Help identifying Cocoa Diseases

#1

I need help figuring out some of the diseases on my cocoa. I just got to a farm with about 25 acres of cocoa on an upload area in Liberia, West Africa. It has been poorly managed for the past 5-7 years with no pruning and very little oversight. I’m struggling to figure out what’s going on, and would appreciate the help, especially if you know whether we should be picking these pods to stop the disease from spreading or leaving them to mature.
Thank you Echo community!
Fig 1:

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Fig 2:
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Fig 3:
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Fig 4:
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#2

@Michael_T_Cooley do you have any thoughts or know of plant pathologists who could help given your past work and experience with cacao?

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#3

Hi Stacy! Hope you and the family are well by God’s matchless Grace!

I am involved with many in the Cocoa Industry including academia but no Pathology people. What is the problem?

Michael

#4

Hi Michael!

Thanks for the response. I’m working with a cocoa farm that hasn’t done any pruning for the past 7 years, and next to no disease management. I’ve recognized the regular diseases, but I’ve got some strange ones (pictured in the original post) that I can’t figure out. Would love some input!

Eoghan

#5

Figure 1 looks like the start of “Frosty pod” caused by the fungus Moniliophthora roreri. It is a fungus. The other photos like like various stages of the start of Black Pod (Phytophthora spp). We have found that by carefully removing the effected pods away from the plantaion before processing and burying the hulls afterward, and, keeping the plantation relatively open and free from undergrowth to reduce humidity, these funguses will be reduced. Ants also can carry the fungus so if ants are seen near other effected pods try to mitigate.

Oh, and if there are waterlogged areas, provide drainage.

It also helps to harvest before the pods get overripe when more suseptable to the fungus.

Some varieties of cocoa are more resistant. And copper-based fungicides can help if used on clean pods as soon as the fungus is noticed and affected pods removed.

Hope this helps!

Michael Cooley MSc/PDC
(https://www.efi-intl.org)

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