The development of pepper (Piper nigrum L.) foot rot disease on agroforestry

Abstract Pepper foot rot is one of the most destructive diseases. There were three cropping patterns in the research area, i.e., agroforestry, pepper-cocoa and pepper monoculture patterns. As one of the most common cropping patterns, the observation of foot rots in the agroforestry pattern compared to other cropping patterns. The study was conducted in Simbune Village, East Kolaka Regency, Southeast Sulawesi, from October 2013 to September 2014. The research was conducted by direct observation methods. In each cropping pattern, a permanent measurement plot was made by sampling 30% of the total pepper individuals. The intensity of the disease was observed monthly for 12 months. The observation revealed that the intensity of foot rot disease was getting more severe toward the end of observation. The intensity on agroforestry (26% - 33%) and pepper-cocoa (17% - 35%) patterns were lower than that on pepper monoculture pattern (85% - 90%). The infection rate was lowest on the agroforestry pattern with a value of 0.051. This finding suggested that the agroforestry pattern for pepper showed the best resilience against foot rot disease.