Professional Documents
Culture Documents
BR25 (CC-99-05)
Reddish (red with green) pod color when still young that turns yellow as it m
Leaves are elliptical in shape with wavy leaf margins.
Leaf length and width ratio is 11.0 cm is to 4.04 cm.
First flowering starts at 16.12 months and fruiting follows at 17.70 months.
Pod shape is AMELONADO characterized by an ovoid shape without a promi
It has superficial ridges, and a usually smooth surface, although they can b
beans. Pod length is 17.02 cm and has a width of 7.07. The number of beans per pod is
o
Resistance to insect pests and diseases is moderate.
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2.
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ICS 40
Pod length and width ratio is 16.02 cm is to 9.45 cm. Pod color is green when
Pod index is 16.2 pods/kg with 44 beans per pod. Canopy diameter is 195 cm
Moderately resistant to insect pests and diseases
o
o
o
3.
UIT 1 (CC-99-02)
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
4.
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
5.
K1
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
6.
S5
7.
UF 18
Select seeds that are uniform in size. Discard seeds that are swollen and of
different shape
Select bigger seeds since the possibility high that they would produce
sand.
Cacao seeds are sensitive to fungal attacks and could lead to nongermination. It is best to soak cleaned seeds in fungicide solution for about 10
minutes. Follow strictly instructions indicated in labels.
Spread the seeds on wet sacks and cover with wet newspaper for 24 hrs.
Start collecting seeds that show sign of germination (a pig tail-like root
appears on one side). Usually, germination starts after two days.
Use select 8 x 10 polybags. The soil must reach 2 to 3 cm from the top of
the plastic bag.
Potting medium
If possible sterilize soil by boiling soil with water in drums or other convenient
containers. In some cases, spraying formaline solutions also help sterilize soils.
Cheapest way to sterilize soil is the use solar drying.
Loamy to sandy loam soils are the most suitable medium in terms of physical
property for raising seedlings.
Nursery establishment for cacao seedling are similar to most tree crop nurseries.
Young seedlings will require ample shading, constant supply of clean water and
drainage. There are also other requirements written in the books but the ones
stated here are general characteristics of nursery good for cacao seedlings.
Choose site which are near roads so that new roads will not be necessary
Choose flat grounds. Work area must not entail more effort from uneven
ground work place.
Availability of quality water sources like good water table for shallow wells,
presence of irrigation canals or other natural water source like river or creeks. Also,
free from saline waters.
The period of keeping the seedlings in the nursery affects the arrangement of
the bags. Polybag arrangement must be systematically carried out to facilitate
maintenance and grafting. Normally, a twin row with alternate path of 45 cm in
width is recommended. In order to enhance the seedling growth and to avoid the
seedling etiolation, the seedlings are usually spaced further apart from each other
when the seedlings are 2 to 3 months old.
Weeding: Weeds do not normally cause problems in the nursery and those
that appear can be removed without much expenditure on labor. On the other hand,
weeds growing along spaces in between the blocks may be controlled by cutting
down with scythes. The use of herbicide is not recommended. Therefore weeding
could be done manually or by mulching with available materials such as rice hull.
Fertilizer application is carried out after the first leaf hardens and should
be based on the result of soil analysis. If analysis is not available, incorporate 15-35
grams of diammonium phosphate (18-48-0) per bag depending on the size of
polybag. The use of granular fertilizer is also done when the leaves are dry to avoid
leaf scorching.
nursery. This practice may be carried out by removing the bags containing seeds
which did not germinate and small, crinkled seedlings.
Transplanting: To reduce the seedling shock during transplanting, it is
necessary to rotate the polybag to a few degrees one week before field planting. It
is done for the seedlings whose leaves have hardened and especially for those
which roots have penetrated the ground. Watering has to be done for a few days
later. Field planting must be started at the onset of the rainy season. Unless
irrigation is available, field planting during the dry season is not advisable.
Vegetative Propagation
Vegetative propagation gives more advantage in terms of reproduction of true-totype trees, more uniform growth, early to bear flowers, and the clone perpetuates
most if not all important characters of the original seedling mother tree like pod
value, bean size, fruit wall thickness and others. Major consideration in vegetative
propagation is the use of the selected varieties mentioned above.
Types of Vegetative Propagation
Patch Budding This is the propagation of true-to-type trees using buds from any
of the nine NSIC approved clones.
Nodal Grafting Propagation on the sides of the seedling using nodes.
Conventional cleft grafting This propagation technique is similar to the
procedure used in grafting mangoes. Rootstocks are cut horizontally leaving only
two leaves behind. Scion of selected variety is attached to rootstocks with an
inverted V shape and fastened to each other using thin plastic sheet covering all
wounds to prevent drying.
The success factors for all types of grafting and budding are:
1.
2.
3.
Do not collect bud wood from trees that are recovering from heavy
cropping\
4.
Make sure bud wood is of right age and thickness for the rootstock
5.
Only use a sharp knife and keep it only for grafting or budding- nothing
else.
6.
Clean knives and secateuers and other tools with alcohol, before and
after grafting and budding, to minimise disease transfer
7.
8.
Avoid grafting in very hot and very dry periods, and also in very wet
periods.
9.
Make sure rootstock are the right age and condition for grafting and
budding
10.
11.
Deep soil, about 150 cm, highly favors the growth of cacao.
pH = 5.0 to 6.5
Climatic Requirement
Ideal rainfall for cacao cultivation ranges from 1250 to 3000 mm per annum,
preferably 1500-2000 mm with dry season of not more than 3 months.
Temperature ideal for cacao lies between a mean maximum of 30-32C and
mean minimum of 18C.
Altitude of the area should lie between 300-1200 meters above sea level.
Suitable temperature is generally found in an altitude up to 700 m.
Cacao thrives best in areas under Type IV climate which has an evenly
distributed rainfall throughout the year.
Establishment of Shade Crops
The leaves of the cocoa seedlings are tender and will be burnt by direct sunlight.
Therefore, in order to protect them and ensure their survival and health, the
seedlings must be shaded from direct sunlight during the first few years. Direct
sunlight shuts off the ability of cocoa leaves to produce carbohydrates through
photosynthesis. Carbohydrate is the source of energy for growth. If no energy is
produced, the tree cannot grow or produce cocoa pods.
Only older cocoa trees can survive the direct rays of the sun. The upper leaves,
which receive direct sunlight, shade the lower leaves that provide energy for the
tree and the cocoa fruit to grow. However, if there is too much shade, cocoa leaves
cannot perform photosynthesis and there is no energy for growth.
Newly planted cocoa trees need 75% shade (25% direct sunlight overall) during
their first year. This can be reduced to a 50% level of overall shade in their second
year. After that, the pod bearing cocoa trees need to be shaded only about 25%
density of direct sunlight for the rest of the cocoa trees life span.
Permanent shade crops that have a thin canopy, tall trunk and do not defoliate
seasonally are ideal to intercrop with cocoa trees for long periods. Some suitable
crop bearing varieties are coconut, cashew, longan, durian, mango and
mangosteen. Both cacao and shade trees can be planted at 6 x 3 m as in Figure
below.
In the case that shade crops (both temporary and permanent) do not create enough
shade for cocoa seedlings growth, temporary structures can be made from other,
easily available materials such as palm fronds, sugar cane leaf, and etc.
Ipil-ipil
Madre de cacao (suitable pepper production)
Langka
Lansones
Marang
Durian
Kasoy
Mangga
Longgan
Pomelo
Niyog
rowing)
Sesbania
Crotalaria
Flemingia
Paminta
Dragon fruit
Vanilla
ROPS
Tanglad
Mani
Kamote
Table 1. List of some common and suitable plants to intercrops with cacao.
Staking and Spacing
Planting points are to be marked with stakes using suitable size and length of
cable wire or guide from straight line planting.
High density 1.5 to 2.0 x 6.0 m = 2,300 trees/ha. Double hedge row
1.
2.
It is not advisable to plant seedling with young and soft flush leaves as they
are susceptible to sunburn, planting shocks or stress.
3.
Best season to plant in the field is during the onset of rainy season.
4.
Size of the hole should be big enough to accommodate the ball of the soil
mass.
5.
6.
d planting
FERTILIZER APPLICATION/PLANT (g
N
6.4
6.4
8.5
8.5
8.5
8.5
12.8
12.8
17.0
17.0
27.0
27.3
80.5
80.5
Pruning
Pruning is done to increase cacao production
Control the shape and height of the tree, to ensure easy access for
harvesting.
Steps
e production, make tree maintenance easier, and reduce pest infestation and diseases
h regularly removing the low hanging branches or those that grow downwards.
upons on the stem.
tional branches that are within 60 cm of the jorquette. Removal of shoots is necessary to avoid produc
emove regularly all dead, diseased and badly damaged branches.
ches ( up to 4 meters) in order to keep the tree short for easy regular harvesting and maintenance.
nded to open the center of the tree by pruning in the shape of a champagne glass in order to reduce h
ke the sunshine and increased wind. The additional sunshine to the stem will increase flowering as we
g is after the high production cycle, approximately one month before the rainy season. After pruning it
y and correctly, results in more pods on the tree with less infestation and diseases.
Rehabilitation of Old Cacao Trees by Side Grafting
Rehabilitation can be carried out by removal or replacement of the existing
unproductive trees: through side grafting or through bark grafting. Side grafting
involves the utilization of scions from plants known for high yield and quality beans
to be side grafted to existing unproductive trees in the plantation.
Steps in Side Grafting
1.
2.
3.
4.
Make first horizontal deep cut on the main trunk of unproductive tree.
5.
6.
Make sure original cut is through the bark to the white wood inside.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
Cover side graft with plastic bag and tie tightly against the tree with
raffia. Remove plastic bag after one month.
13.
Another younger tree with side graft covered with plastic bag and tied
tightly against the tree with raffia. Remove plastic bag after one month.
14.
Repeat the same steps for the 2nd and 3rd. Each tree should have
three grafts to begin with. Be sure each graft are at least 30 cms apart and opposite
each other.
15.
Cut the main tree with chainsaw at least 1 foot above the ground in a
slanting manner.
16.
17.
Ringweed the stump 1 ft. around and and apply animal manure or
organic fertilizer in the stump holes.
18.
1.
to remove all other diseased pods, black pods, and pods eaten by animals from the
trees
o
Pruning; to increase the sunlight, which the pest does not favor.
Bagging or sleeving of the young pods with newspaper and stapler (or
plastic bag)
2.
o
3.
Black Pod Rot and Canker Control Method (caused by Phytophtora palmivora)
Harvest all the infested, dead and mummified pods and ideally destroy
or bury them.
puddles of water.
Trees that have died due to tree canker should be cut down and
destroyed.
Scraping off the bark from the infected area and put paint or soap on
it.
4.
Regular harvesting
5.
o
The hole can be covered or plugged with mud or wood to prevent the
larva to come out, so that it cannot feed and hatch, or cannot breathe.
Squirt some soap solution in the exit hole. After a while, the larva will
emerge from the hole, probably driven out by the unpleasant soap fume. Catch and
kill the Stem Borer.
Other Pest and Disease
Leaf Eater Damage
Cause: Insects such as caterpillars, cocoa loopers, grasshoppers, locusts, leaf
cutting ants, leaf beetles.
Solution: Chemical control is effective. Shade management is also important. Some
shade trees such as Leucaena are often associated with more caterpillar problems.
Open sunny conditions attract locusts and grasshoppers. Red weaver ants may be
effective in controlling leaf beetles.
Leaf eater damage
Cause: Insects. Possibly Rhyparid beetle.
Solution: Chemical control, or biological with crazy ant. Control with light traps is
also possible.
BLISTERS and BLACK SPOTS
Sap suckers on young leaves
Cause: Insect such as thrips, aphids, leaf hoppers and pysillids.
Solution: Chemical control. Take care to spray underneath the leaves as well as on
top.
Insect sap suckers
Cause: Thrips or aphids.
Solution: Control with chemicals and shade management. Target spraying to
affected plants only. Thrips have natural enemies such as pirate bugs watch out for
them and avoid spraying them.
Harvest Management
Pod harvesting
Dont harvest green pods and avoid over ripe pods because bean size and quality
will be reduced. Use secateurs to harvest cleanly and safely, to protect flowering
cushions
Pod storage
We should collect pods and store for 7 9 days for quicker fermentation and better
flavor of cocoa beans.
Pod opening and bean removal
The best way is to use a non-sharpened steel blade to crack the pod then twist the
pod open. You can also use a wooden hammer or crack two pods together.
Discard the placenta, pulp and soft or empty beans, germinated beans and damaged beans
from the bean mass.
Correct pod disposal is important to avoid pest and disease buildup. The safest
ways are composting or burying after drying. Avoid leaving pod husks on the
ground, as insects and diseases can spread from these pods.
Bean fermentation
During cocoa bean fermentation, it is important to:
Turn the bean mass after 2 days (48 hours) and 4 days (96 hours)
Cover the beans with banana leaves and jute bags or cloth rags
Cover with plastic shelters during rain or remove the beans to a dry spot.
During drying separate bean clusters, remove pod placenta, and flat,
damaged or germinated beans.
produce smoke- this is not an approved drying method and will result in smoke contaminat
Bagging and storage
Keep bags of beans on a wooden palette in a dry and ventilated place. Dont put hot
beans into plastic bags to avoid mould and moisture increased.
Record keeping.
Record all weight of pods harvested, wet bean fermented, beans dried in a record
book, and dates of harvest, fermentation and drying.
of good structure,
You destroy all the organic matter in the weeds, the leaves and the branches.
The cocoa trees are not protected from the sun when it is too strong.
18. Sometimes growers put banana trees or taros into the cocoa plantation, to give
shade for the young cocoa trees. If these are planted long enough before the cocoa
trees, they give good protection.
But if they are planted at the same time as the cocoa trees, they do not protect the
young cocoa trees well enough and they take nourishment out of the soil.
19. To give shade it Is better to keep a few of the forest trees.
You should cut first all the tall weeds, the creepers and the small trees.
Make heaps of what you have cut down and arrange the heaps in rows.
It is better not to burn all the vegetation you cut.
Leave it on the ground.
It protects the soil against erosion and sun.
It rots and makes humus.
If you have to burn the vegetation you have cut, you must sow a cover crop.
20. Next, go through the plantation a second time:
Now cut down all the trees which might give some disease to the cocoa trees.
And cut down also all trees that give too much shade.
But leave those large trees which can give no disease to the cocoa trees, and
which give a little shade.
When the cocoa trees have grown taller, they need less shade.
You should gradually give them less and less shade.
You should prune the big trees and cut off those branches that cast too much shade.
When the plantation is well cared for, you can cut down all the big trees.
When the cocoa trees have grown, it is better to get rid of the unwanted shade trees
by using tree-killing chemical products. This way causes less damage than cutting
them down.
21. In Cameroon, for example,
Botanical name
Atui
Piptadeniastrum africanum
Tm
Erythrophloeum guineense
Eba
Pentaclethra macrophylla
Eyen
Distemonanthus benthamianus
Asam
Uapaca staudtii
Abem
Macrolobium or Berlinia
Esabem
Macrolobium limba
Engkm
Myrianthus arboreus
Aseng
Musanga cecropioides
Terminalia superba
Atol
Ficus vogeliana
Evouvous
Albizzia ferruginea
Esak
Albizzia fastigiata
Ekouk
Alstonia boonei
Eteng
Pycnanthus kombo
Piptadeniastrum africanum
Samba
Triplochiton scleroxylon
Bla
Childovia sanguinea
Aiya, Kotib
Nesogordonia papaverifera
Cola
Cola nitida
Ehman
Corynanthe pachyceras
Cakoua
Cola spp.
Ntaba
Akeato
Aoussou
Boto, Kotoki
Sterculia tragacantha
Fromager
Ceiba pentandra
Akogaouan,
Oba
Bombax spp.
Treculia africana
Inkichbi
Rauwolfia vomitoria
Glagla
Conopharyngia
Trema guineensis
Iroko
Chlorophora excelsa
Figuiers
Ficus
Ouangrain
Allophylus africanus
Sipo, Tiama
Entandro phragma
Combretodendron africanum
Emien
Alstonia boonei
Minghi, Bah
Fagara
Oualb Nda
Pycnanthus angolensis
Frak, Framir
Terminalia
Akoua
Antrocaryon micraster
Parasolier
Musanga cecropioides
Loloti
Lannea welwitschii
Tchiku,
Tchikubi
Bridelia
25. A few hours before lifting the seedlings from the nursery beds, water the soil.
Then take the seedlings out of the nursery beds with a spade or a hoe.
Be very careful not to break the roots.
Next sort out the cocoa seedlings.
Throw away diseased plants and plants that have a twisted tap-root.
You can dip the roots of the seedlings in liquid mud, so that the cocoa plants take
root again easily.
26. When to plant cocoa trees
Plant cocoa trees at the beginning of the rainy season.
Choose a day when the soil is moist and when the sky is cloudy.
Plant the young cocoa trees when they are about 6 months old.
27. How to plant cocoa trees
A few days before planting, fill in the holes you have dug.
At the bottom of the hole, put the soil you have dug out from the top, and on
top put the soil you have dug out from below.
You may mix the soil with manure.
Apply fertilizer
grow.
It will be enough to weed once a year.
When you are cultivating be very careful not to damage the trunk and roots of the
cocoa trees.
31. Between the rows of cocoa trees, you should not leave the soil bare.
You should cover the soil either with cut weeds or with palm fronds, if available.
In this way the soil is protected against sun and erosion; it stays moist and cool.
When the weeds rot, they give the soil organic matter.
You can also sow a cover crop, for Instance legumes.
This will give the soil good protection against sun and erosion.
34.
35. Always cut out all dead branches, dry twigs and suckers.
A sucker is a twig that grows upward out of the trunk.
Cut off the suckers very close to the trunk.
36. When a cocoa tree gets old, it no longer yields many pods.
But you can make cocoa trees young again by letting one or two suckers grow low
down on the trunk where they can develop their own roots.
Then cut down the old trunk, and you will again have a cocoa tree that yields many
pods.
APPLYING FERTILIZERS
Fertilizers cost a lot of money.
So the grower should use fertilizers only when this will make him earn more money.
36. When you have tended your cocoa trees, when you have hoed the weeds, then
you should apply fertilizer.
Spread fertilizer around each cocoa tree, but be careful not to put any on the trunk,
the branches or the leaves of the cocoa tree: otherwise the fertilizer will burn the
tree.
Spread the fertilizer in a ring around the trunk at a distance of about 1 metre from it,
where most of its small roots are.
Apply fertilizer twice a year: in April and September.
37. It Is useless to apply fertilizers in a plantation that is not well cared for.
A grower who does not prune his cocoa trees and who does not hoe the weeds
should not apply any fertilizer.
If the plantation is not cared for properly, fertilizers do nothing except feed the trunks
of the cocoa trees, the suckers and the weeds.
The grower loses his money.
38. Different soils have different fertilizer needs.
Ask the extension service how much fertilizer to use.
For example, in Ivory Coast:
on the more sandy soils, along the coast, use compound fertilizer, which
contains nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash: fertilizer formula 13-10-15;
on the more granitic soils of the interior, use another compound fertilizer:
formula 12-15-18.
Capsid
Borer
The most dangerous diseases that attack cocoa trees are the following:
Often cocoa growers ferment the beans in heaps. They chose a flat and dry spot,
cover it with banana leaves, make a heap of cocoa beans and cover the heap with
banana leaves.
The beans ferment well if the heap is stirred from time to time.
It is much better to ferment the beans in boxes.
Use boxes with holes in the bottom.
Place these boxes on supports, for instance stones.
The juice runs off at the bottom of the boxes through the holes.
After two days, take the beans out of the box, stir them around well and put them into
another box.
To make this work easier, you can stack the boxes one on top of the other.
Never leave the beans in the same box for more than two days.
Fermentation takes 6 to 10 days.
The beans are purple at the beginning, and turn reddish when they are fermented.
49. In forest regions where the climate is very moist, cocoa beans do not dry at all well.
Badly dried beans are of poor quality.
You get less money for them.
In such regions several growers can get together and build a modern drier.
Spread the beans on a concrete slab set well above floor level.
Light a fire underneath, or allow hot air to pass through drums to heat the concrete
slab.
Then the cocoa beans will dry better.
In this way one man alone can take care of drying the harvest of several growers.
He should not let the fire get too hot, to prevent the beans from becoming smoky.
He should stir them often so that they do not burn.
50. When the cocoa is quite dry, the beans are sorted.
Remove all the:
flat beans
germinated beans
mouldy beans
broken beans.
well harvested,
well fermented,
well dried.
Growing cocoa
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Climate requirements
Environmental requirements
the tree. This is called cherelle wilt and is often mistaken as a disease
situation. The remaining pods take six months to ripen after pollination. Ripe
pods do not fall off the tree.
History
For many centuries, the Mayas in South America harvested cocoa from the
wild for use in religious ceremonies. In Central America, the Aztecs used
cocoa to make a thick chocolate style drink and cocoa beans were used widely
as currency. It is not known how cocoa originally reached Central America, but
after the conquest of Mexico, cocoa cultivation spread to the Caribbean, then
across the Pacific to the Philippines, the East Indies and India. Cocoa also
began to be cultivated in Brazil and from there it was eventually taken to Africa
in the 19th century.
European nations gradually became aware of cocoa in the 17th century. When
the Swiss developed milk chocolate manufacturing late in the 18th century,
increased consumption stimulated the demand for cocoa, which led to
widespread cultivation. In the 20th century, production increased rapidly - from
less than 125,000 tonnes in the early 1900s to 4,365,000 tonnes in 2013-2014.
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Climate requirements
Climatic and site requirements place cocoa in the tropical regions of the world
generally within 15 of the equator. This region is predominantly
underdeveloped and highly populated, and cocoa production has evolved with
access to cheap and plentiful labour. Irrigation is rarely used and planting has
been restricted to regions with reliable, year round rainfall.
Cocoa is usually grown under remnant forest, planted shade trees or
intercropped with other commercial crops that protect the cocoa. In Malaysia
and Indonesia, cocoa is also grown in full sun, although shade is used during
establishment. The height of cocoa is kept to about 3-5 m to make
management and harvesting easier. Average yields are low, about 1 tonne/ha
or less of dry beans. Harvesting has a high labour demand for a relatively
short and often unpredictable season. After harvest, beans are fermented and
dried by growers or at a central fermentary, and then traded.
About 70% of world production is grown by smallholders on a low input, low
output basis. Typically, family or village labour is used at relatively little cost.
Trees can be individually managed and the quality of bean fermentation is
usually assured. As a rule of thumb, one labourer is required per 2.5 ha of
established cocoa in traditional production systems.
Environmental requirements
Temperature
The distribution of annual rainfall for regions in which cocoa is grown is 12503000 mm per year. The rainfall must be well distributed and any dry period
should be no longer than three months. Annual rainfall greater than 2500 mm
may result in a higher incidence of fungal diseases. Irrigation is rarely used
and there is limited information about growing cocoa under irrigation. In far
north Queensland's growing conditions, however, irrigation is considered
essential as in a typical season there are 3 to 4 months where rainfall is less
than 100 mm/month.
Soils
Cocoa is grown on a wide range of soil types, but soils with moderate to high
fertility are favoured since fertiliser inputs under traditional production systems
are low. The main requirements are:
Wind
Attempts to establish cocoa without shade often fail and one of the main
causes is wind damage. Cocoa prefers calm conditions and persistent
moderate wind can cause problems during establishment. Young vigorous
plants can be bent over and new leaves can be broken at the axils.
Because cocoa is not generally grown in areas prone to cyclones, its
vulnerability to strong winds is not well known, although the experience of
cyclones Larry and Yasi suggests that the tree is easily toppled. Fallen trees
that are not uprooted are capable of recovering as they can regrow from a
basal shoot.
Back to top
Young cocoa plants may be field planted after six months. Because
establishment without shade can be problematic, shade should be wellestablished before planting in the field. As well as sun protection, the shade
reduces wind exposure and provides a suitable microclimate. Shade strategies
include:
interplanting with species that also provide a commercial return., e.g. papaya
and banana
tree vigour
light interception
Density may range from 800-3000 trees/ha with about 1200 trees/ha being
common in Malaysia under shade and 'zero-shade' conditions.
Nutrition
Cocoa harvest is spread over several months, and in some regions there may
be pods available for harvest throughout the year. Typically, there are one or
two peak harvest periods influenced by flowering in response to rainfall and
humidity. However, local climate and the crop already on the tree will also
influence flowering so that the yearly-cropping pattern can vary in areas with a
relatively uniform climate.
On ripening, pods turn from green or deep red to yellow or orange and only
ripe, coloured pods are harvested. However, the timing is not critical since
under-ripe pods will ferment satisfactorily and ripe pods can be left on the tree
for two to three weeks. After this, pods may rot and the beans may germinate
inside the pod. Harvesting is done by hand using machetes or knives to cut
pods from the tree since pulling the pods from the tree can damage the flower
cushion and tear the bark.
After harvest, the pods are opened to extract wet beans and this can be done
immediately or delayed for up to several days. This is also a manual operation
- usually the pod is cut open and the beans are scooped out by hand. The
placenta, which joins the beans inside the pod, is preferably separated from
the wet beans prior to fermentation. Prototype pod-splitting machines have
been developed in Queensland and will continue to be modified and improved
by industry.
Fermentation and drying
Fermentation and drying are the last operations carried out on-farm before
trading the dried beans. Fermentation is essential for the development of
chocolate flavour (further developed during roasting). After extraction, the wet
beans are bulked together and gradually heat up as a result of exothermic
chemical reactions in the pulp caused by the activity of microorganisms
(yeasts and acetic and lactic acid bacteria). Initially, the mucilage is broken
down and drains off as 'sweatings'. After 36-72 hours the beans are killed and
a series of chemical changes take place inside the bean, some of which
continue during drying.
Although chemically complex, fermentation methods are simple. Fermentation
is carried out in specially constructed wooden boxes, in heaps covered by
banana leaves or in baskets. Much of the heat generated is retained by
insulation, but this is more difficult with small quantities of beans and a
minimum of about 90 kg is required when using traditional heap or box
methods. The process usually takes from five to seven days to complete
depending on the type of cocoa being grown and local practice. The mass of
beans is turned or stirred at least once for aeration.
Fermented beans are then dried in the sun or artificially until suitably dry (6-7%
moisture content dry basis) for storing and transporting. Artificial drying can
cause beans to be very acidic if they are dried too quickly. Dried beans are
hand sorted or mechanically sieved and winnowed to remove defective beans
and debris.
The 'pod index' expresses the number of pods required to produce one
kilogram of dried beans. A low pod index usually means good bean size and a
saving in harvesting costs since the weight of beans per pod is high. The
'recovery' is the proportion of dry fermented beans to wet unfermented beans
expressed as a percentage. It ranges from about 40% for under-ripe pods to
45% for over-ripe pods, but is also affected by variety and season.
Processing
Further information
Wood, G.A.R. and Lass, R.A., 1992. Cocoa. Tropical Agriculture Series,
Fourth Edition. Longman Press, London.