Crud on leaves

JohnF · May 1, 2006

Anyone recognize this stuff? Click
'large' or 'original' for closer view.

http://www.pbase.com/chiles400/image/59489165/medium
Friend thinks it may be a deficiency rather than a disease or pest.

bcday · May 2, 2006

That looks like a bunch of mealybugs to me. Try looking through a 10x hand lens if you have one.

If those are mealybugs, you need to get rid of them.

MsCowpea · May 2, 2006

Agree with BCday. Not a disease or deficiency but hard to tell with a photo. Everybody should have a cheap hand lens. In 2 seconds you could ID it yourself. Can you rub them off? If so, that would not be a deficiency.

Another possibility is whitefly. Here is a picture:

http://www.gaipm.org/top50/whitefly.jpg

JohnF · May 2, 2006

I have a loupe. If you look at the original size picture http://www.pbase.com/chiles400/image/59489165/original
you will see that it is neither whitefly or mealy bugs. It is dry and does not rub off. The plants look sturdy and healthy. My friend who thinks it is a deficiency has been unable to identify a pathogen or find a critter. He says it happens to some plants in the greenhouse but not on plants outside.

JohnF · May 2, 2006

Closer shot

cdntomato · May 2, 2006

At first I thought something in a fine spray might have eaten away at the leaf. Now it looks fungal in the latest macro shot.

Jennifer

Catntree · May 2, 2006

What does the top look like?

Reminds me of either a sucking insect, or a virus-usually spread by a sucking insect.

Odd.

JohnF · May 2, 2006

Tops of the leaves ( and rest of plant) look normal and healthy. I would not have discovered this if I hadn't been checking undersides of leaves for aphids. ( there were none)

bcday · May 2, 2006

My only other guess is powdery mildew, which in peppers apparently only produces spores on the underside of leaves and does not always cause discoloration on the top surface of the leaf, at least until the disease is well advanced.

http://www.agf.gov.bc.ca/cropprot/peppermildew.htm

http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.corne...eryPowdery.htm

JohnF · May 7, 2006

Not powdery mildew. Have posted this on other pepper forums and others have had this "problem" , also without being able to identify it. Seems to only affect C. chinense and indoor plants. Curiouser and curiouser.

**Patrina_Pepperina** · May 7, 2006

I think it's fungal too - in John's last pic it seems like the furry white stuff is emerging from little bumps within the leaf and growing spores (and there are lots of tiny white spots in the leaf itself).

When you read the second link that bcday posted, the description fits, altho the pics don't, yet it would be interesting to see what this leaf looks like in another couple weeks.

The fact that it is mostly affecting C. chinenses could mean that chinense foliage type is simply more susceptible to this particluar pathogen.

PP

JohnF · May 8, 2006

Contrary to appearance it is not 'furry' or rough either . If you rub your finger across it it's hard to detect and does not come off. I had removed the lower leaves that were affected and now the lowest leaves are affected-I will leave them in place. It has not spread to other plants which they are very close to and still only affects the two plants--West Indian Red and Congo Trinidad. Another Congo Trindad started at same time from same seed batch is not affected. Both plants continue to appear healthy and are producing buds. Stayed tuned.

May 1, 2006	#1
JohnF Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Bangor, Maine Posts: 66	Crud on leaves Anyone recognize this stuff? Click 'large' or 'original' for closer view. http://www.pbase.com/chiles400/image/59489165/medium Friend thinks it may be a deficiency rather than a disease or pest.

May 2, 2006	#3
MsCowpea Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: S. FLorida / Zone 10 Posts: 369	Agree with BCday. Not a disease or deficiency but hard to tell with a photo. Everybody should have a cheap hand lens. In 2 seconds you could ID it yourself. Can you rub them off? If so, that would not be a deficiency. Another possibility is whitefly. Here is a picture: http://www.gaipm.org/top50/whitefly.jpg __________________ "When we kill off the natural enemies of a pest we inherit their work." Carl Huffaker

May 2, 2006	#7
Catntree Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Maine Posts: 177	What does the top look like? Reminds me of either a sucking insect, or a virus-usually spread by a sucking insect. Odd. __________________ Zone 4/5

May 2, 2006	#2
bcday Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NY z5 Posts: 1,205	That looks like a bunch of mealybugs to me. Try looking through a 10x hand lens if you have one. If those are mealybugs, you need to get rid of them.

May 2, 2006	#6
cdntomato Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Kingston, Ontario Posts: 554	At first I thought something in a fine spray might have eaten away at the leaf. Now it looks fungal in the latest macro shot. Jennifer

May 7, 2006	#10
JohnF Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Bangor, Maine Posts: 66	Not powdery mildew. Have posted this on other pepper forums and others have had this "problem" , also without being able to identify it. Seems to only affect C. chinense and indoor plants. Curiouser and curiouser.

May 7, 2006	#11
Patrina_Pepperina Cross Hemisphere Dwarf Project™ Moderator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: New South Wales, Australia Posts: 3,094	I think it's fungal too - in John's last pic it seems like the furry white stuff is emerging from little bumps within the leaf and growing spores (and there are lots of tiny white spots in the leaf itself). When you read the second link that bcday posted, the description fits, altho the pics don't, yet it would be interesting to see what this leaf looks like in another couple weeks. The fact that it is mostly affecting C. chinenses could mean that chinense foliage type is simply more susceptible to this particluar pathogen. PP

May 8, 2006	#12
JohnF Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Bangor, Maine Posts: 66	Contrary to appearance it is not 'furry' or rough either . If you rub your finger across it it's hard to detect and does not come off. I had removed the lower leaves that were affected and now the lowest leaves are affected-I will leave them in place. It has not spread to other plants which they are very close to and still only affects the two plants--West Indian Red and Congo Trinidad. Another Congo Trindad started at same time from same seed batch is not affected. Both plants continue to appear healthy and are producing buds. Stayed tuned.