An early detection tool has been developed that could help West African countries tackle harmful Cocoa Swollen Shoot Virus (CSSV), which is spreading rapidly in Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, and Togo. The World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) has developed the tool which has the potential to safeguard the livelihoods of millions of farmers in the region. CSSV is a plant virus endemic to West Africa that attacks all stages of the cocoa plants, from seedlings to young and mature trees, and is responsible for the Cocoa Swollen Shoot Virus Disease (CSSVD). WCF believes that the key to CSSVD eradication is early detection, both in planting material, before seedlings reach farms, and on existing trees, before symptoms occur.

The early detection tool will soon be deployed in Ivory Coast. It combines real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and DNA-based genetic testing (a plant is declared diseased if the DNA of the virus is present). A handheld PCR device is used to screen samples in the field, and only a few samples are sent to a specialized laboratory for DNA testing. The process requires a robust sampling protocol for farms and nurseries to ensure proper analysis of the disease presence and its spread.