Preplant

Select the field considering:

• Soil type
• Cropping history
• Pest history, especially weed species and plantback restrictions from the previous crop
• The need for crop rotation to reduce problems from pathogens, nematodes, weeds, and insects (do not plant consecutive pepper crops especially for pepper weevil)
• Soil fumigation history
  • Sample soil for nutrient, salinity, and pH to determine fertilizer and soil amendment needs

Prepare the field (for drip-irrigated peppers).

• Conduct tillage operations. Preirrigate and cultivate to destroy initial flush of weeds.
• Choose planting configuration.
• Prepare planting bed.
• Apply preplant fertilizer based on soil test results.
• Install irrigation system.
• Consider the use of plastic mulch and choose the color depending on management needs (e.g. opaque for weed control or reflective to repel aphids and whiteflies). Before plastic mulch is applied:
  • Consider treating beds with preemergence herbicides to control problematic weeds such as little mallow and yellow nutsedge.
  • Consider injecting preplant fumigants to control problematic soilborne pathogens and weeds.
• Sample for nematodes if cropping history is unknown. Manage, if needed, according to the Peppers Pest Management Guidelines.
• Control weeds in surrounding crop fields, head rows, fallow fields, and noncrop areas throughout the season.

Select planting method—direct-seeded or transplant.

Select an appropriate cultivar to provide desired yield and crop quality goals. Also, consider disease-resistant varieties. Use disease-free transplants, or if direct seeding, indexed pathogen-negative seed or treated seed.

Throughout the season, clean equipment and tractors before entering a new field to prevent the spread of key soilborne pathogens such as Verticillium and weed propagules.

Check transplants for diseases and insects before planting. Rogue infested or infected plants.

Arthropods

• Beet armyworm
• Broad mite (Imperial and Coachella valleys)
• Cutworms
• Green peach aphid
• Flea beetles
• Leafminers
• Omnivorous leafroller
• Pepper weevil
• Seedcorn maggot (direct-seeded)
• Thrips
• Tomato fruitworm
• Tomato (potato) psyllid
• Twospotted spider mite
• Wireworms
• Whiteflies
• Yellowstriped armyworm

Diseases

• Alfalfa mosaic virus
• Bacterial spot
• Beet curly top
• Botrytis gray mold
• Cucumovirus mosaic diseases
• Gray mold
• Impatiens necrotic spot
• Pepper potyvirus mosaic disease
• Pepper tobamovirus diseases
• Powdery mildew
• Root and crown rot and damping-off diseases
• White mold