ABSTRACT'

 Field surveys were carried out during the 2003/2004 cocoa fruiting seasons tn four cocoa producing communities in Ikwuano council area of Abia State to evaluate the incidence and severity o the black pod disease of cocoa incited by P. palmiroru as we!! as some soc 10-eCOilOiiIR laclois affect in coLoa product ion u the arca.'i'he results showed that the major constraint in cocoa pro(luction in the area, the t)lack pod disease was the most prevalent (%) d sense o I cocoa and that 70% of cocoa I arniers i it I lie area were SI yrs and above while males made up 92.2% of the cocoa farmuig population with 7.8% fmale liirmers. Sit ii lady the majority 47% of cocoa fiirmers had only priniary eduatioii while 27% lia(l no formal education at all. Ihose vitli secondary education were I 8% while those with tertiary education were I 2%. Cocoa plants were mostly infected at the pocling lage with major in fection occurring (luring .1 uly October. Results also showed. that disease incidence was higher (48.6%) in Umiiokwo for the Amazon variety than in I J nivariaga (45.9%) and other comiiiun it ies, while for the 1)38 cocoa variety, disease i cidence was lugher(38.9%) in I. I nluariaga than in t. J niuokvo (35.6%). Sevçrity of tb. black pod disease lr Aniai.on variety was also highest in Umimariaga (3.2) l)ut iii i\ nuro it was (2.6). l)isease severity fr I ) in A inunt was (I .9) i Ic in lyialu it was low (I .0). Patltogenicity test carried out on the two varieties of cocoa showed that cocoa variety Amazon was more susceptible to attack by P. palmitora than D3 variety. Other rganisms isolated from parts of infected cocoa plants included; Aspergilliis niger. Tric/wJeiinu Jwrzwiiuni, Pc'nnicilliiini sp. Analysis of the physical and chemical properties of s il I romn the cocoa plantal ions showed that soil texture ranged from loam, silty loam to andy loam . Soil p11 ranged from highly acidic p1 1(4 .8)soil in Umuariaga to low acidic soils p1 1(6,6) in lyialu . Laboratory studies on the ef'fect of various plant extracts at different concentrations (I 0%, 20%, 30%, 40%) , on the mean radial growth of P. /u!In!/i(.'/a showed that paw-paw seed extract at 40 was the most effective in inhibiting i! niycel ia! growth of the pathogen ( P. pu/nhii'oru ). 'Ihe results were signi flcantly di lie cnt at (1> 0.05) from ridoniil and other plani. extracts used.