| Phytophthora megakarya | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Clade: | Diaphoretickes |
| Clade: | SAR |
| Clade: | Stramenopiles |
| Phylum: | Oomycota |
| Order: | Peronosporales |
| Family: | Peronosporaceae |
| Genus: | Phytophthora |
| Species: | P. megakarya
|
| Binomial name | |
| Phytophthora megakarya Brasier & M.J. Griffin (1979
| |
Phytophthora megakarya is an oomycete plant pathogen that causes black pod disease in cocoa trees in west and central Africa.[1] This pathogen can cause detrimental loss of yield in the economically important cocoa industry, worth approximately $70 billion annually.[2] It can damage any part of the tree, causing total yield losses which can easily reach 20-25%.[3] A mixture of chemical and cultural controls, as well as choosing resistant plant varieties, are often necessary to control this pathogen.
- ^ Opoku, IY; Appiah, AA; Akrofi, AY; Owusu, GK (2000). "Phytophthora megakarya: A potential threat to the cocoa industry in Ghana". Ghana Journal of Agricultural Science. 33 (2). doi:10.4314/gjas.v33i2.1876.
- ^ Ploetz, Randy C. (December 2007). "Cacao diseases: important threats to chocolate production worldwide". Phytopathology. 97 (12): 1634–1639. doi:10.1094/PHYTO-97-12-1634. ISSN 0031-949X. PMID 18943724.
- ^ Evans, Harry C. (December 2007). "Cacao diseases-the trilogy revisited". Phytopathology. 97 (12): 1640–1643. doi:10.1094/PHYTO-97-12-1640. ISSN 0031-949X. PMID 18943725.