Regional Evaluation of Fungal Pathogen Incidence in Colombian Cocoa Crops

Raquel Villamizar-Gallardo, Johann F. Osma and Oscar Orlando Ortíz-Rodriguez
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Raquel Villamizar-Gallardo: Interdisciplinary Laboratory of Nanotechnology and Sustainable Management, NANOSOST-UP, Department of Microbiology, School of Basic Sciences, Universidad de Pamplona, Km 1 vía Bucaramanga, Pamplona 543050, Colombia
Johann F. Osma: CMUA, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Universidad de los Andes, Cra. 1E # 19A-40, Bogota 1100111, Colombia
Oscar Orlando Ortíz-Rodriguez: Department of Industrial Engineering, School of Engineering and Architecture, Universidad de Pamplona, Km 1, vía Bucaramanga, Pamplona 543050, Colombia

Agriculture, 2019, vol. 9, issue 3, 1-11

Abstract: The production of cocoa ( Theobroma cacao L.) in Colombia has a significant environmental and socioeconomic importance as a promissory crop in the post-conflict process. The department of Norte de Santander has cocoa crops that are dramatically affected by fungal pathogens causing important losses during harvest and post-harvest. Therefore, the current study focused on the determination of the incidence of diseases caused by phytopathogenic fungi in cocoa crops, and the identification of primary phytopathogenic fungi found in biological material from different farms of the region. The study was conducted in four municipalities of the department, by sampling fruits infected with frosty pod rot (FPR) and black pod rot (BPR) that presented in situ incidence ranging from 0.37 to 21.58% and from 1.75 to 35.59%, respectively. The studied hybrid materials, together with clone TSH 65, were found to be the most susceptible, while the remaining clones were more tolerant, especially CCN 51, IMC 67, and ICS95. Fifteen strains were isolated using in vitro assays and then morphologically characterized both in solid media and by microscopy. Nine of them corresponded to the pathogen Moniliophthora roreri , and other six to Phytophthora palmivora . The isolated agents showed in vitro morphological variability, as well as the ability to adapt to different environments when growing in situ.

Keywords: cocoa; fungi; incidence; phytopathogenic diseases (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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