Witches' broom disease of cocoa in Bahia: attempts at eradication and containment

Abstract Attempts during 1989 to eradicate the first recorded outbreak in Bahia of witches' broom of cocoa caused by Crinipellis perniciosa and the subsequent efforts to contain the spread of the pathogen are described. Factors that militated against successful eradication are evaluated in the light of subsequent experience of the disease in the region.