Divisi
Black pod
Phytophthora palmivora · Fungal
Photo: Scot Nelson · CC0
Black pod is the most damaging disease of cocoa, and it also strikes coconut and oil-palm. It is caused by a water-mould (an oomycete — a fungus-like organism that thrives in standing water and wet air) called Phytophthora palmivora, which rots the pods where your beans grow. It spreads when rain splashes its spores from the soil, fallen litter and already-rotten pods onto healthy ones, and in a wet, shady, poorly-drained plot it can even climb into the trunk and wipe out most of a crop.
Scot Nelson · CC0 
Scot Nelson · CC0
Why it matters
Black pod rots the pods themselves — the very part you harvest and sell. In a wet season it can rot up to 80% of your crop (four pods in every five), and a single rotten pod left hanging showers spores onto every healthy pod around it each time it rains. Once it is established in a wet, shady plot it spreads faster than you can pick, and its spores survive in the soil, fallen litter and old dried-up pods to attack again next year — so the only real cure is to catch it early and keep your plot dry and clean.
When to act
Begin protective sprays and weekly sanitation at the onset of the wet season or when the first pod lesions appear.
This guidance is general, compiled from published agronomic references including FAO and CABI. Thresholds and timing shift with your crop, your variety and the season.
In much of the region a spray is simply called mushonga — medicine. But a chemical group you cannot name is one you cannot rotate, and a product you did not write down has no pre-harvest interval you can observe. Mushonga, and other farming words →
The full black pod field guide
- Identify it
- Scout for it
- Control it
15 field-guide sections in the app
The full guide to black pod — every symptom to check, how and when to walk your field looking for it, and the controls that actually work, ranked. Built into your crop plan, so you are told to look before it costs you a harvest.
Crops it affects
Frequently asked questions
How do I identify black pod?
The first sign: a small, hard, water-soaked spot appears on the pod — often near the tip, the stalk, or wherever rainwater collects — and quickly turns a chocolate-brown colour. Unlike a knock or a bruise, this spot does not stay put.
When should I take action against black pod?
Begin protective sprays and weekly sanitation at the onset of the wet season or when the first pod lesions appear.
How do I control black pod?
PREVENT — keep the plot open and dry (your strongest tool): black pod thrives in still, damp, shady air, so let the sun and wind in. Prune the canopy and cut back heavy shade trees so pods dry quickly after rain, remove the chupons (the upright suckers that sprout from the trunk and base), keep wide spacing between trees, and clear the drainage so water never sits. Drier air alone defeats most of the disease — this is the method that works best short of spraying.
Which crops does black pod affect?
Among the crops covered here: Cocoa, Coconut, Oil palm.
Catch it before it costs you a harvest
Divisi builds scouting into your crop plan — it tells you when to walk your field, what to look for at that stage, and what to do when you find it. Free for farmers, works offline.
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