Monday, August 29, 2016

CPB.... the enemy to be wary, always!



Cocoa Pod Borer: Cacao growers, what’s your preparation in anticipating the CPB pest in your farm? When do you prepare yourself? Can we start from making sure we have a resistant cacao variety planted in our farm? To better manage CPB, grafted/budded or seed-seedling? Tall or short trees? What’s the potential loss in CPB infested farm? .... just a little reminder, lest we are not aware J
Cultural control is the most likely way of reducing CPB. This relies on the maintenance of well pruned trees kept to a height low enough to allow the collection of all pods. Long-term control may be improved by side-grafting or replanting with resistant clones.
Long-term Cocoa Pod Borer Control methods?
......Thanks to the selection of naturally resistant varieties, the damage was reduced but now it seems to be back on the rise..... Indonesian scientists have developed a method of composting these wastes directly in shallow trenches between the tree rows. The composting process raises the temperature high enough to kill the pod borer’s larvae and the pathogen’s spores. Trials show yields are as high or higher than with commercial fertiliser. These methods should keep the Sulawesi farmers in business for the long-term, says Keane. “Those who want to be professional farmers and apply these simple methods will survive.”

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