New strategies, including mathematical designs and expensive vaccines to optimize tree planting, are being established to combat this threat.The cacao swollen shoot infection disease can result in the loss of up to 50% of particular harvests.A promptly spreading out infection positions a threat to the health of cacao trees and the dried seeds used to make chocolate, putting the worldwide supply of this beloved treat at risk.About 50% of the worlds chocolate originates from cacao trees in the West Africa countries of Ivory Coast and Ghana. Spread by small insects called mealybugs that eat the leaves, buds, and flowers of trees, the cacao swollen shoot infection illness (CSSVD) is among the most damaging dangers to the root ingredient of chocolate.Healthy cacao tree. The vaccines are pricey, specifically for low-wage farmers, and immunized trees produce a smaller harvest of cacao, intensifying the devastation of the virus.Mathematical Modeling to Aid FarmersChen-Charpentier and coworkers from the University of Kansas, Prairie View A&M, the University of South Florida, and the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana have developed a new method: utilizing mathematical data to identify how far apart farmers can plant vaccinated trees to prevent mealybugs from jumping from one tree to another and spreading the virus.Benito Chen-Charpentier, professor of mathematics at The University of Texas at Arlington.
