Bacterial Spot, caused by xanthomonas campestri. This pathogen is found just about everywhere peppers are grown. Hot, wet summers encourage the disease. Unfortunately, even pepper seed can carry the disease so it is almost impossible to avoid. But it can be prevented.
HOW TO HANDLE:
Start by planting resistant varieties. Good seed catalogs list the disease resistance of the types they carry, so start by doing a little homework can go a long way before you buy seeds or plants. Keystone Resistant Giant, California Wonder, and especially Boynton Belle have shown excellent disease resistance for us.
The official treatment is spraying with copper-based fungicide. The unofficial treatment is to use a fungicide containing chlorothalonil, the same product used for Early Blight on tomatoes. Although bacterial spot on peppers isn't listed on the label as a use for this chemical, it works and has been used for this purpose for years by gardeners "in the know."
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