Pink disease
White cobweb threads, then a pink crust, cover the branches near the forks, and the leaves above die but stay hanging.
Crops it strikes
What you see
When to act
In the rainy months, check the branch forks every two weeks for white cobweb threads and pink crust. Act at the cobweb stage, before the bark cracks. A branch with dead leaves hanging on it must be cut.
What to spray
- Copper fungicide pasteFRAC M1ShopeeLazada
- Copper hydroxideFRAC M1ShopeeLazada
- TridemorphFRAC 5ShopeeLazada
- TriadimefonFRAC 3ShopeeLazada
Active ingredients only, never brands. The FRAC group tells how it works: switch to a different group next time, so the disease does not learn to survive it. Spray only when the damage is worth the cost, and only with products registered with the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority for your crop. Follow the label. The Shopee and Lazada links only show who sells something with that active ingredient, not a recommendation of any seller or product.
How to prevent it
- Check branch forks often in the rains. The white cobweb stage is the time to act, before the pink crust forms.
- Cut sick branches at least 30 cm below the last sign of the fungus, in dry weather, and take them out of the farm.
- Brush copper paste on the cut ends and on early patches on the trunk or the main fork.
- Thin heavy shade and space trees well, at least 3 meters for cacao, so the canopy dries after rain.
- Keep trees well fed. Stressed, crowded trees catch pink disease more easily.
Where this comes from
Not sure it is this one?
Many diseases look alike. Send a photo to Anee, the smart farm technician in anee.io. She reads it with your crop, its age and the weather, and tells you what it most likely is and what to do first. In Tagalog or English.