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Sustainable pest management of cacao in the Neotropics: Challenges and opportunities

Abstract:

Cacao, Theobroma cacao L., is produced in tropical countries and its beans are the raw material for chocolate and other products. Its product, cocoa, has a high demand for its flavor and health benefits. The center of genetic diversification of cacao is the western Amazon; posteriorly, it was introduced to Central America, and from there it expanded pantropically. Cacao can be affected by pest problems that limit crop production. In this study, we analyze the management of insect pests in the main cacao-producing countries in the Neotropics, highlighting plant resistance, the use of ecosystem services provided by natural enemies (parasitoids, predators, bacteria, fungi, and entomopathogens, etc.), as well as the biological and phenological selectivity of pesticides. Designing sustainable cacao management strategies in the Neotropics constitutes an opportunity, as it is the center of origin of the crop where an important source of resistance for plant breeding can be found. Among the main challenges are the adaptation of the crop to changing environments, intensive crop systems, and the maintenance or improvement of crop production. The sustainability of cacao pest management in the Neotropics and the determining role played by internalities and externalities are discussed in this chapter.