Question

Full yield of the cacao plants can be expected only after ___________.

• A. 3 years
• B. 5 years
• C. 7 years
• D. 10 years

Answer 1

The correct option is D 10 years

The effect of six planting densities on cacao yield of a commercial hybrid mixture as well as the interaction of planting densities with the years were investigated. Crop data collected over a 14-year period (1977-1990) showed that it was possible to optimize the regional cacao yields by implementing high planting densities (2500 and 1736 trees ha-1).

This was however only true for the first half of the crop period. In the second half, low planting density (1059 trees ha-1) attained the best yields. This change in the ranking of planting densities over the years confirmed the presence of density-year interaction. Alternatives to achieve high productivity in high planting density systems were presented and discussed.

Key words: Density-year interaction, high productivity and Theobroma cacao L