bell peppers

[lisa]

I am now having trouble with my bell's,I have 7 plants a couple of purple's,couple of white's,some yellow,and green,they have been doing great all year.In fact my bells,banana peppers,and watermelon were the only things not causing me a headache,but now my peppers are getting soft and falling off the plants before they get much bigger than a cherry tomato.does anyone know why?I'm in oklahoma we are hanging around 105 with not much relief in sight.Help

[Newt]

Lisa, you don't mention anything about the leaves.* Do they appear normal?* I'm not finding anything with what you are describing.* This site has some good pics and descriptive info, but no match to what you describe.*
http://www.ppath.cas.psu.edu/EXTENSI...es/peppers.htm

I wonder if it could be the intense heat and/or drought or possibly a late infection of phytophthora blight.* The symptoms of this blight show differently depending upon when the infection occurs.
http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.corne...it_Phytoph.htm
http://www.extension.umn.edu/project...egetables.html

Maybe bacterial soft rot?
http://www.avrdc.org/LC/pepper/bact_rot.pdf

If the rot starts at the end of the fruit not attached to the plant, that would be blossom end rot.

Newt