Diseases of Fruit Plantation Medicinal and Aromatic Crops

Black pod disease

Causal organism : Phytophthora palmivora (Butler)
Symptoms

• Appearance of brown spots on the pod.
• The discoloration and brown spots spreads over the whole pod.
• Internal tissues of diseased pods become brown.
• Infected beans become discoloured.
Source of inoculum

• Primary source of inoculum is the oospore.
• Secondary source of inoculums is zoospores and sporangia.


Epidemiology

• Closer spacing between trees and damp locality accompanied by cool damp weather favor the rapid spread of the disease.
Mode of spread & survival

• Disease spread through rain splashes, insects, rodents and also the contact between healthy and diseased pods. Ants have also been found to spread the disease.
Life cycle
  Management

• Avoid inter cropping with areca
• Proper spacing between .
• Affected pods should be destroyed.
• Regular removal & destruction of infected pods at weekly intervals.
• Proper pruning of cocoa tree is also essential to minimize the shade.
• Spraying just before onset of the monsoon with Bordeaux mixture (1%) copper oxychlorid( 0.3%) at two weeks intervals.
• Bio control agent Trichoderma viridae application