On peppers, infected fruit develop circular depressions. Red-ripe fruit are most susceptible. Fungal inoculum overwinters on debris including seeds from infected fruit.
Transplants also serve as a source of inoculum.
Disease incidence increases as humidities and temperatures rise. Use of disease-free seed and crop rotations will lower field incidence. 45 to 50 degrees F will help slow the development of sunken areas in fruit harvested from infected plants. This fungal disease is not a problem on commercial fresh market tomatoes because fruit are harvested before ripening. Anthracnose is a problem on processing tomatoes and in home gardens, because ripe fruit are left in the field for extended periods.