Sunscald on Tomatoes and Peppers

How to recognize it

Look for a pale, bleached, white-to-yellowish patch on the side of the fruit that faces the sun. The tissue turns dry, leathery, and papery, and can crack or become a site for secondary rot.

It's noninfectious — it won't spread plant to plant like a disease — and it's most common during extreme heat when fruit is suddenly exposed.

Preventing it

Maintain leaf cover over developing fruit for as long as possible, and resist stripping foliage in hot weather — over-pruning to 'improve airflow' is a common way gardeners cause sunscald.

During heat waves, drape shade cloth over the plants to shield exposed fruit. If disease has already thinned the canopy, supplemental shade cloth stands in for the missing leaves.

Sources

Reviewed 2026-07-18. We cite university Extension, government, and established horticultural sources — and never invent pesticide rates or dangerous treatments.

• University of Illinois Extension IPM — Sunscald of Pepper and Tomato — Sunscald is a noninfectious disorder caused by sudden exposure of fruit to intense direct sun during extreme heat; affected tissue turns white/papery; maintaining foliage cover prevents it.
• University of Minnesota Extension — Growing tomatoes (sunscald) — Sunscald appears as pale, papery patches on sun-exposed fruit, often after foliage loss; adequate leaf cover and avoiding over-pruning prevent it.

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