Global Chocolate
Supply Impacted, By Cacao Tree-Killing Virus.
'Newsweek' reports that the price of chocolate
may be increasing after a virus ravaged cacao
trees in western Africa - significantly in Ghana.
'Newsweek' reports that the price of chocolate
may be increasing after a virus ravaged cacao
trees in western Africa - significantly in Ghana.
According to a new study published in the journal
'PLoS ONE,' between 15% and 50% of the harvest
of cocoa trees in Ghana has been lost due to
cacao swollen shoot virus disease (CSSSVD). .
Small insects called mealybugs are responsible for
spreading the virus between trees, causing a number of problems including leaf discoloration and distorted growth.
Small insects called mealybugs are responsible for
spreading the virus between trees, causing a number of problems including leaf discoloration and distorted growth.
So far, over 250 million cacao trees
have already been killed by the virus. .
This virus is a real threat
to the global supply
of chocolate, Benito Chen-Charpentier, Study co-author and a professor of
mathematics at The University of Texas at Arlington, via 'Newsweek'.
'Newsweek' reports that the virus has proven to be
hard to prevent since mealybug vectors are
extremely hard to control by conventional means.
'Newsweek' reports that the virus has proven to be
hard to prevent since mealybug vectors are
extremely hard to control by conventional means.
Pesticides don't work well against
mealybugs, leaving farmers to try
to prevent the spread of the disease
by cutting out infected trees and
breeding resistant trees. But despite
these efforts, Ghana has lost more than
254 million cacao trees in recent years, Benito Chen-Charpentier, Study co-author and a professor of
mathematics at The University of Texas at Arlington, via 'Newsweek'.
Pesticides don't work well against
mealybugs, leaving farmers to try
to prevent the spread of the disease
by cutting out infected trees and
breeding resistant trees. But despite
these efforts, Ghana has lost more than
254 million cacao trees in recent years, Benito Chen-Charpentier, Study co-author and a professor of
mathematics at The University of Texas at Arlington, via 'Newsweek'.
Researchers believe that the distance
between trees could prevent the mealybugs
from spreading the disease from tree to tree. .
Researchers believe that the distance
between trees could prevent the mealybugs
from spreading the disease from tree to tree. .
Mealybugs have several ways of
movement, including moving from
canopy to canopy, being carried
by ants or blown by the wind, Benito Chen-Charpentier, Study co-author and a professor of
mathematics at The University of Texas at Arlington, via 'Newsweek'.
What we needed to do was create a model
for cacao growers so they could know how
far away they could safely plant vaccinated
trees from unvaccinated trees in order to
prevent the spread of the virus while keeping
costs manageable for these small farmers, Benito Chen-Charpentier, Study co-author and a professor of
mathematics at The University of Texas at Arlington, via 'Newsweek'