ABSTARCT

Field surveys were carried out during the 2003/2004 cocoa fruiting seasons in four cocoa producing communities in ikwuano local Government area of Abia Stat to evaluate the incidence and seventy of the black pod disease of cocoa incited by P. palmivora as well as some Socio economic  factors affecting cocoa production in the area.The results showed that the major Constrains in Cocoa production in the area, the black pod disease 'as the niost prevalent (%) disease of COdOil and that 70% of cocoa lirmers in the area were 5 I yrs and above wl tie males made up 92.2% of the Cocoa fanning population with 7. S% Imale litnuers. Sit iii larly the majority 47% of cocoa ltnuers had only primary education while 27% had no formal education at all. Those with secondary education were I 8% while those with tertiary educatioi were 12%. Cocoa plants were mostly infected at the poling stage with major infection occurring during July October. Results also showed that disease incidence 'as higher (48.6%) in Umuokwo for the i\mazon variety than in' 11 muariaga (45.9%) and other communities, while for the 1)38 cocoa variety, disease titcidence was higher(38.9%) in tJmuariaga than in IJmuokwo (3,.6%). Severity of Ili. black pod disease for Amazon variety was also highest in Uèivariaga (3.2)hut in A IflUr() it was (2.6). 1)isease severity for l) in Amuro was (I .9) wlii Ic in lyialu it was low (1 .0). Pathogenicity test carried out on the two vaneties o cocoa showed that cocoa variety Amazon was more susceptible to attack by P. palnin'ara than i3 variety. Other organisms isolated froiii parts of in fcted cocoa plants included; ilswigzlIus niger, Tricho/erina har:aniiii,i, Pen,,ici//,iiin p. Analysis of the physical and c1emical properties of soil from the cocoa plantations showed that soil texture ranged from loam, silty loam to andy loam . Soil p11 ranged from highly acidic pll(4.8)soil in Umuariaga to low acidic soils p11(6.6) in Iyialu . Laboratory studies on the efThct of vflri0us plant extracts at different concentrations (I 0%, 20%, 30%, 40%) , on the mean niclial growth of P. /)(1/iIi! ara showed that faw-pa\v seed extract at 40% wag the most effective jn inhibiting thc mycelial growth of the pathogen (P. pa/niiara). The results were significantly di ffeicnt at (P = 0.05) from ridoniil and other plant extracts used.