Influencia de la edad de las plantas en la aparición de los síntomas de susceptibilidad a Ceratocystis fimbriata en cacao

The sudden death of "Mal de Machete" disease of cacao, caused by the fungus Ceratocystis fimbriata, has caused serious losses of trees and of production in cacao populations with Criollo genes, as this variety is the most susceptible to the diseases. Tree by tree records of several experiments in cacao at La Lola farm and Turrialba, Costa Rica, have shown that the maximum susceptibility to deaths by the disease was between the seventh to the ninth year of age. The lack of response of susceptibility before this age and its consequence are discussed