Author : Sahat Simarmata

Summary : There were eight major pests encountered by the farmers, comprising of sap-sucking bug (Helopeltis antonii Sign.), cacao pod borer (Conopomorpha cramerella Snell), red branch borer (Zeuzera coffeae Nietn.), pod rot disease (Phytophthora palmivora (Bult) Butler), pink disease (Corticium salmonicolor (Berk & Br.) Sacc.) white root disease (Rigidoporus lignosus Klotzsch), squirrels, and weeds composed of grasses, broadleaves, sedges, and ferns. The pest problems were more serious in the farms of the IPM untrained than the trained cacao smallholder farmers. Heavy infection/infestation of the eight major pests occurred in the former than in the latter farms, while light infection/infestation of seven major pests except weeds were observed in the farms of both farmer groups. IPM trained and untrained farmers utilized eight component pest control approaches, namely shade tree management; pruning of cacao trees; fertilization; frequent, regular, and early harvesting of pods; infected fruits and husks management; farm sanitation and chemical weed control; biological control; and judicious use of pesticide. However, the two farmer groups varied in the degree of implementation of each component pest control approach. All farmer respondents highly utilized shade trees, such as coconut, durian or their combination for pest management. Seventy percent of the trained farmers practiced pruning of cacao tree (topping plus light pruning), while only 33% of the untrained farmers used the same. Ninety to 97% of the farmers applied fertilizer; 53% of the trained farmers used combination of inorganic and organic fertilizer and only 10% did this for the untrained farmers. Eighty percent of the untrained farmers used inorganic fertilizer while only 37% of the trained farmers used the same. Both farmer groups practiced frequent, regular, and early harvesting of pods.