Fruit rot of sweet pepper caused by Stemphylium lycopersici in Japan

A severe rot of postharvest fruits of sweet pepper, a variety of Capsicum annuum, was found in Kagawa Prefecture in southwestern Japan in August 1999. A fungus, isolated repeatedly from the diseased fruits and identified as Stemphylium lycopersici, was demonstrated to be pathogenic to fruits of sweet pepper. The disease was new to Japan, and the fungus was added to the pathogens causing fruit rot of C. annuum.