Postharvest management of cocoa pod borer

I. Azhar

Abstract

Cocoa pod borer (CPB). Conopomorpha cramerella (Snellen). continued to inflict yield loss in the infested areas although various control efforts were instituted. The reason for this phenomenon might be because of the continued survival of generation through postharvest larval emergence. An investigation was carried out to examine the postharvest larval emergence pattern. and the bagging of split pod husks and insecticide spraying on pod husks as means to suppress their survival. Nearly 80?i or an average of 231.2 larvae/100 pods emerged before the pods were harvested, while the other 20% or an average of 58.7 larvae/100 pods emerged after the pods were harvested. The duration of emergence varied from 11-21 days for the split and unsplit pods. An average of more than 85% and about 58% larval emergence were recorded from split and unsplit pods during the first week after harvesting. Bagging of pod husks ensured a 100% mortality to the emerging larvae within 5 days and enhanced husk rot probably through inereased temperature and relative humidity inside the bags. The spraying. of insectieide caused an average of about 89% mortality to the postharvest larval emergence. The significance of bagging and insectieide spraying in the management of postharvest larval emergence and the overall CPB integrated pest management programme are diseussed.

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