I looked on the internet and in a little disease book I have but don't recognize it. Here in the states I would take it to my Cooperative Extension Service for diagnosis. They are usually associated with a university. Perhaps there is a similar service in Canada? Or take a sample to a local nursery--well protected in a plastic bag.

john

Thanks John.

I also tried to find it on the Web before posting but came up blank.

Unfortunately we do not have the equivalent to Cooperative Extensions in my area up here. It would be nice if we did though.

IÂll try the nursery route as suggested. Yep, IÂll definitely double bag it. I wouldnÂt want to be responsible for spreading anything nasty!

Cheers,

Bill

Hi ottawapepper,
The nice plant looks to be experiencing a physiological, not pathological, problem.
Please consider a Molybdenum (MoO4-) utilization abnormality.
Mo highest concentration should be in the leaves where it binds to sugars, sulphur aminos & poly-hydroxides.
It's Mo deficient pale yellow leaves mimics a Nitrogen deficiency.
Mo will account for the scorched leaf margins that are indicative of mineral salt "burn"damage. Mo is what converts nitrites/nitrates into plant protein tissue. The fired margins indicate excess NO3 is getting all the way to ends of leaves.
Another symptom of Mo deficiency is leaf abscission - ie., they fall off.
Several factors influence Mo.
Mo availability to the plant goes up as the soil pH rises & likewise in a saturated soil Mo availability increases. Most pepper growers keep their soil on the dry side.
Phosphorus (P) needs Mo to modulate it (P) into a form the plant can use. Many pepper growers are fertilizing with a high P ratio in their total dissolved solids & may waylay Mo from reaching the leaf.
Mo is very mobile, whether going up or down in the plant vascular tissue & also in the soil, where it is very liable to leaching away from the roots.

Bill this is what I got from my extension office. this is her reply to a photo of yours that i sent her.

Dale

The condition is called marginal necrosis and often relates to nutrient and environmental issues rather than pathogens.
That's about all I can say from the photo.
At 02:56 PM 4/14/2009, you wrote:

GringoJay, thanks for the very detailed response! Boy, IÂve got a lot to learn.

Dale, wow, I really appreciate you taking it upon yourself to forward my problem to your Extension.

IÂll do some research tonight based on both of your fedback and start a nursing routine tomorrow to see if I can get this puppy healthy.

Thanks again to you both and John for your guidance,

Bill

Hi,

Sorry to bump this post back up but I thought I'd give an update for anyone (now or future) on my progress.

Turned out that both gringojay and Dale were bang on. Based on further research, marginal necrosis seemed to fit the bill. I decided to take the easiest path to recovery.

I re-potted the sick plant in a six inch pot filled with 70% Pro Mix BX 30% mushroom compost. I figured the BX pH was good and compost offered everything needed.

Sorry, no pictures (sister borrowed my camera) but the Bih has stabalized and new growth looks good.

Thanks for the assist guys,

Bill