The ecology of cocoa pod borer, Conopomorpha cramerella (Snellen) (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae), in Malaysia: Dispersion pattern for eggs among trees

G. E. Long and I. Azhar

Abstract

The egg dispersion pattern of cocoa pod borer (CPB), Conopomorpha cramerella (Snellen), on cocoa pods among trees was investigated. The number of eggs was counted on pods of susceptible egg-laying stage (>7 cm in length) on all trees from two cocoa blocks. The egg dispersion on pod tended to be highly contagious but the mean density of cocoa pod borer eggs per pod was more nearly random. It was also contagious (clumped) when the number of eggs per pod per tree was considered suggesting that some trees had more egg load than the others. The lack of susceptible pods on these trees, resulting from pod phenological and clonal variations, was suggested as one of the possible factors causing the observed phenomenon. The proportion of uninfested pods in a sample is an efficient estimator of overall egg density.

Full Text ( 50 KB )