Republic of the Philippines

Department of Agriculture
AGRICULTURAL TRAINING INSTITUTE
ATI Building, Elliptical Road, Diliman Queson City, Metro Manila 1100
E-mail:ati_director@ati.da.gov.ph. & ati_director@yahoo.com.
URL: http://www.ati.da.gov.ph: www.e-extension.gov.ph.

CACAO: NURSERY
ESTABLISHMENT
Vimarce R. Culi
 Establishment and Management of Cacao Nursery

To be able to understand the importance of selecting the best

location for a nursery and how to take care of the seedlings in
the nursery.

High quality cacao beans come from properly nurtured cacao trees.
Proper care starts with selecting the right site for seedling nursery, its
management to ensure healthy seedlings.
 Site Establishment for Nursery
 A nursery is established mainly to raise and propagate
healthy, quality planting materials.
 A cacao nursery will require shade, water and protection
from wind, and whenever necessary, protection from stray
animals.
 Shade requirement for the seedlings is the nursery, site
varies according to the growth stages of seedlings.
 Small plant needs more shade of 70-80% in the first of
the early 2 months.
 As the plant grows, gradual removal of shade is
recommended.
 When seedlings are ready for field planting, the shade
should be of the same degree as the shade in the farm it
would be transplanted.
Site Establishment

"Shade protects the soft tissues of seedlings

against intense sunlight, strong winds and
heavy rains".

 Most nurseries are used for only a few years,

so simple structure of posts and cross-pieces will
suffice as a framework for shade and lateral
protection.
 Coconut fronds are recommended as the
shade materials because these are usually available
and have the advantage of allowing the shade to
be adjusted easily.
 Shade materials using UV plastic and Net are
also recommended to protect the seedlings
Materials
Preparing the Growing Medium
Fertile and good structure top soils are
recommended. Loamy to sandy loam soils are the
most suitable as they provide the best medium in
terms of physical property for raising seedlings.
The following are some
considerations in preparing the
growing medium:
The following are some considerations in
preparing the growing medium:

Where these types of soil are not available or in

limited quantity, an ordinary top soil may be used
and mixed with sand up to 40% depending on the
heaviness of the soil type. If top soils are heavy,
mix these with coarse sand to improve seed
germination and growth.

Use 6" x 10" polyethylene bags. The bags should

be properly perforated to avoid accumulation of
excess water.

Remove hard debris, stones, roots and wastes.

The soil is filled up to 2 cm from the top of the
polybag. Arrange the bags in blocks with the
paths in between to facilitate sowing of
germinated seeds and other maintenance
activities.
Polybag arrangement must be systematically carried out to
facilitate maintenance and grafting. Normally, a six to eight
rows per bed with alternate path of 45cm is recommended.
Bags should be space 5-7 cm apart.

Weeds do not normally cause problems in the nursery and those

that appear can be removed without much expenditure on labor.
Therefore, weeding could be done manually or by mulching with
available materials such as rice hull.
To ensure uniform growth & development of the seedlings to
be planted in the field, cull out the poor-growing seedlings in
the nursery. This practice may be carried out by removing
the bags containing seeds which did not germinate & small,
stunted seedlings.

The process of reducing the shade cover especially on

coconut fronds from 80% - 20% to acclimatize the seedlings
on its new environment or field.
•To reduce transplanting shock of the seedlings, 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 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. Avoid transplanting of
seedlings with flushes to reduce witting
Propagation
by Seeds
"Selection of good
seed as stock is
crucial to ensure
healthy seedlings".
 Propagation by Seeds
The following are important points in
Propagation by Seeds:
"Selection of good seed as
stock is crucial to ensure
healthy seedlings".

1. Collect seeds only from ripe and healthy pods and preferably
collected from well-managed cacao farms.

2. Select seeds that are uniform in size. Discard seeds that float during
floatation, swollen and poorly developed seeds.

The usual practice is to plant the prepared seeds directly into

the prepared polybags in the nursery. The practice of removing
the seed coat prior to sowing is discourage because it is time
consuming and seeds are exposed to disease infections.
 The mucilage has to be removed since it
favors the growth of fungi and other
microorganisms that would hinder the
germination of the seeds.
1. Remove the mucilage that
covers the seeds by rubbing
the seeds with wood sawdust
or sand to loosen the
mucilage.
2. Wash the seeds to
effectively remove the
mucilage. 4. Drain the water.
3. Treat the seeds with
5. Keep it in a moist
2.5% fungicide (Mancozeb)
and put it in a well
solution by soaking at
ventilated place to pre-
least 1-2 minutes.
germinate.
Cacao seeds do not have dormancy.
Germination takes place as soon as
the seeds are removed from the
pods, but some seeds germinate
inside the pods if the pods are not
harvested soon after maturity. Pods
can be stored about 5-7 days
without significant loss in
germination.
a)Collect those seeds that show
sign of germination two days
after when the radicles are 1 mm
long.
b) Sow the pre-germinated seeds with
redicle burried to not more than 1 cm
pointing deep in the prepared polybags.
If planting is delayed, the radicle or
shoot may easily be damaged.
ONE WEEK
OLD CACAO
SEEDLINGS
ONE MONTH OLD CACAO SEEDLINGS
Vegetative Propagation

Vegetative propagation offers more advantages in

terms of reproduction such as:

 True to type trees

 More uniform growth

 Early to bear flowers high productivity,

The clone perpetuates most if not all important
characters of the original seedling, mother tree like:

 Pod index
 Bean size
 Flavor
 Tolerance to pests and diseases.

A major consideration in vegetative propagation is the

use at least two to five clones to minimize bad effect
of self-incompatibility and risk in pest development
with a single clone.

Vegetative propagation involves the choice of method

of propagation:

 Patch Budding
 Community Nodal Grafting
 Conventional Grafting
 Side Grafting Method.
A major consideration in vegetative propagation
is the use at least two to five clones to minimize
bad effect of self-incompatibility and risk in pest
development with a single clone.
There are 20 known types of cacao
 

beans. However, only 3 are

cultivated to produce chocolate.

Criollo
Forastero
Trinitario.
 CRIOLLO

• The Criollo is considered as the most

prized, rare and expensive variety. Planted
in the Philippines was the Criollo variety
brought via the Acapulco-Manila Galleon
Trade in 1670.
• Only 5% of the world’s cacao production is Criollo. This
variety is difficult to grow, as extremely susceptible to pests
and diseases.

• The beans are white to pale pink in colour and recognized as

a superior quality, less bitter and more aromatic.

• Considered as the “Prince of Cocoas,” Criollo is an

ingredient in premium chocolates.
FORASTERO

• The Forastero, a native of the Amazon

basin, is the most versatile variety and
most commonly grown cocoa.

• It is mainly grown in Africa, Ecuador and Brazil and

accounts for 80% of the world’s cocoa supply.

• It is significantly harder, disease resistant and high

yielding.

• Beans are purple- coloured and mainly used to give

chocolate its full- bodied flavor.

• They have bitter taste, thus, often blended with superior

cocoas.
  TRINITARIO

• Trinitario, the hybrid of Criollo and

Forastero combines the best of the
two other main varieties: the
hardiness and high yield of Forastero
and the refined taste of Criollo.

 • It is the predominant fine flavor cocoa and can be found in

all the countries where Criollo cocoa was once grown
including Southeast Asia and the Philippines.

• It is being used in about 10% of the world cacao supply.

NSIC Approved
Clones

BR 25 (CC-99-05)

- Reddish (red with green) pod color when still young that
turns yellow as it matures
-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 index is 23.1pods/kg of dried beans. Pod length is
17.02 cm and has width of 7.07.
K1

-It has elliptical shape with smooth

shape with smooth leaf margins
-Leaf length is 31.31 cm with a
mean width of 13.44 cm
- It flowers at 23.20 months and
bears fruit at 25.10 months
- Pod shape is Amelonado with a superficial ridges and a
smooth surface. Rugosity also appears in some cases.
- Pod index is 19.20 pods/kg of dried beans. Pod length is
about 17.97 cm and has width of about 8.67 cm.
- It has a pod wall thickness of around 1.80 cm.
- Bean color is violet and a hundred beans weigh about 182
grams.
- It is moderately resistant to known insect pests and diseases.
K2

-Leaf shape is elliptical with

smooth leaf margins.
-Leaf length is 32.73 cm with a
mean width of 12.52 cm.
- It flowers at 21.10 months
and bears fruit after three
months or at 24.12 months
-Pod shape is Amelonado and is red in color while still
young and becomes yellow/ orange when mature.
-It has pod wall thickness of around 1.40 cm with 34 beans
per pod.
-Pod index is 25 pods /kg of dried beans
- It is moderately resistant to known insect pest and
diseases.
UIT 1 (CC-99-02)

-It has an elliptical leaf shape

with wavy leaf margin.
-Leaf length and width ration
22.36 cm to 8.13 cm.

-It flowers of age of 16.80 months in the stage of first

fruiting. - Pod shape is Cundemor. Pod length is 20.07 cm
and width of 8.65 cm
-Pod is yellow when old from original color of green color
when still young with wall thickness of 1.02 cm.
- Moderately resistant to insect and pest diseases.
ICS 40

-Leaf shape is elliptical with wavy leaf

margin.
-Leaf length and width ratio is 29.95
cm is to 10.01 cm.
-Starts to flower at the age of 17.63 months and fruiting follows
at 19.63 months and fruiting follows at 19.63 months.
-Pod shape is Cundeamor described as a variety with elongated
cylindrical fruit with ridges, a rugose surface, pronounced
bottleneck and sharp point.
-Pod color is green when young and turns yellow when mature
with wall thickness of 1.35 cm.
-Pod index is 16.2 pods/kg with 44 beans per pod. Canopy
diameter is 195 cm.
- Bean is stiped. - Moderately resistant to insect pest and
diseases.
UF-18

-Newly released variety by NSIC.

-Has big beans (approx. 80 dry
beans/100 grams)
-Has good yielding ability
-Good pest resistance
-With high butter content
 CACAO
PROPAGATION
Tools Used for Propagation
The success factors for all types of grafting and budding are:
1. Use of healthy budwood/scions with
active bud and free of Vascularstreak
Dieback (VSD) Infection

2. If the budwood or scion will be

sourced from gardens far from
propagation site, the budwood/scions
should be packed and transported
under moist and cool condition. The
cut portion of the budwood should be
dipped in paraffin wax to reduce
transpiration.

3. Use budwood within 2 days from collection

4. Do not collect budwood from trees that are

recovering from heavy cropping

5. Make sure budwood is of right age, greenish brown in color and

fits with greenish and fits the size of the girth of the rootstock
Tools Used for Propagation
The success factors for all types of grafting and budding are:

6. Use sharp grafting/budding knife.

7. Clean tools before and after

grafting and budding, to minimize
disease transfer.

8. Do not place tools on the ground.

9. Avoid grafting in very hot and very dry periods, and also in
very wet periods.

10. Make sure rootstocks are at the right age and condition for
grafting or budding

11. Follow the shade and watering

requirement
 Cocoa in the Philippines
•Soil Requirements
- Best soil is made-up of aggregated clay or loamy sand
with 50% sand, 30-40% clay, and 10-20% silt.
- Deep soil, about 150 cm, highly favors growth of cacao, p
= 5.0 to 6.5

• Climatic Requirements
- Ideal rainfall for cacao cultivation ranges from 1250 to
3000 mm per annum,
preferably 1500-2000 mm with dry season of not more than
months.
- Temperature ideal for cocoa lies between a mean
maximum of 30-32°C and mean minimum of 18°C.
-Altitude of the area should lie between 300-1200 meters
above sea level. Suitable temperature is generally found in a
altitude up to 700 m.
- Cocoa thrives best in areas under Type IV climate which
has an evenly distributed rainfall throughout the year.
•Shade Requirements

- Shade is important for newly planted cacao trees.

Young cocoa plants can not tolerate high light intensity
resulting to the scalding of leaves.
- It best planted with shade trees especially coconuts
which usual tree distance and density provides sufficient
shade and spaces. Other good shade crops are fruit trees,
non-timber trees, ipil- ipil, madre de cacao, pigeon peas.
BANANA
• When Coconut trees are planted 8 m X
8 m or wider, two rows of Cocoa can be
planted at (1,600 trees per ha) or
3m X 3 m (1,100 trees per ha) in a
square or triangular method
 Field Planting
To learn the
important
consideration in
establishing a cacao
farm and know the
steps in planting
cacao in the field.

Field planting for cacao may be carried out in several

approaches: as an intercrop to existing coconut farm or
planting in open areas or logged-over forest areas. It should
be remembered however, that the soil for cacao should be
deep and well-drained, but of sufficient water-holding
capacity.
Points and Procedure
The following are the points and procedure in field planting:

1. Select seedlings which have six pairs of leaves and

which are hardened or have no new flush or leaves.

2. Mark the planting points.

3. Dig holes big enough to accommodate the ball of the

soil holding the seedling. Normally, a hole 40cm wide by
40 cm long by 40 cm deep, is enough

4. During holing, separate the surface soil from the

subsoil. The surface soil will be used later to cover the
base of the ball of soil holding the seedling.

5. Before planting the seedling, cut open the polybag

containing the seedling. Remove the polybag then plant the
seedling into the hole.
Points and Procedure
The following are the points and procedure in field planting:

6. Put back the soil from the dug hole then press the soil
firmly into the space between the plant and the sides of the
hole.

7. Watering is unnecessary, but if planting is done during

hot weather, coconut fronds can be stuck around the
seedlings to give additional shade.

8. Mulching with dried grass or coconut husks is advocated.

9. Light intensity should be maintained at 50-75%, hence,

temporary shade using coconut fronds should be placed
whenever light intensity exceeds.
10. Removal of shade should be done gradually in a period of
one year after field planting to avoid scorching the foliage of
cacao.
.40 m X .40m X .40m
PRUNING
DEFINITION OF PRUNING

Pruning is the act of cutting or

removing unwanted plant parts
such as branches, leaves and
twigs that affect plant functions
leading to optimum growth and
development.
OBJECTIVES OF PRUNING

 To create a strong and well-balanced framework of branches.

 To stimulate growth by producing new branches and leaves

essential for the assimilation of carbon dioxide during
photosynthesis.

 To maintain a canopy well shaped for sunlight penetration

and air circulation.

 To remove unwanted branches such as dead branches, broken

branches, P&D infected branches, chupons and water shoots.

 To control risks from pests and diseases.

 To stimulate flowering and enhance fruiting by reducing sink

or parasitic leaves.

 To increase capacity of the plant to produce more pods.

 2 FORMS OF BRANCHES

Plagiotropic Branch Orthotropic Branch

Upward or vertical growth of

leaves. The leaves grow in spiral
Fan branch with horizontal growth around the stem that usually
of leaves. The leaves grow in forms a jorquette. It is the main
opposite sides of the stem. stem coming from the chupon and
Preferably used as scion seedling rootstock
 PHASES OF PRUNING FOR YOUNG
CACAO PLANT
TIP PRUNING
3 months old

Х Х 6 months old

Cut off the growing tips at 20-40cm

from the branching point of main
branch. This is done in order to
stimulate growth of lateral branchesCut off the growing tips of lateral
branches in order to stimulate
more shoot growth. Cut above 40-
60cm from the branching point of
main branch.
 SHAPE PRUNING
Remove the unwanted plant parts and retain a maximum of 4
primary branches in upright position

MAINTENANCE PRUNING
15 Months Old Cacao

18 Months Old Cacao

Remove secondary branches

growing within the 30-60cm of the Remove the unwanted branche
primary branch. Distance between and maintain the good frame
sub-branches should be 15-25cm formed during shape pruning.
in zigzag pattern.
KINDS OF BRANCHES TO REMOVE

Х Х Х

Chupon/Water Shoots
Drooping/Hanging Branches

Х Х
Х

Twisted/Reverse Branches Worm Branches

 Х Х Х
Х

Whip Branches Overlapping Branches

Х Х Х

Crossing Branches Too Tight/Close Branches

 Х Х Х
Х
-15-25cm between sub-branch
-Zigzag pattern

Secondary Branches Broken/Dead Branches

Stem Borer Vascular Streak Dieback

P&D Infected Branches Too High Branches

PRIMARY PRODUCTION:
Farm Maintenance

Properly
managed

Improperly
managed
Bagging or sleeving of the
young pods (battery size
pods), approximately 2
months old pods,
biodegradable cacao
pods plastic sleeves
Regular harvesting (weekly
harvesting of all ripe pods)
in order to break the
lifecycle of the pest.

Fertilizer application to
maintain the general health of
the tree and ascertain
productivity.
0-2 years Frequency: every 3 months
(complete fertilizer) 14-14-14

3 rd month – 60g/tree
6 th month – 60g/tree
9 th month – 90g/tree
12th month- 90g/tree
15th month – 90g/tree
18th month – 120g/tree
21st month – 150g/tree

Method of application:
Yr. 1 – parallel to canopy Yr. 2 – 1 m from the
plant base
Thank You