Can I save seeds from peppers with anthracnose
 

Folks, I have had a base case of anthracnose on my peppers for the first time ever.



I was cutting up some bad fruit for the seeds, when I realized that I might NOT be able to save seeds this year!.....!......!



Can I, or can I treat the seeds to kill the virus?

They're doomed Scott. A Virus is a Virus and the seeds will carry it.

What if this disease is actually Bacterial spot? Is the same true?


[url]https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/topics/bacterial-leaf-spot-pepper-vegetables[/url]
You can minimize problems with bacterial spot by following these tips:
[LIST=1][*]Select resistant varieties[*]Purchase disease-free seed and transplants.[*][COLOR=Red]Treat seeds by soaking them for 2 minutes in a 10% chlorine bleach solution (1 part bleach; 9 parts water). Thoroughly rinse seeds and dry them before planting.[/COLOR][*]Mulch plants deeply with a thick organic material like newspaper covered with straw or grass clippings.[*]Avoid overhead watering.[*]Remove and discard badly infected plant parts and all debris at the end of the season.[*]Spray every 10-14 days with fixed copper (organic fungicide) to slow down the spread of infection.[*]Rotate peppers to a different location if infections are severe and cover the soil with black plastic mulch or black landscape fabric prior to planting.[/LIST]

Anthracnose is a fungal disease, not a virus.
[URL]https://www.gardentech.com/disease/anthracnose[/URL]


No expert here, but I would go with the bleach treatment and keep the seeds for your own use if you want.

Thanks. If I trial the seeds, when would the bacterial spot show up? At the seedling stage?

I would rather not throw away a whole seasons worth of seeds for 20 varieties.

There are different fungal agents that fit under Anthracnose. The infection occurs on the outside of the pepper usually during the ripening stage when spores are are splashed up from the soil.
If the infection has progressed to where fruiting bodies have formed on the inside of the pepper then it is likely that the seed will be carrying Anthracnose spores on the seed coat.
I agree that a short bleach treatment on the seed coat to kill the spores is probably a good idea.

As a matter of course, I do my overnight pre-germination soak in an H2O2 solution. That has the approximate effect of bleach, but maybe add a few drops of bleach at the end? Good luck.