Spatial and Temporal Analysis of Epidemic in Newly Established Cacao Plantations.

Studying spatial and temporal plant disease dynamics helps us to understand pathogen dispersal processes and improve disease control recommendations. In this study, three cacao plots devoid of primary inoculum of (causal agent of cacao black pod rot disease) upon establishment in 2006 were monitored for presence of disease on a weekly basis from 2009 to 2016. Ripley's () function, join count statistics, and Fisher's Exact test were used to analyze spatial and temporal disease dynamics.

Tree spatial structure, host composition and resource availability influence mirid density or black pod prevalence in cacao agroforests in Cameroon.

Combining crop plants with other plant species in agro-ecosystems is one way to enhance ecological pest and disease regulation mechanisms. Resource availability and microclimatic variation mechanisms affect processes related to pest and pathogen life cycles. These mechanisms are supported both by empirical research and by epidemiological models, yet their relative importance in a real complex agro-ecosystem is still not known.

Field evaluation of synthetic sex pheromone traps for the cocoa mirid Sahlbergella singularis (Hemiptera: Miridae).

Background: Field trapping experiments were conducted to evaluate the attractiveness of five different pheromone blends as well as the impact of trap design on attractiveness towards cocoa mirids, Sahlbergella singularis Hagl. and Distantiella theobroma (Dist.), in Cameroon.