This disease has affected a couple of my heirloom plants. Base of the plant looks fine. Thinking it might be early blight? Or perhaps verticillium? It's affecting leaves and stem. Does not seem to be killing the plant, just affecting older leaves and stem. A few leaves have died. Plant has good new growth and fruit seems unaffected. I'm in central Georgia where it's getting hot and humid now. Any prevention/treatment recommendations most welcome.

It looks more like something is chewing on the surface along the vein. It must be something small. The black specks could be frass. Check your plants at different times of day and night to see if you can find the culprit. If the plants are doing alright except for this, it may be something you can ignore.

Well, its been a few weeks and the plants haven't gotten any better, or any worse. they even put out some fruit but they are growing slowly and are stunted. the Neem oil didn't seem to do anything so I pulled the bad plant and chopped off the bad branch of the other one. everything seems fine otherwise, except for what might be bacterial spot or a similar disease that is affecting nearly all of my peppers to varying degrees. My peppers are in many locations around the yard that are isolated from each other so I figure this is largely due to the cooler and wetter than normal summer we're having. I suspect there isn't much that can be done. I'm still getting plenty of peppers, though. now, if someone could give me some hints on dealing with sunflower head-clipping weevils. those things are driving me nuts!

I guess one looks like it is rotting from the base of the stem. However, this rot appeared much after the white lesions and only after over watering (the leaves were looking droopy so I assumed it was under-watered and over-watered by mistake).