Sea island cotton, although a minor crop in the West Indies, could no doubt have been
of much greater importance had it not been for the pink boll weevil. In some years con-
siderable proportions of the crop have been destroyed by this pest. Governments have
endeavoured to control this pest by ordering a "closed season" for cotton growing during
which all plants must be uprooted and burned. Nevertheless with increasing peasant
farmers, as against estate producers, production and practices of share croppers and
migratory cultivators, who are common in cotton growing regions make control difficult.

 The common cotton grown in the West Indies is Montserrat Sea Island. In 1954-55,
Antigua planted 733 acres of VH8, an intermediate variety evolved to suit Antigua condi-
tions. While it is evident that this latter is a better quality cotton and slightly more
disease resistant, it is difficult to estimate the difference in yields due to plant types,
since the VH8 is grown mainly by estates, and the MSI by peasants. The average yield of
VH8 between 1955 and 1960, was about 35 % higher than MSI.

 If the sea island cotton industry survives, we may expect to find some progress in the
 control of disease and plant types. But improvements in the last few years seem to have
 been counteracted by deterioration in many of the soils on which cotton is grown.

 Perhaps there is no other product that has been so influenced by genetic factors as has
 cocoa. In the major cocoa producing territories of Grenada, Jamaica, and Trinidad and
 Tobago, a complete replacement of all old stock by a new government produced clonal
 material is planned. The result of those projects is likely to increase yields from the
 low average of about 170 pounds per acre to something between 500 and 600 pounds per
 acre when the plants are mature. Thus genetic factors must be seen as the main cause
 of the rather significant expansions which we have projected.

 In the coconut industry, disease and climatic factors have been of overwhelming im-
 Ix)rtance. The two big killers are lethal yellowing, which has caused one hundred percent
 mortality of the larger palms in some areas of Jamaica, and red ring, which can also
 causeone hundred percent mortality. Red ring is endemic in Trinidad and Tobago and
 British Guiana, and is perhaps worse than the lethal yellowing in that it favours young
 trees rather than older ones, and may devastate a complete new plantation just at the pre-
 bearing stage. The loss of palms from these diseases throughout the area has probably
 approached fifty percent of the palm population. In some areas, the existence of the
 diseases has very definitely deterred operators from taking up this crop.

 Climatic factors have been of little less importance in Jamaica. The hurricane of 1944
 destroyed approximately 40 % of the bearing coconuts, and that of 1951 about 25 %.

 Thus the breeding of disease resistant and, if possible, wind resistant varieties has
 been given precedence in research over factors affecting production ability. The red-
 ring nematode in Trinidad and Tobago has recently been identified, however, and in
 Jamaica, the widespread introduction of Malay dwarfs, which are resistant to lethal yel-
 ,owing, has met this problem.

 While no one can predict the course of new or old plant diseases, we feel that diseases
 and hurricanes are less likely to have a destructive influence in the future than they have
 nad in the past.