Cacao trees that have borne fruits need extra attention, especially during rainy season. In rainy season, growth of bacteria, fungus, and other diseases is high and cacao trees are really sensitive to high precipitation. Problems faced by cacao trees in rainy season are fruit abscission and fruit rotting.
Fruit rotting of cacao trees happen a lot in rainy season. The main characteristic is the dark brown specks on rinds. Those specks can spread to all surface until the seeds of the fruits rot too.
Farmers find it hard to prevent this problem from happening. The conventional method done by most farmers is to get rid off and burn the cacao fruit that is identified as the source of the disease. Others bury the problematic fruit instead.
Another way to prevent rotting of your cacao fruits is to keep the cleanliness of the area and pay extra attention to the fruits nearing the harvest time. Also read: How to Pick, Pare, and Process Cacao.