Crop rotation and deep burial of organic material will help control it. Do not allow leaves to collect around the base of the plant because the fungus will feed on them and later develop on the stem of the plant. There are small wiggly trails all over the leaves of my pepper plants. These trails are caused by leaf miners, a juvenile stage of an insect. Generally, this is not a severe problem in Arkansas.
Heavy infestations can defoliate plants and reduce yields.
The very youngest leaves of my pepper plant are twisted and misshaped, and the flowers are not developing into fruit. The plant may be infested with aphids, a small insect that feeds by sucking the cell contents out of young succulent tissue. Use an insecticide to control them. The Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service offers its programs to all eligible persons regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, age, disability, marital or veteran status, or any other legally protected status, and is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The mention of any commercial product in this web site does not imply its endorsement by the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service over other products not named, nor does the omission imply that they are not satisfactory.