Focus of pest that affects cocoa and cupuaçu cultivation is detected in Acre

A focus of the plague Moniliophthora roreri, known as cocoa moniliasis, was detected in an urban residential area in the municipality of Cruzeiro do Sul, in the interior of Acre. Confirmation of the pest in Brazil was obtained through laboratory analysis, carried out by the Federal Agricultural Defense Laboratory of Goiânia (LFDA/GO), on samples collected on site by the team from the Agricultural and Forestry Defense Institute (IDAF/AC), after be triggered by a local citizen who observed the symptoms of the disease, reported in institutional phytosanitary education campaigns, on cocoa and cupuaçu fruits. 

The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (Mapa) is adopting the appropriate contingency measures, together with other official Plant Health and research institutions. Government teams will go to the site to expand pest detection monitoring, delimitation of the affected area and immediate adoption of containment and eradication actions, aiming to prevent its spread to cocoa and cupuaçu cultivated areas in the country. 

Moniliasis is a disease that affects plants of the genus Theobroma, such as cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) and cupuaçu (Theobroma grandiflorum), causing losses in production and an increase in costs due to the need for additional management measures and application of fungicides to control the pest. 

“This is a disease that affects only the host plants of the fungus, with no risk of harm to human health and that, despite the detected outbreak being far from the main producing regions, due to its potential for damage to the crops it affects, it is fundamental It is important to immediately notify the local phytosanitary authorities of any suspected occurrence of the pest in other regions of the country”, highlights the general coordinator of Plant Protection, Graciane de Castro. 

In South America, the plague is already present in Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Bolivia and Peru. “In view of its potential impact on cocoa and cupuaçu cultivation, both the states located in the northern border region of the country and the main producing states are under permanent prevention and surveillance actions, carried out by Mapa and State Plant Health Bodies ”, highlights Graciane. 

Even during the Covid-19 pandemic, phytosanitary surveillance and education teams related to the pest remained in the field. In 2020, 1.600 preventive monitoring were carried out in the states of Amazonas, Acre, Amapá, Roraima, Rondônia, Pará, Bahia and Espírito Santo. Investigation and contingency actions are provided for in the National Plan for Prevention and Surveillance of Moniliophthora roreri, established by Normative Instruction No. 112/2020.