One of the most important crops in Ecuador is cocoa, the seeds of this plant are the basis for the production of the finest chocolates in the world. Cocoa has been for more than a hundred years one of the three most important products of export of our country, its importance in the national economy is very big because hundreds of thousands of people live from cocoa plantations.

As all monocultures have different diseases that kill and decrease productivity, cocoa always has suffered from attacks of fungi and insects that have finished complete, plantations despite efforts farmers and technicians have done to try to at least reduce the damage caused by different pests.1

Vitalimp AX is now available to give vitality to the plants, increasing its foliage and combat pests and diseases, cocoa producer now can see increase their production not only in quantity but in quality by using an organic product with not toxics, friendly with people and the environment. Cocoa harvested using Vitalimp AX in plantations may be marketed as organic and free of pesticides and poisons.

Diseases Founded

In the farm The Black Valley owned by Antonio Holguín, located in Monterrey, La Concordia, has been detected on 5 hectares of cocoa plantation variety CCN 51 the presence of the fungus Monilia (Moniliophthora) that had infested the plantation causing huge losses and expenses with the use of a number of toxic fungicides without any result. Also was detected the presence of Red Spiders (Tetranychus urticae) that are really mites that nest in a kind of spider net.

Below you can see the before and after cocoa ear pictures affected by the Monilia fungus, it dries and damaged completely to cocoa producing huge losses.

In the plants the ears begin to dry and there is the presence of a white powder which are the spores that very easily spread quickly infesting all the plantation (below left). Finally, the cobs dry completely (below right).

In the following images, you can see plants damaged by mites and fungi, these plants had already been treated with various highly toxic fungicides and insecticides, harmful to workers who care for this plantation. The outcome of these applications was practically nothing, with these proceedings, spending too much money and workers time unnecessarily.

Damage both the ears and leaves of plants was evident and the owner of the plantation was esceptical to apply one more product, anyway we ask him to try Vitalimp AX, with no compromise, so he can see the results. He agreed, and allowed us to spray the plants with our product.

Leafs damaged by mites