An oomycete disease (chiefly Phytophthora palmivora and Phytophthora megakarya), long managed alongside fungal pathogens in agricultural practice, that causes a rapidly spreading black rot of cacao pods, destroying the beans inside and, under humid conditions, capable of ruining a large share of a plantation's crop within weeks. It is present in essentially every cacao-growing region in the world and is considered the most economically damaging disease of cacao globally, with West African losses, where the more aggressive Phytophthora megakarya predominates, estimated at hundreds of millions of dollars a year.
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Cacao, Crops Black pod disease (Phytophthora spp.) is the most damaging disease of cultivated cacao worldwide.
Sources
1. Cacao Black Pod Disease (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationOpening definition paragraph
Black pod disease is a fungal disease of cocoa trees. It is mostly found in tropical areas where cocoa trees grow, and its spores are spread via the heavy rainfalls that can occur in tropical climates. Annually, the pathogen can cause a yield loss of up to 1/3, and up to 10% of total trees can be lost completely.
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An oomycete disease (chiefly Phytophthora palmivora and Phytophthora megakarya), long managed alongside fungal pathogens in agricultural practice, that causes a rapidly spreading black rot of cacao pods, destroying the beans inside and, under humid conditions, capable of ruining a large share of a plantation's crop within weeks.
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