The shade and fertiliser requirements of cacao (Theobroma cacao) in Ghana

Abstract

Experiments to examine the shade and nutrient requirements of cacao In this paper cacao applies to the tree and cacao to the dried, fermented beans are described and preliminary results are presented. A significant response to phosphate was obtained under shade when pests, diseases and weeds were controlled. Removing shade results in highly significant increases in yield with a positive interaction between increased light and applied nutrients. Fertilised, unshaded cacao gave yields double that previously considered to be the maximum for Amelonado cacao. The application of these results to farmers' shaded cacao and to a more intensive system of growing the crop without shade are discussed. Attention is drawn to the dangers of removing shade and to the importance of associated factors such as pest distribution, incidence of weeds, adverse dry season effects and soil degradation.