Impact of Irrigation and Decreased Light Level by Shade Crop on the Establishment of Cacao Plants

Document Type : Research paper

Authors

1 Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture, Central Mindanao University, Philippines

2 Central Mindanao University, Philippines

Abstract

The massive establishment of new plantations supported by the basic needs of a crop are technical approaches for an increased crop productivity. Water and decreased light levels by shade (i.e. intercropping) are considered basic needs of cacao plants, especially during the early vegetative growth stage. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the influences of irrigation, intercropping, and intercrops on the performance of 39 cacao plantations at the establishment phase. The performance of each cacao plantation, after establishment, was evaluated and rated from 1 to 7 (1- poor; 3- satisfactory; 5- very good; and 7- outstanding) as a rating scale. In general, the results revealed that cacao plantations supplied with irrigation or under decreased light levels by intercrops (regardless of their nature), as well as a combination of these, made the plants perform better than those in plantations without irrigation and when plants were highly exposed to sunlight. The results suggested the importance of irrigation and decreased light levels by intercropping as prerequisites for a successful establishment of cacao plantations.

Keywords

References

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International Journal of Horticultural Science and Technology
Volume 10, Special issue (Light in horticulture)
Special issue :Impact of light on crop production and quality
Dr. Sasan Aliniaeifard, Guest Editor, Photosynthesis and Light Response, Department of Horticulture, College of Aburaihan, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran, aliniaeifard@ut.ac.ir
December 2023
Pages 17-24

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History

  • Receive Date: 22 February 2022
  • Revise Date: 05 April 2022
  • Accept Date: 28 April 2022

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