Dark Lesions on Stem

[orangehero]

Was wondering if anyone could identify what may be causing these dark lesions on my overwintering peppers' stems...

The new growth appears healthy, the plants are flowering again. I believe these lesions are some kind of infection that may have entered through the cuts I made, though I tried keeping everything sterile.

It was spreading on one plant, though it does not appear to be on the others. Strangely, the best new growth was above the spreading lesions. Cut off the branches on which it was spreading and sealed cuts with wax.

Should I be concerned?

 

[Nova]

I would suggest that you segregate it away from other plants and only work on it whilst not working on any other plants.

I am not a plant doctor but the first thing that comes to mind is a virus??

 

[AlabamaJack]

hate to say it but it looks bad...check this out...now I am not saying it is but look at the photo in the bottom middle of the first page...similar?

http://www.avrdc.org/LC/pepper/phytophthora.pdf

 

[Noshownate]

that is some scary stuff theyre aj

 

[POTAWIE]

Looks like maybe some sort of fungus. I'd try treating it with a copper or sulpher based fungicide

 

[orangehero]

The symptoms don't exactly match, but it may well be phytophthora, simply I am not seeing a full-blown infection due to the low temps and dry air (they're sitting on a windowsill with below freezing outside).

Before I dug my plants up and cut them down, there were no disease problems with peppers, even though we had a very wet spring and summer. They were growing fine and healthy.

I'll try the sulphur, hopefully it's not..."Once the fungus is introduced into the field it may remain indefinitely."

Just to clarify, it's on all the plants, but the lesions were spreading on only one.

 

[orangehero]

It looks so similar to the Tomato Late Blight Lesions:
http://www.hort.cornell.edu/department/Facilities/lihrec/vegpath/photos/lateblight_tomato.htm

I suppose my last resort would be to get a sample tested by a plant pathologist.

 

[jjs7741]

From what I have read about Late Blight, it spreads very quickly and kills the plant in days. Are you leaves affected too or just the stems? I would think that if it was late blight, the plants would have been goners by now, especially since they were pruned. So hopefully it is not that.

jacob

 

[Espechili]

I got some similar stains on my 7Pod cuttings. They look healthy and I think it's just nothing. If you want to stay save, seperate the plant from the others and watch it. If the plant begins to look unhealthy and real ill, I would consider dumping it.