack of water. Many plants wilt because the roots are damaged. Additional watering only makes the soil wetter and the disease worse.

Common causes

Wilting on peppers can be related to many factors, the most common of which are soil fungi, bacteria that cause green wilt, and waterlogged and weak root conditions. In fact, a field can have many causes at the same time.

Factors that make the disease worse:

Poorly drained soil, low beds.
Grow chili peppers or plants of the same nightshade family continuously for many seasons.
Seedlings carry diseases.
Fertilize with unripe organic fertilizer.
Overwatering causes pathogens to spread through the water.
Tools, shoes, and soil stuck from the sick area to the healthy area.
Prolonged rain, the soil is filled with air, the roots are weak.

Because the disease is in the soil and roots, spraying the leaves often does not solve the root problem.

Prevent diseases before planting

Choose land and make beds

Prioritize well-drained soil. If the land is low, you need to build a high bed with a clear drainage ditch.

Note:

Do not let water accumulate around the roots after rain.
The groove in the middle of the bed must be clear.
Do not plant where the previous crop had a mass death of plants if the soil has not been treated.
With pots or greenhouses, do not reuse substrate that has diseased plants if not properly treated.

Crop rotation

If the field has been withered, you should rotate crops with plants not from the same family for several seasons. Avoid planting peppers, tomatoes, eggplants, and potatoes consecutively on the same bare foot.

Crop rotation helps reduce pathogen pressure in the soil, but requires a combination of residue cleaning and drainage to be effective.

Use healthy seedlings

Seedlings need:

The body is fat, not withered.
White roots, not rotten.
The gourd does not smell sour.
Do not take seeds from orchards that have serious diseases.
Do not plant plants that show signs of wilting right from the nursery.

A diseased seedling can be a source of infection for the entire bed if over-watered or shared with tools.

Water management

Water is a very important factor in wilt disease. Too wet soil causes the roots to lack oxygen, making it easier for pathogens to grow and spread.

Principle:

Water the root area just enough to moisten it.
Avoid overflowing irrigation from sick areas to healthy areas.
After heavy rain, open the drainage ditch immediately.
Do not let the chili base become covered with mud.
If using drip irrigation, check for water leaks causing the soil to become locally soggy.

When you see a wilted plant, don't rush to water it more. Need to check the soil and roots first.

Nutrition and organic

Chili plants with strong roots will withstand better. However, wrong fertilization can also cause serious illness.

Should do:

Use decomposed organic fertilizer.
Appropriate microbial products such as Trichoderma can be added during the soil preparation or rooting stage.
Balanced fertilization, avoid excess nitrogen, which makes plants soft.
Do not fertilize strongly when the plant is wilting due to damaged roots.
Keep soil pH and porosity at appropriate levels.

Do not use fresh or unrotted organic manure, because it easily carries pathogens and heats the soil, damaging the roots.

Treat when diseased plants are detected

When you see a wilted plant, treat it in the following order:

Mark the diseased tree and the surrounding area.
Stop overwatering that area.
Pick up seriously diseased plants and take the entire root ball.
Remove residue from the field, do not throw it into the ditch.
Sprinkle lime or treat diseased tree holes according to local recommendations.
Clean tools after working in the hospital area.
Monitor neighboring plants for 3-7 days.

If the disease has just begun and the plant is still mild, it can be zoned, improved drainage, supplemented with beneficial microorganisms and monitored. With heavily drooping trees, keeping them is often ineffective.

When you need to use treatment or preparation

Because wilting can be caused by many factors, you should not use treatment based on your feelings. It is necessary to determine the approximate cause: bacterial wilt, fungus in the roots/root collar or physiological waterlogging.

Safety principles:

Prioritize local diagnosis if the disease spreads rapidly.
Only use products that are still approved for circulation.
Use the right person, the right dose and the right quarantine period according to the label.
Do not mix different types without recommendation.
Do not spray on leaves and then skip soil, root and drainage treatments.

For root diseases, chemical measures, if any, are only a part. Land improvement, crop rotation and field hygiene are still the mainstay.

Prevent spread in fields

Do not go from the sick area to the healthy area when the ground is wet.
Clean knives, scissors, and hoes after handling diseased plants.
Do not use trench water from sick areas to irrigate healthy areas.
Collect diseased plant residue.
Do not let weeds cover the roots, making the field moist.
Note the location of the disease so you can treat the soil more carefully next season.

If the disease appears in clusters in low-lying areas, priority should be given to repairing drainage before using additional supplies.

Checklist for preventing and treating wilt on chili

[ ] Choose healthy seedlings, white roots, and not sour bulbs.
[ ] Raised beds, clear drainage ditches.
[ ] Do not plant nightshade plants consecutively on seriously diseased soil.
[ ] Use decomposed organic fertilizer, do not use fresh fertilizer.
[ ] Irrigate just enough, avoid overflowing the diseased area.
[ ] Remove seriously diseased plants and remove them from the field.
[ ] Clean tools after handling diseased plants.
[ ] Record the disease location and results after 3-7 days.

Mistakes to avoid

If you see a wilted plant, water it more immediately: if the roots are rotten or the soil is waterlogged, the plant will wilt more severely.

Only spray on leaves: the disease is in the soil and roots so the effectiveness is low.

Let diseased plants die right in the bed: pathogens continue to exist and spread through water and soil.

Continuously growing peppers in multiple crops on the same diseased soil: pathogen pressure gradually increases.

Use strong fertilizer to save wilted plants: weak roots cannot absorb it, plants will be more susceptible to shock.