Cultural Control of Cacao Witches’ Broom Disease (Moniliophthora perniciosa) in Colombia: Results of Two CasesCubillos G*

Witches' Broom (Moniliophthora perniciosa) is one the most harmful diseases of the cacao crops in South and Central America. It affects the vegetative growing of the trees as well as organs like pods and flower cushions. In Colombia, it was recorded for the first time in 1929 in the region of Tumaco, department of Nariño. Between 1960 and 1977 the disease spread to almost all areas of the country. At the beginning, the control was focused on growing resistant genotypes, especially crosses with SCA-6 and SCA-12 clones. Nonetheless, due to their low levels of production, it was necessary to change towards more productive varieties regardless their susceptibility to Witches' Broom. The control platform tested in the two cases described here (cultural control that consisted in cutting off and freely discarding all affected organs on the ground) demonstrated that is easy to manage the disease when is detected early but also is possible to recover abandoned farms through the canopy renovation method. The cultural control constitutes the most effective and low-cost management procedure, especially when the disease is detected on time.