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sick leaves on long beans and pepper plants #874928

Asked June 27, 2024, 9:54 AM EDT

Greetings, I think that I have two different kinds of problems with my long beans and pepper plants. One is shrinking leaves, looking like something is sucking away juice out of the leaves so the leaves become thinner and thinner to the point of being rolled up and transparent; the other is the yellow dots appear more and more, later a dotted line forms so the leave breaks up. Can you tell me what caused those problems and how I should handle them?

Montgomery County Maryland

Expert Response

Hi,

Picture 5760 looks similar to 4 lined plant bug damage due to the shape and grouping of the spots. Typically they feed and leave marks like this which may be clear and centers may drop out. However, the Mexican bean beetle also may show this pattern. If you have not done so look behind and under the leaves for adults and larvae. Heavy feeding can make larger  or numerous adjacent holes  to the point that leaves wilt. It is pretty easy to take a bucket of water and knock them into it by hand.

https://extension.umn.edu/yard-and-garden-insects/four-lined-plant-bugshttps://extension.umd.edu/resource/mexican-bean-beetle-vegetables/

5752 was puzzling and we surmise it has an environmental cause.  To us it looks like a scald -- perhaps sunburn since it is only  the surface of the leaf that is damaged.  Cool cloudy followed by hot sunny  weather can do such damage. It doesn't kill the plant.   

An Ask Extension Expert Replied June 27, 2024, 1:46 PM EDT

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