Ask an Expert: Disease and Pest Management for Vegetable Crops
Q: Which vegetables do diseases and pests commonly target?
A: Some key targets are tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers. For tomato plants, the biggest pest problem is the whitefly. Other issues that can pop up are botrytis foliar and bacterial blight. Cucumbers are often attacked by powdery mildew, as well as aphids and thrips. Aphids are also a huge problem for peppers, particularly hot and spicy varieties, which are being grown more all around the country.