Initially, thrips feeding damage to developing buds was suspected. Chili thrips have been
a problem in some production facilities. The second thought was that a chemical may
have been applied that affected the new growth. However, no herbicides, growth
regulators, or other chemicals had been applied to the crop. It is extremely difficult to
make a diagnosis from submitted images; therefore, a physical sample was submitted for
evaluation. When the sample was received, there were no signs of thrips or other insects
or mites present on the plants. It was also evident that older leaves were also showing
some symptoms, just not as much as the younger leaves.
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