Preliminary observations on incidence of black pod disease in Amelonado cocoa in Jerangau, Peninsular Malaysia

Black pod of cocoa caused by Phytophthora palmivora (Butl.) is an important disease in Jerangau in the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The occurrence of the disease was correlated with seather conditions and fruiting cycle in the area. Heavy infection occurred during the wet season which also coincided with the main fruiting season. A large proportion of infected pods appeared high up in the crown of the tree. The spread of the disease from pod to pod on the same trees was rapid but from tree to tree was relatively slow. The infection rates decreased with time from December to April, but increased with time from August to December