A virus is destroying cocoa trees, and the world's chocolate supply is in danger

A fast-spreading virus infects cacao trees and the dried beans used to make chocolate, threatening the world's popular chocolate. Cacao swollen shoot virus diseases (CSSVD) can cause yield reductions of up to 50%. However, researchers are now using data to develop a math-based strategy against it. About 50% of the world's chocolate production comes from cocoa trees in West Africa's Ivory Coast and Ghana. The harmful virus infects cocoa trees in Ghana and causes yield losses of 15-50%. The disease is spread by a species of scale lice, which eat the leaves, buds and flowers of these trees. CSSVD is one of the biggest problems threatening the raw material of chocolate. "This virus is a threat to the global chocolate supply," said Benito Chen-Charpentier, a professor of mathematics at the University of Texas at Arlington who has written a book on cocoa and the virus that attacks cocoa. – Insecticides do not protect adequately. For this reason, farmers must try to prevent the spread of ...