Early selection for resistance to Phytophthora megakarya in local and introduced cocoa varieties in Cameroon

Resistance to Phytophthora megakarya in cocoa tree genotypes was assessed at an early stage by inoculation of leaf discs taken from nursery plants. Four hybrid progenies introduced from Côte d'Ivoire and known to be resistant to P. palmivora in that country were compared to local control clones known for their lower susceptibility to P. megakarya, and to progenies produced in Cameroon. There was highly significant variability for resistance between progenies, and between individual plants within the progenies. The progenies from Côte d'Ivoire were more resistant to P. megakarya than the control clones from Cameroon, and also when compared with the progenies produced in Cameroon. This shows the potential of the progenies from Côte d'Ivoire for controlling black pod in Cameroon and reliability of the leaf disc inoculation method.