This document provides information on cocoa cultivation. It discusses the botanical details of cocoa, including its native region and major producing areas. It then covers cocoa cultivation practices in India such as common production areas, how it is grown as an intercrop, and seedling production. The document also discusses cocoa cultivation techniques including establishment, maintenance, pollination, harvesting, and pest and disease management.

4.  BOTANICAL NAME : Theobroma cocoa
 FAMILY: Malvaceae
 CHROMOSOM NO:2n=20
 NATIVE: Amazon region of South America
 MAJOR PRODUCTION : Africa
 MAJOR PRODUCTION IN INDIA: Karnataka , Kerala , TN.
 POLLINATION- cross pollination
 It is beverage crop and it is introduced to the india in 1965.
 In India , cocoa is cultivated in 22,000ha and production is
8000t/annum.
 In India , It is grown as a mixed crop in coconut and areca nut gardens.
 Compare to vegetative production , seedling production is very easier
and cheaper.
 So we go for quality seed production.

5. BOTANY:
ECONOMIC LIFE PERIOD: 25-30 years.
FIRST BEARING: 3rd year
GROWTH OF TREE:

6. LEAVES AND INFLORECENCE:
 Leaves on the fan branches grow alternatively in a series of group –
Flushes.
 The leaves mature before another flush grows.
 The site of flowering enlarge at a time to form ‘cushion’, which will
carry many flower.

7. FRUITS AND SEED:
It is commonly called a ‘pod’.
DURATION: 5-6 months
• Certain characteristic shape designated by names:
• Calaacillo , amelonada , cundeamo , angoleta.
• Each seed consist of 2 cotyledons , which are joined at their base by a
radicle and rudimentory plumule .The colour of cotyledons - white
to dark purple,

9. TYPES OF CUTIVATED COCOA:
CHARACTER CRIOLLO FORASTERO TRINITARIO
1.Staminode Pale pink purple Criollo*Forastero
Intermediate quality.
2.Pod colour
before ripening
Green/red green
3.Pod shape cundeamor varying
4.Pericarp Warty , thin thick
5.Mesocarp Slight woody , thin Very woody
6.Bean Plump , round flat
7.Cotyledons White/ slightly
pigmented
Dark purple
8. Cocoa
quality
superior moderate
General growth Less vigorous ,
slow growing
susceptible to
diseases.
Well adopted ,
promising

11. CLIMATIC REQUIREMENTS:
CRITERIA FOR MOTHER PLANT SELECTION:
1.Pod size-medium to large (350g)
2.Yieldnot<100 pods/year
3.Pod husk not >than 1cm.
OPTIMUM
RANGE
REMARKS
Temperatue Max:30-
32˚CMin:18-
21C
Respond well in relatively high
T.
RF 1500-
2000mm
Well distributed
Humidity Day-70-80%
Night-100%
Light and
shade
50% Progressively reduced after 2
years of planting.
soil Well drained
soil with a ph
of 5-8

12. Pod value ( no of pod required for 1 kg dry bean ) not>12
1 pod = not <35
Bean weight <1.2g
PRODUCTION OF SEEDLING:
SEED REQUIREMENT:
Spacing 10*10ft
No of trees / ha 1000
No of seedling required including
replanting
1250
Viable seed / pod 25
Total seed pod requirement 50

13. NURSERY SITE SELECTION:
 Site must be flat or gentle slope.
 80m2 is required to produced 1 ha.
 The seeds are either sow in polybag of 30*20cm or in soil.
 Mostly poly bags are used.
 Red soil+ FYM @ 2:1:1 + Super phosphate (5 kg/ton) was found to
be best media.

14.  The germination percentage is higher for March sowing(94.5%)
followed by february(85.6%)
 Germination-6-8 days
 First four real leaves appear after 15 days.
 One month before planting , progressively removing the shade.
SEEDLING SELECTION:
 Select seedling of 3-4 month old with a height of not less than
30 cm and total leaves not less than 8-10 is selected.

15. ESTABLISHMENT AND MAINTANANCE OF COCOA PLANTATION:
METHOD OF PLANTING
 Cocoa is a shade loving plant.
 TEMPORARY SHADE: banana , pigeon pea , papaya , castor
PERMANANT SHADING: Leucaena leucocephala , Gluricidia
sepium , Albizzia sp.
 The plant is grown as a mixed crop with other plants like spices
and rubber mainly under rainfed conditions.
 Cocoa is planted as an intercrop in coconut and arecanut
gardens.

16. Main crop
Spacing
(m)
Cocoa as inter crop
Coconut 7.5 x 7.5
One Cocoa row of plants at 3m interval at the
center of two Coconut rows and One Cocoa at the
center of two Coconut plants along the Coconut
row. This layout will hold about 500 plants per
hectare
Arecanut 2.7 x 2.7
One Cocoa row of plants at 2.7m interval at the
center of two Arecanut rows. Likewise alternate
gaps of Arecanut rows should be filled in. This
layout will hold about 686 plants/ha.
Oil palm 4.5 x 4.5
Five cocoa plants would come between four oil
plants resulting in 400 plants per hectare.

17. • 50cm3 dug, weather for one month , refilled with topsoil , 15-20 kg
of compost of FYM to ground level.
PRUNING:

18. IRRIGATION:
FERTILIZER APPLICATION:
Age of the plant
Water requirement
(litre/ plant / day)
1st year 3-5
2nd year 10
3rd year and later 20-25
Fertilizer (g/
plant)
I year II year
III year
onwards
Urea 72 144 220
Rock
phosphate
65 130 200
Muriate of
Potash
77 154 230

19. FLOWERING:
• 3-4 Years first bearing
FACTORS AFFECTING FLOWERING:
1.INTERNAL FACTORS:
A. AGE
B. GRIDLING-The removal of ring of bark from the trunk of mature
trees – increase flowering
C. CAMBIUM ACTIVITY- Minimum cambial activity – minimal
flowering.
EXTERNAL FACTORS:
A. SHADING- Plants grows without shade result early and profuse
flowers.
B. TEMPEARATURE- Flowering was inhibited when mean monthly
temperature is below 23C
C.MOISTURE-moisture stress inhibite the flowering.

20. POLLINATION:
 It is a cross pollinated crop.
 Pollinators – Insects , midges , thrips , ants.
 Pollen viability – 48h
 Non- pollinated flowers fall next 24-28h after anthesis.
 It is artificially pollinated by agitating flowers with a hand brush
, blowing air
 Major problem is self incompatability
 To overcome this , Co2 treatment is also followed.

21. SEED DEVELOPEMENT AND MATURATION:
• Pod colour changes from green to yellowish orange
• Average maturated period – 161 days.
FRUIT COLOUR FRUIT
WEIGHT(G)
SEED
RECOVERY
(%)
SEED
WEIGHT(G)
GERMI
NATIO
N (%)
VIGOUR
INDEX
Yellowish green 0.05 - - - -
green 62.6 - - - -
Greenish yellow 360.8 35 127.3 52 1737
Light yellow 398.8 38 151.3 60 2123
Yellowish orange 434.4 43 185.7 94 3398
Dark orange 414.4 39 159.5 90 3238

22. HARVESTING:
 Harvest the pod when they are ripe.
 Harvested by making clear cut through stalk with sharp blade.
 Harvesting should be carried out at regular interval of 10-15
days and not exceed three weeks.
 Care is taken not to damage the flower cushion which will
produce flowers and frits of subsequent harvest.

23. POD SELECTION:
Large and medium pods weighing more than 350g with not less than
400cc is better for seed extraction.
• Seed from middle portion of pod recorded high germination.
POD SIZE POD
WEIGHT(g)
POD
VOLUME(cc)
SEED
WEIGHT(g)
GERMINATI
ON(%)
SEEDLING
DRY
WEIGHT(m
g)
Large 465 517 2.88 83.9 2470
Medium 314 368 2.49 83.3 3084
Small 229 276 2.21 81.9 1842

24. SEED EXTARCTION:
 Pods are opened and seeds are removed by hand.
 The seeds are to be extracted from the mucilaginous pulp which
surrounds the seeds.
 Seed extract by using HCL at 8 ml /250 g of pulp for 5 min
recorded more germination

25. EXTRACTION
METHOD
(250 G PULP)
100 SEED
WEIGHT(g)
GERMINATIN(%) DRY MATTER
PRODUCTION
(mg)
VIGOUR
INDEX
control 221 51 196 1924
NAOH 2% @
20ml
174 60 208 2303
Acid @ 8ml
for 5 min
177 91 253 4118
Lime 10% for
10 min
186 82 246 3415

26. STORAGE OF COCOA SEED :
 It is desiccation sensitive and cannot be stored under conditions of
low temperature and below freezing temperatures.
METHODS OF STORAGE:
 Seed stored at 100% RH -98.3% -50 days
 Seed stored in aerobic condition- viable with 70% after 20 days.
 Seed dried for 3 h -98% RH- 77% germination upto 2 months.
 Seed stored in pods remain viable for 7-16 days.
 Partial drying followed by fungicide treatment and storing at
20 C maintained for 24 weeks.
 Storing seeds in 40% methyl cellulose gel in dark at 25 c
maintained viability for 210 days.
 Thiram seed treament -79% viability upto 18 weeks.

27. STOARGE
PERIOD(mo
nths)
1.MOISTUR
E(%)
VIABILITY(
%)
2.MOISTUR
E(%)
VIABILITY(
%)
0 42 68 36.7 18
2 41.4 77 26 0
8 40.6 24 23.3 0
EFFECT OF DRYING AND RH ON STORABILITY OF COCOA SEEDS:
1.Dried for 3hrs and stored at 98% RH
2.Dried for 8hrs and stored at 81%RH

28. PEST IN COCOA:
MEALY BUG
TEA MOSQUITO BUG PLANT HOPPER
APHIDS
HAIRY CATERPILLAR STEM GRIDLER

29. NON-PEST:
DISEASES:
RAT ATTACK SQUIRREL ATTACK
BLACK POD ROT STEM CANKER
VASCULAR
STREAK
DIEBACK
CHERELLA WILT