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Do you know about the types and methods of controlling pests and diseases of cocoa plants? Chocolate is one of the foods that has the most fans around the world.
Its sweet taste and can be processed into various types of food makes chocolate one of the most popular foods or food ingredients throughout the world.
But do you actually know where this food called chocolate started from?
Chocolate is a processed food made from the seeds of a plant called cocoa.
Understanding the cocoa plant
Cocoa is a plant that originates from South America. Then in history, the cocoa plant entered Indonesia around the 19th century, to be precise in the 1880s.
Initially this plant was brought from the Philippines, which at that time was a Spanish colony. Cocoa was brought to Indonesia because at that time the coffee and tea plants which were the focus of the Dutch East Indies government were experiencing decline due to damage caused by pests.
Apart from that, the climate factors in Indonesia which are tropical, the same as South America, make cocoa plants suitable for planting in Indonesian soil.
Cocoa plants have experienced extraordinary development in Indonesia. Initially there was only one plantation then it increased to 29 plantations in the 1930s.
As the cocoa plant develops, the food produced from cocoa also develops, and in this case it is chocolate. The development of chocolate is extraordinary in Indonesia, initially only the upper class could enjoy it, then all levels of society can enjoy it until now.
Cocoa cultivation in Indonesia is currently one of the leading commodities in Indonesia. In fact, currently Indonesia is listed as the third largest cocoa producer in the world after Ghana and Ivory Coast.
Not just one type, various types of cocoa plants have been cultivated in Indonesia. However, in cultivating plants there will always be problems, one of which is pests and diseases.
Below we will explain the types of pests on cocoa plants and how to deal with pests and diseases that attack cocoa plants.
Types of Cocoa Plant Pests
As a type of plant that is easily attacked by pests and diseases, cultivating cocoa plants is sometimes full of challenges and obstacles.
As a superior commodity, it will certainly be very detrimental if cocoa is damaged by pests.
In reality, there are several pests that often attack Cocoa plants. These pests include:
1. Cocoa Fruit Borer (PBK)
The scientific name Conopomorpha cramerella, PBK is a type of moth insect that is distributed on the continents of Asia and Oceania.
The attack of this insect is by laying its eggs on the surface or skin of the cocoa fruit, then the larvae that hatch will enter the fruit. Its small size makes this pest difficult to detect.
This pest is one of the enemies of Cocoa Fruit cultivators because if not immediately dealt with it can undermine productivity by up to 80%
2. Fruit-sucking ladybugs
The scientific name Helopeltis Spp, this insect usually attacks the fruit and tips of the branches of the Cocoa plant.
The effect that occurs from this fruit-sucking ladybird pest attack is the presence of black spots on the cocoa skin.
Apart from the fruit, black spots also appear on the tops of the cocoa plants, causing the twigs to wither and the leaves to fall.
3. Kilan report
This third animal is a problem to watch out for at the beginning of the planting period.
Kilan caterpillars whose scientific name is Hiposidea Infixaria like to eat young leaves of Cocoa plants and leave only the bones of the leaves.
4. White Flea
Almost the same as Kilan Caterpillars, White Fleas also often attack Cocoa trees in the early days of planting. White Fleas like to target small Cocoa fruits.
The visible effect of this flea, scientifically named Pseudococcus Lilacinus, is that it inhibits the growth of Cocoa Fruit, which then dries and dies.
5. Fruit Fly (Cocoa Mot)
Fruit flies belonging to the Lithocolletidae family often target Cocoa trees for the fruit.
The effect that occurs from fruit fly attacks is that the skin of the Cocoa fruit changes color to pale yellow and when the seeds are touched, the texture feels sticky.
Types of Cocoa Plant Diseases
Apart from pests, a problem that often occurs when cultivating cocoa plants is disease.
Some diseases that often attack cocoa plants include:
1. Cocoa Fruit Rot
Cocoa Fruit Rot Disease occurs due to infection by the fungus Phythoptora palmivora. This infection usually attacks plants that have a weak immune system.
Apart from that, the presence of a garden in a place that is too damp and dark can be the cause of this disease attack.
The characteristics of the fruit affected by this disease are the presence of black dots on the fruit and when held it will have a wet texture and the fruit will taste rotten.
This disease can attack all cocoa fruit, both those in the growing phase and the ripe phase.
2. VSD (Vascular Streak Dieback)
This disease, which attacks the twigs and shoots of the cocoa plant, is the result of infection by the fungus Oncobasidium theobromae.
The characteristics that result from this disease are yellowing of the leaves with light green spots.
In the acute phase of the disease, VSD disease can make Cocoa plants become bald because the leaves continue to fall off.
3. Cacao plant stem cancer
This disease arises due to infection by the fungus Phythotora palmivora on the stems and branches of cocoa plants. This infection attacks cocoa plantations which tend to be too damp and dark.
The characteristics of this disease are black spots that appear on the stems of cocoa plants.
If it is not treated immediately, the stem will rot, which is indicated by the presence of a rusty red liquid. This results in hampered transportation of nutrients and photosynthesis in plants.
How to Control Pests and Diseases of Cocoa Plants
There are two biggest problems for Cocoa farmers, namely pests which usually consist of animals such as Caterpillars, Ladybugs and Fleas.
Meanwhile, several infectious diseases that often attack cocoa plants include fruit rot, stem cancer and VSD.
To overcome this, different treatment is needed for cocoa plants that are attacked by pests and for those that are attacked by disease. Here’s the explanation:
1. Control of Cocoa Plants Attacked by Pests
One of the pests that often attacks cocoa plants is the cocoa fruit borer or commonly abbreviated as PBK.
This pest reproduces by laying its eggs on the cocoa shell, then the larvae that come out of the eggs will enter the cocoa fruit by making a small hole.
The way to handle this pest is by implementing an IPM (Integrated Pest Management) system.
The first step of the IPM system can be implemented through a quarantine process, namely isolating the cocoa seeds to a special place.
This aims to prevent the entry of cocoa plant material from areas attacked by the cocoa fruit borer.
Furthermore, you can also cover the cocoa fruit with the aim of preventing borers from laying their eggs on the cocoa shell.
Then you can also harvest as often as possible to break the chain of development of the Cocoa Fruit Borer.
Apart from PBK, another pest that often disturbs cocoa fruit plants is the ladybug which likes to suck on the fruit. The most effective way to deal with ladybugs is to spray vegetable insecticides.
2. Controlling Disease-Infected Cocoa Plants
Effective and efficient ways of treating this disease include;
- Sanitationso that the disease attack does not spread, it is necessary to carry out sanitation, namely by picking all the rotting fruit and then burying it in the ground to a minimum depth of 30 cm.
- Providing Fungicides, Providing this fungicide is very important to prevent disease. Fungicides that can be given include Sandoz, Cupravit Cobox, etc.
- Applying Pest Resistant Clones, So that cocoa plants become more resistant to disease, it is necessary to add pest control clones such as ICCRI 03, ICS 6, DRC 15, etc.
- Pesticide Application, this is just an additional way to prevent pests and disease. The application of pesticides must also be rational and appropriate in dosage because pesticides also contain toxins, which if too much is not good for plants.
That’s the discussion about Types and Methods of Controlling Pests and Diseases of Cocoa Plants. Hope it helps.
Also Read: How to Connect Cocoa Plant Shoots
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