• Dark veinal tissue followed by leaf chlorosis and necrosisInternal dark brown discoloration
• Stem cankers develop - breakage of branches
• Wilting and drying
• Fruit peduncle - highly susceptible & is frequently the initial point of infection
• Both ripe and green fruit may be affected
• Initially, the lesions on the fruit are light to dark-colored, water-soaked, and somewhat sunken
• In later stages, bacterial ooze may develop from affected areas, and secondary organisms follow, often invading the rotted tissue
• Affected fruit hang from the plant like a water-filled bag

• The bacterium is gram negative, rod shaped with 1-6 peritrichous flagella.

Disease incidence could be reduced by

• Early detection of symptoms
• Disinfection of pruning tools
• Avoidance of wounding plants
• Remove plant debris - fallen, diseased leaves
• Seed treatment – 1% sodium hypochlorite for 30 sec, then rinse with clean water
• Avoid planting pepper crops following crops of potato or cabbage
• Rotate instead with crops of bean, corn and soybean

Post-harvest disease management

• Use chlorinated water to reduce populations of soft rot bacteria and to reduce the risk of infection during washing
• Allow fruit to dry thoroughly
• During packing and storage, the fruit should be kept clean and maintained in a cool, dry place