Joint project to combat the cocoa swollen shoot virus
Fungal and virus infections are a danger to cocoa farming. They threaten the harvest, especially in West Africa, the most important cocoa growing region. Up to an estimated 30% of the harvest is lost due to infections.
The endemic cocoa swollen shoot virus (CSSV) is particularly problematic. It not only decreases the total harvest, but can also cause the trees to die off within just a few years. No treatment options currently exist. The further spread of the viral disease can only be halted by clearing the affected areas. This means a great loss of income for the farmers.
Against this background, early detection of the virus in the crop area is extremely important. Developing a detection method requires numerous partners to work together. The “Preventing the spread of the cocoa swollen shoot virus” project tests technical methods for the early detection of infections so that a further spread and large-scale clearing can be prevented. Several national institutions including the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), the Cocoa Health and Extension Division (CHED) and the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG) are involved. The project work is financed by the Swiss Platform for Sustainable Cocoa (SWISSCO) with support from the companies Mars, Mondelez and Storck. The organisation SwissDeCode has taken responsibility for implementing the project.
In the first project phase, the detection method “DNAFoil CSSVD-Test” developed by SwissDeCode and Mars for Cote d‘Ivoire was successfully adapted to the virus strains in Ghana and tested in the course of field trials. Additional pilot testing to enable area-wide application is now pending.
The goal of this joint project is to further develop the field test so that it can reliably help contain the viral disease in cocoa farming, thereby safeguarding the crop yields in West Africa.
