COCOA Scientific name: Theobroma cacao Linn.

Family: Sterculiaceae INTRODUCTION No major disease problem of cocoa occurs in the State. Pink disease and thread blights occur commonly, but losses due to these disease are well below the economic threshold. Die-back had cause some concerns at one stage, but this problem did not jeopardise cocoa as a profitable crop for cultivation. Although black pod disease occurs, but its distribution is very limited, and the general environmental conditions are largely unfavourable for the infection and subsequent development of the disease. Root diseases are fairly common, but their overall incidences remain low. A virus disease had once occurred, but it was brought well under control by eradication of all diseased trees. PINK DISEASE
Cause Symptoms

Corticium salmonicolor (Berk. & Br.) Sacc.

The mycelium is silky white at first, turning to a pinkish colour gradually. Later a continuous pink incrustation is formed an the infected twigs and branches. The pink incrustation may bear basidia, which are often sterile. Frequently orange-red pustules are produced among the mycelial skin. The mycelial skin turns eventually to a dirty white colour.The leaves on an infected branch turn pale yellow as the bark becomes dry and dead. Eventually all the leaves become blighted and drop off, leaving behind a leafless dead branch. THREAD BLIGHTS

Disease

Cause

Symptoms White fungal threads, composed of strands of fungal tissues, are formed on the infected branches and

White Thread Marasmius Blights cyphella Dennis & Reid, M. neosessilis Singer and Marasmiellus

leaves. These fungal threads may ramify fairly extensively. Severe defoliation may occur, resulting in considerable dieback. Leaves are often bound together by the threads and dead leaves remain suspended for

scandens (Mass.) Dennis & Reid (Syn. Marasmius scandens Mass.). Of these, M. cypella Horse Blight Hair Marasmius crinisequi Mueller Kalchbrenner (Syn. equicrinis Mueller Berk. ). Brown Marasmius ex M.

some times.

The fungus produces shiny black thread which resemble horse hair, on infected materials. Unlike ex white thread blights, the threads do not adhere close to the branches but hang loosely.

The threads occur on leaves and stems of an infected plant. These ramify on both the upper and lower leaf surfaces. The threads are white when they are newly produced. The older threads are tawny brown in colour. Severely infected leaves become blighted, and twig die-back occurs. POD DISEASE

Thread Blight byssicola Petch

Disease Black Disease

Cause

Symptoms The first sign of infection is a tiny light brown spot which turns chocolate brown soon. The lesion enlarges and darkens until the whole pod becomes black eventually. Pods of all stages may be attacked, but mature pods are more prone to infection. Infection can take place on any part of a pod, but it occurs usually at the stalk or tip of the pod where moisture tends to retain. Under humid condition, the fungus produce white to yellowish spores masses on the surface of infected pods. If disease pods are left on the trees, the

Pod Phytophthora palmivora (Butl.)

fungus may grow through the stalk into the cushion area, giving rise to cankers. Pod Rot Phytophthora heveae Thompson The lesion is light brown at first, and its advancing edge is irregular. The lesion turns black gradually following invasion by other saprophytic fungi. The rot enlarges fairly rapidly and becomes completely rotted within a week after the appearance of the primary lesion. Brown Disease Pod Botryodiplodia theobramae Pat. The first sign of infection is a brown spot, which enlarges and darkens. Eventually the whole pod becomes rotted. Under humid condition, the infected pods are covered with black mycelial masses in which numerous pycnidia are embedded. Large number of conidia are produced inside the pycnidia. The beans inside an advancely infected pods are completely destroyed. Pod Antracnose Glomerella cingulata (Stonem. ) spauld. & Schrenk, Early infection appears as raised, brown, oval spots on pods. The spots turn back and later become sunken. Pinkish pustules of spores are often produced on the infected pods. The damaged areas provide entry for other organisms which cause the pods to rot. Botryodiplodia theobramae Pat. is one of the common secondary invanders. MINOR LEAF DISEASES Disease Sooty moulds Cause Tripospermum gardneri (Berk. ) Speg. Ex Hendrickx, Morfea sp. and Chaetothyrium spp. Symptoms Sooty moulds are common on leaves under humid condition. These fungi grow on secretions deposited by insects, mainly mealybugs, aphids and scale insects. They produce superficial black mycelium on the surfaces of leaves. Sometimes shoots and twigs are also affected. These fungi are not parasitic, but heavy infestation of leaves can interfere with photosynthesis of the trees. The incidence of the disease is not severe

and no control measure is required generally. Leaf Spot Glomerella cingulata (Stonem. ) Spauld & Schrenk The early sign of infection appears as small round chlorotic spots. The spots turn brown and become necrotic. The spots assume papery in texture. These spots may enlarge and coalesce to produce large necrotic blotches. Other fungi commonly associated with the blotching are Botryodiplodia theobramae Pat. and Pestalotiopsis theae (Saw. ) Steyaert. These are secondary invaders. Red Rust Phycopeltis sp. The alga on oil palm, causing a spectacular red coloration of leaves under prolong period of wet weather. However, its growth on cocoa leaves is never heavy. The alga produces small, round, dull-red coloured spots on the leaves. The growth of alga is superficial. The spotting is fairly common but unimportant. ROOT DISEASE Cause Rigidoporus lignosus (Klotzsch) Imazeki (Formerly Fomes lignosus (Klotzsch) Bres. ), brown root disease by Phellinus noxius (Corner) G. H. Cunningham (Formerly Fomes noxius Corner), and Poria root disease by Poria hypobrunnea Petch. Symptoms The early sign of infection is indicated by the loss of the normal gloss of the foliage. The leaves turn yellowish gradually resembling those of trees suffering from nitrogen deficiency. Leaves remain green on the infected trees for long time before turning chlorotic. Under

suitable condition, sporophores of the fungus are produced on the collars and large exposed roots of the infected trees. They are bracket-shaped, thick and concentrically ringed. The newly produced brackets are white in colour. Later the upper surface becomes orangebrown and the velvety lower surface reddish brown. The brackets are usually arranged in tiers. The sporophores may fuse to form a very irregularly shaped structure. When the infected root is split, a network of narrow brown lines can usually be seen. Poria hypobrunnea

produces a red rhizomorphic skin on the infected roots. The rhizomorphs are white and soft at first but they developed into a thick, red rhizomorphic skin which later turns back. Large areas of roots are often covered by this skin. The older, dark rhizomorphs are difficult to detect. When wetted, they regain their red colour and become clearly visible. Fructification of the fungus is very rarely produced. The fructification appear as a flat, reddish plates studded with minute spores. These turns greyish with age. DIEBACK Cause The Role Played by Fungi a. Botryodiplodia theorbromae Pat. b. Calonectria Symptoms The general symptoms involve a gradual defoliation and dieback of twigs and branches progressive from the tips. No attempt has been made to relate the types

rigidiuscula of symptoms to their causes. The following symptoms, most of which were referred as symptoms for Vascular-streak dieback by Keane, et al (1971), are commonly associated with dieback. Yellow blotches and on leaves. One or more green-spotted yellow leaves situated at a distance from the tip of a branch. When such leaves fall off, three discoloured dots may be clearly seen on the leaf scar. Interveinal leaf necrosis. Rough bark or enlarged lenticels on affected stems. Multiple lateral bud-shoot development. Streaking of

(Berk. & Br.) Sacc. The Role Played By Insects a. Platyngomiriodes apiformis Ghauri

Helopeltis clavifer Walker b. Botryodiplodia theobramea and

Calonectria rigidiuscula The Role Played

By the internal wood tissues. Rapid browning of the cambium on exposure to air.

Environment water (Drought or water-logging), shade (exposure), soil (deficiency or toxicity), wind and sunlight

VIRUS DISEASE (Yellow Vein-Banding) Symptoms The leaves of the infected trees display varying degree of yellow vein-banding. The

chlorotic band occurs commonly on the sides of the midribs and secondary veins, and sometimes on the third and fourth-order veins. Often banding occurs on the sides of the second-order veins and short lengths of bases of the third-order veins giving rise to fernleaf pattern. Sometimes yellow flecks are associated with the third and fourth-order veins. Veinflecking may be restricted to a few scattered flecks, but it may be very extensive. Yellow vein-banding is inconspicuous on the young, fragile leaves, but it can be seen clearly by holding the leaves against the light. The symptoms are marked on hardened leaves. The shoots and stems of the infected trees are normal. The number of leaves displaying symptoms on an infected tree varies greatly from time to time. At one time, large number of leaves display the symptoms, but at other time none or very few symptoms-bearing leaves are seen. GENETIC ABNORMALITIES Disease Prolific Flowering Description The symptoms resemble those which have been described for Flowery Gall in other cocoa-growing countries. Some of the affected cushions are abnormal only in that they bear a large number of flowers. Where as other cushions bear stalk-like protrusions up to 1 inch long. at the apex of which there are short branches bearing a very large number of flowers. These stalked structures have a loose form as distinct from a semi-hard gall type structureThus prolific flowering is most likely a genetic aberration. Hybrid vigour may be partly responsible for this condition. Abnormal Flower Cushions This condition resembles symptoms of Fan Gall (Hutchins & Siller, 1960). The affected cushions bear branched, green stem-like protrusions up to several inches long, which bear many flowers and sometimes leaves also. The only clone displaying such symptoms is ICS 45. The affected trees continue to yield normally. The condition is considered to be a genetical aberration. Spiral Phyllotaxis This unusual phenomenon occurs in seedling of some hybrids and bud shoots of certain clones. The bud patch produces a shoot which initially bears 2 alternate rows of leaves typical of a normal fan-shoot. Soon leaves arranged in a spiral phyllotaxis are produced. Later a jorquette is formed,

the number of jorquette branches ranging from 3 to 5.

No likely

pathogenic fungi were isolated from the petioles of leaves and woods of the affected branch. The symptoms could not this phenomenon is probably genetical. PARASITIC PLANTS AND EPIPHYTES Disease Parasitic Plants Description Several species of mistletoes occur on cocoa. Among these, Loranthus ferrugineus Roxb. and Dendrophthoe constricta (Korth. ) Dans. are fairly common. The seeds are spread by bird, which eat the fruits. Seeds may be deposited when the birds try to rub off seeds against the branches. The birds can digest only the sweet outer pulp, and the seeds are deposited on the branches or other substrata along with the faeces. The seeds germinate and produce roots which penetrate through the bark into the wood by haustoria. Severe infestations may cause the death of upper branches. The parasitic plants do not kill the host normally, but the general condition of the host would be weakened. Epiphytes Epiphytes are common on cocoa. They grow upon the host, but external to it. They absorb their substances from the outer dead and decaying bark. Some roots are usually exposed to air, and it is by means of these roots that water is absorbed from the atmosphere. The thick canopies of shade trees and cocoa provide abundant moisture for most epiphytes. Some epiphytes can get enough water only from rain, whereas others from dews at night. Dendrobium crumenatums, The pigeon orchid, It possesses

occurs occasionally.

succulent stems and leaves to store water, and waterproof cuticle on leaves to prevent rapid water loss. The seeds are very tiny and are dispersed by wind. They germinate usually in the crevices of the bark. The nest-ferns are fairly common on trees. Among the nestferns, Asplenium nidius is comparatively more common.

REFFERENCE 1. Disease of cocoa, Agriculture Researches Centre Sabah. 1974.