Black pod disease continues to threaten global cacao production

Black pod disease, caused by the water mold Phytophthora palmivora, destroys up to 700,000 metric tons of cacao annually, representing a loss of over $2 billion. Researchers are investigating how the pathogen spreads across Colombia's three Andean regions.

Editor's note: The draft accurately summarizes the provided source information without adding external claims.

This article is AI-generated and fact-gated. Original reporting: Phys.org