INTEGRATED PEST

MANAGEMENT FOR
CACAO
Purificacion O. Cahatian PhD
Entomologist
University of Southern Mindanao
Kabacan, North Cotabato
064-572-1339

What is
Integrated Pest
Management
(IPM) ?
It is an ecosystem-based
strategy that focuses on
long-term prevention of
pests or their damage

These
include:

techniques

biological control
habitat manipulation
modification
of
cultural practices
use of healthy and
resistant varieties

How does IPM work?

1. IPM is based on scientific
research (multi-disciplinary, multi
stakeholder, continuous process- pests
are dynamic)

2. IPM focuses on long-term

prevention of pests or their
damage by managing the
ecosystem

3. In IPM , monitoring and

correct pest identification
help you decide if
intervention is needed
4. IPM programs combine
management approaches
for greater effectiveness

Approaches Used in IPM

1. Biological Control- use of
natural enemies (parasites,
predators and pathogens)
to control pests and their
damage challenge for
cacao researchers

2. Cultural Control cultural

management practices that
reduce pest establishment,
reproduction, dispersal and
survival
Examples: pruning, organic
fertilization

3. Mechanical and Physical

Control- kill pests directly
or make the environment
unsuitable for insect
feeding and oviposition
Example: pod sleeving

4. Botanical Control - use of

plants with anti-feedant
and pesticidal properties
Examples: Neem, curry tree

The Curry tree,

Murraya koenigii

Potential IPM Approaches

1. Particle film technology
2. Semiochemicals (ex.
pheromones)

DOST-PCAARD
(2016),
identified four prevalent pests
and diseases of cacao in the
Philippines:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Cacao Pod Borer

Cacao Mirid Bug
Black Pod Rot/Phytophthora
Vascular Streak Die-back

CPB

VSD

CMB

BPR

Cacao Pod Borer

Conopomorpha cramerella
Adult: a brown moth with very
long antennae; most
active at night; rests under
neath horizontally inclined
branches; lay 50-100 eggs,
live ca 1 week

Egg - laid on the surface of the

pods and hatch in 6 to 9
days
Larva upon hatching, it
tunnels through the
sclerotic layer then to
the pulp and placenta

Management Options for CPB

1. Regular and Complete
Harvesting harvest at the
earliest stage of ripeness
2. Pod Sleeving of young
pods (less than 7 cm)

3. Pruning
4. Biological Control

Cacao Mirid Bug

Helopeltis theobromae
Both adults and nymphs
pierce and suck young pods,
shoots and branches killing the
penetrated host cells causing
necrotic lesions

Cacao Mirid Bug damage

alone, if left unattended for
three years, can reduce
yields by as much as 75%

Cacao Mirid Bugs feeding on

shoots often result in the
death of terminal branches
and leaves, causing dieback.

Mated female cacao mirid

bugs lay up to 60 eggs that
are embedded in the bark of
stems or inside the pod
husk.

Photo Credit: R. Bateman

Photo Credit: R Bateman

Photo Credits: Minden

Pictures

Management Options for

Cacao Mirid Bugs
1. Cultural Control
.management of suckers/
chupon
.elimination of weeds as
alternate hosts

2. Biological Control
Cocoa Black Ant
Dolichoderus thoracicus

Artificial nests for Cacao Black Ants

Practiced in Malaysia (Hosang et al,
2010)

Some Notes on Cocoa Ants

Palm spadices provide large,
stable
nesting
sites
for
Dolichoderus thoracicus (Smith)
2002000 D. thoracicus on a
cocoa
tree
can
protect
it
effectively
from
Helopeltis
theobromae Miller (Hemiptera:
Miridae)

3. Use of botanicals with

anti-feedant and pesticidal
properties

Vascular Streak Dieback

(VSD) Disease
Causal organism:
Oncobasidium theobromae
A common disease affecting
adult
cacao
trees
and
seedlings. It is a xyleminhabiting, obligate fungus.

 The spores are wind-borne

and are produced at night
after a rainfall.
The fungus enters the
xylem of young leaves and
moves
towards
the
branches and the trunk.

 From initial infection, it

usually takes 3 to 5
months for symptoms
to appear.

VSD can be
recognized
through:
1. Roughened
bark
of
infected
stem

2. Leaves turn
yellow with
green spots

3. Three brown
patches on
leaf scar

4. Wood is brown-stained
when split open.

Symptoms
on seedling
shoot:
Cessation of
seedling
growth

Management Options for VSD

1. Start with healthy seedlings
with resistance to major
cacao pests and diseases
NOTE: Aggressive seedling
culling at the nursery level is
paramount

2. Pruning diseased material

about
30cm
below
the
discolored xylem prevents
further expansion of infection
and reduces inoculum levels.

3. Opening the canopy and

control of shading to increase
aeration
4. Raise seedlings under
plastic cover and away from
infected plantations to
ensure disease-free planting
materials

Black Pod Rot

Phytophthora palmivora
The P. palmivora causes
global yield loss of 20-30%
and tree deaths of 10%
annually

Symptoms:
rotting or necrosis of pods.
Pods can be attacked at any
stage of development,

 initial symptoms are small,

hard, dark spots on any part
of the pod. Internal tissues,
including the beans, are
colonized and shrivel to
form a mummified pod.

Under humid conditions a

single mummified pod infected
with P. palmivora can produce
up to 4 million sporangia which
can be disseminated by rain,
ants, flying insects, rodents,
bats and contaminated pruning
material

 P. palmivora survives less

than 10 months in the soil.

Management Options for BPR

Modification
of
farm
management practices to
optimize shade and aeration
through appropriate spacing
and pruning to reduce
surface wetness should be
effective

 Frequent
and
complete
harvesting, sanitation and
appropriate disposal of pod
mummies, infected pods
and pod husks can reduce
the disease.

 Understanding how to achieve

and maintain healthy soils on
cocoa farms is fundamental to
sustaining higher yields and
lower levels of disease.

 A healthy soil is one that

contains
high
organic
matter and plant nutrient
content,
abundant
and
diverse microbial activity,
good drainage and physical
structure

 Pruning of non-productive
branches and weeding
should
be
regular
activities.
Control
insects
and
rodents
to
reduce
inoculum for infection.

Pod rot caused by Phytophthora

End of Presentation
Have a Chocolatey Day!!!

References:
University of California IPM
International Cocoa Organization
www.google.com.ph
http://www.antwiki.org/wiki/Dolic
hoderus_thoracicus