Taxonomy
The pepper plant is native to South America. The plant has an herbaceous and annual. It has a pivotal root, erect stem, and determined growth. The leaves are whole, alternate, petiolate and lanceolate. It has solitary flowers, which are hermaphrodite, the petals´s colour is white and the flowers are pentamers. The fruit is a semicartilaginous and depressed berry of variable shape and color.
the pepper plant is highly sensitive to high temperatures and low humidity, that requires deep soils, rich in organic matter and well drained. The optimum pH of their development is between 5.5 and 8. It is a plant susceptible to root asphyxia and is moderately resistant to salinity.
Pests
The main pests of pepper are: Trialeurodes vaporariorum, Poliphagotarsonemus latus, Agrotis segetum, Prodenia litura,
Scientific name: Capsicum annuum L.
Myzus persicae, Neomyzus circunflexus, Aphis gossypii, Frankliniella occidentalis, Meloidogyne javanica, Meloidogyne incognita and Tetranychus sp.
Diseases
The main diseases of pepper are: Leveillula taurica, Botryotinia fuckeliana, Botrytis cinérea, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Phytophthora capsici, Rhizoctonia solani, Pythium debarianum, Verticillium dahliae, Cercospora capsici, Fusarium oxysporum, Cladosporium capsici, Cercospora capsici, Xanthomonas campestris, Erwinia carotovora subsp. Carotovora.
viral diseases
The main viral diseases of pepper are: CMV, TSWV, ToMV, PMMV, PVY, and TBSV.