COCOA PESTS AND DISEASE
Infected Black Pod Cocoa Tree
The Black Pod is the main disease that is causing significant losses for the cocoa farmers in Sierra Leone. As cocoa is very susceptible to attack by insect pests and fungal diseases.Pod rot also know as Black Pod, is caused by the fungus Phytophthora. Three fungal species of the same genus are responsible causes global yield loss of 20-30% and tree deaths of 10% annually.
The Black Pod usually starts with the rotting or the necrosis of the cocoa pods. The disease can attack the pods at any stage of development, and the initial symptoms are small, hard, dark spots on any part of the pod, internal tissues, these sucking insects damage the soft young tissues of the tree by piercing the young shoots with their mouth parts, injecting poisonous saliva and then sucking liquid food out of the resulting wound.
Pest and disease control is an important component of deliberations at all level in the cocoa sector in the country cocoa production programme and an effective training regime has been put in place by The Produce Monitoring Board (PMB), and also The Agriculture For Development (A4D) project that have employed the service of Agricultural Officers across the country to organize training programme and external workshops.
Understanding how to achieve and maintain healthy soils on cocoa farms is fundamental to sustaining higher yields and lower levels of disease. Severe attack may cause defoliation and subsequent low yields. Attacks are more serious where shade is reduced, so may occur after the death or felling of a forest tree.
Below is table that shows the most common pest and diseases associated with cocoa plantation in Sierra Leone
Pest | Feeding Habits | Control |
Monkeys and Baboons |
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Capsids |
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Borers |
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Diseases
The most dangerous diseases that attack cacao trees are the black pod and swollen shoot disease.
Diseases | Feeding Habit | Control |
Black pod | Caused by a fungus which chiefly attacks the pods
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Swollen-shoot | Leaves become mottled
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