Cocoa Tree Disease
p. 52 · Read in the full issue
SWOLLEN shoot disease continues to ravage cocoa-growing areas of the Gold Coast, some of which have lost half their cocoa-bearing trees, of an estimated value of over £2,000,000. The Research Institute at Tafo (Gold Coast) has established that swollen shoot is a virus disease carried by insects which are common in the whole area, although the virus is present in living trees only. The present treatment consists in the elimina tion of infected trees, as' the virus is un able to continue apart from living trees or insects. Areas where a ring of healthy trees is cut around diseased plants show that it is possible to control the out break, but this mehtod is dependent on frequent inspection and Continued co operation on the part of the farmers.