Pests

Pepper Thrips

Capsicum annuum L.

Thrips damage all aerial parts of the pepper plant, causing tissue necrosis and deformation, and also act as vectors for incurable viral infections, such as tomato spotted wilt virus.

In the reference 15 varieties crop Bell pepper, where this is mentioned in the description.

In pepper crops, the most dangerous species are the western flower thrips, melon thrips, Thrips parvispinus, and tobacco thrips. The pests damage seedlings and adult plants by scraping the epidermis and sucking out the sap. Typical symptoms of infestation include silvery-gray spots, streaks on leaves and fruits, leaf blade curling, fruit deformation, and bud drop.

Beyond direct damage, thrips are critically dangerous as vectors of tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) and impatiens necrotic spot virus (INSV), which cause systemic diseases that cannot be treated. Specific resistance genes to this pest have not been identified in modern pepper breeding, and the work of searching for resistance remains a complex challenge.

General information about the subject — on the page Thrips.

Sources8

Varieties of Bell pepper mentioned in the description

Selection based on the description text, not on official evaluation: these data are absent from registers. For specific variety details, please refer to its profile.