Abstract:

Elite seed of Trinidad Selected Hybrids and Costa Rica introductions of cocoa were planted in 1987 and
quarantined on Ddamba island in Lake Victoria, Mukono district. There was no consistent evaluation of
these materials for the initial 10 years because of lack of funds. With availability of funds from USAID/
IDEA, cocoa research was revived at Coffee Research Institute (CORI) and the Ddamba materials evaluated
from 1999 to 2001. At the beginning of the evaluation only 1 tree of Trinidad Selected Hybrids, 90 trees of
Costa Rica introductions, and 164 trees of local materials were surviving. No new disease or insect pests
were observed on the introductions but just like the locals, tliey were affected by the major diseases and
insect pests found on cocoa in Uganda. The major diseases found were pod rot (Phytopthora sp), and the
insect pests were scales, mealybugs, aphids, lepidoptcra, mites and vertebrate pests such as monkeys and
squirrels. There were I1/, times more trees among Costa Rica introductions bearing over 40 pods/tree as
compared to the locals. However neither the parents nor the progeny of the introductions could be identified.
Since it was apparent that the Costa Rica introductions might have good qualities, the seeds of these materials
are being propagated in the nursery at the Coffee Research Institute