Effects of pruning and fertilization on the yield of cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) in
Guayas, Ecuador
Efectos de la poda y fertilización sobre el rendimiento en el cultivo de cacao (Theobroma
cacao L.) en Guayas, Ecuador
Luis Tapia
Agronomist Engineer, Agrarian University of
Ecuador. Faculty of Agrarian Sciences Av. 25 de
Julio and Pio Jaramillo. Guayaquil-Ecuador. P.O.
BOX 09-04-100. Contact author:
tburgos@uagraria.edu.ec https://orcid.org/0000-
0003-4132-9905
Victor Ileer
Agronomist Engineer, Agrarian University of
Ecuador. Faculty of Agrarian Sciences Av. 25 de
Julio and Pio Jaramillo. Guayaquil-Ecuador. P.O.
BOX 09-04-100. Contact author:
vileer@uagraria.edu.echttps://orcid.org/0000-
0001-8180-6425
Tanny Burgos
Agronomist Engineer, Universidad Agraria del
Ecuador. Faculty of Agrarian Sciences Av. 25 de
Julio and Pio Jaramillo. Guayaquil-Ecuador. P.O.
BOX 09-04-100. Contact author:
ltapia@uagraria.edu.ec https://orcid.org/0000-
0002-1810-9341
Dayse Astudillo-Ruiz
Agronomist Engineer, Agrarian University of
Ecuador. Faculty of Agrarian Sciences Av. 25 de
Julio and Pio Jaramillo. Guayaquil-Ecuador. P.O.
BOX 09-04-100. Contact author:
dastudillo@uagraria.edu.ec https://orcid.org/0000-
0002-8922-8954
Abstract
Ecuador is one of the largest producers of fine and aromatic cocoa whose flavor has been recognized
for centuries in the international market. To increase production and yield, producers rely on
agricultural practices such as pruning and the use of soil and foliar fertilization. The effects of these
tburgos@uagraria.edu.ec
http://centrosuragraria.com/index.php/revista, Published by: Edwards Deming Institute,
Quito - Ecuador, October - December vol. 1. Num. 15. 2022, This work is licensed under
a Creative Commons License, Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International.
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/deed.es
Received June 15, 2022
Approved: September 12, 2022
24
amendments on crops of Theobroma cacao L were analyzed using a Latin square design in triplicate
with four treatments including the control with 48 experimental units, divided into 16 units for each
replicate. The treatments evaluated were T1 (pruning), T2 (pruning plus foliar fertilization), T3
(pruning plus soil fertilization) and T4 (control). The variables evaluated in this study were: fruit
diameter (cm), fruit length (cm), seed per ear, weight of 100 seeds (gr), yield (kg/ha/year), as well as a
cost/benefit analysis. Statistical analyses were carried out using ANDEVA and Tukey's test at 5%
probability was used for the comparison of means. The variable of greatest interest was yield, in
which T2 obtained an average of 2355.9 kg/ha/year. In addition, the cost/benefit analysis showed that
for each dollar invested in T2 yields $2.21, being superior to the other treatments. In conclusion, small
and large farmers should adopt these agricultural practices to improve their profitability and quality of
life.
Key words: Productivity, agricultural practices, sustainability, economic benefit.
Resumen
El Ecuador es uno de los mayores productores de cacao fino y de aroma cuyo sabor es reconocido
durante siglos dentro del mercado internacional, para aumentar su producción y rendimiento los
productores se basan en prácticas agrícolas como la poda y el uso de fertilización edáfica y foliar. Se
analizaron los efectos de estas enmiendas en cultivos de Theobroma cacao L mediante el diseño de un
cuadro latino por triplicado con cuatro tratamientos incluido el testigo con 48 unidades experimentales,
divididos en 16 unidades por cada replica. Los tratamientos evaluados fueron T1 (Poda), T2 (Poda
más fertilización foliar), T3 (Poda más fertilización edáfica) y T4 (Control). Las variables evaluadas
en este estudio fueron: el diámetro del fruto (cm), longitud del fruto (cm), semilla por mazorca, peso
de 100 semillas (gr), rendimiento (kg/ha/año), además de un análisis costo/beneficio. Se realizaron los
análisis estadísticos mediante ANDEVA y se utilizó el test de Tukey al 5% de probabilidad para la
comparación de medias. La variable de mayor interés fue el rendimiento, en el cual el T2 obtuvo un
promedio de 2355,9 kg/ha/año. Además, el análisis costo/beneficio mostró que por cada dólar
invertido en el T2 da como resultado $2,21 siendo superior a los demás tratamientos. Concluyendo
que los pequeños y grandes agricultores deben adoptar estas prácticas agrícolas para mejorar su
rentabilidad y calidad de vida.
Palabras clave: Productividad, prácticas agrícolas, sostenibilidad, beneficio económico.
Introduction
Cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) belongs to the Malvaceae family (alternatively Sterculiaceae),
with physiological characteristics distinguished by three groups or types of cultivars: Criollo,
Forastero and Trinitario all of American origin, which have spread to the (sub) humid tropics.
(Jürgen & Díaz , 2010) . Cocoa is one of the most important crops in the world, produced in
about 8.2 million hectares globally, being one of the most important items in the social and
economic sphere of producing countries. (Sánchez, Zambrano, & Iglesias, 2019, p 90)
Tapia, et al 2022
October - December vol. 1. Num. 15, 2022
Cocoa has great relevance in the world market, according to the International Standard
Industrial Classification (ISIC, revision 4) of all economic activities prepared by the Statistics
Division of the United Nations Organization, the cultivation of cocoa is within class 0127
"Cultivation of plants from which beverages are prepared" and the manufacture of the final
product corresponds to class 1073 "Manufacture of cocoa and chocolate and confectionery
products". (Acebo , 2016 p. 493).
Among the countries with the highest production are listed Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria,
Indonesia and Brazil being the most important producers of cocoa; in addition, 58 producing
countries are registered and its value exceeds 4 billion US dollars per year to the world
economy. The quality of cocoa production will depend on genetic elements, natural
conditions of the area where the plantations are located and the integral management of the
crop. (Sánchez, Zambrano, & Iglesias, 2019 p. 49)
The cultivation of cocoa is traditional in Ecuador began with the establishment of national
type cocoa plantations, the new owners at that time established more productive varieties of
cocoa and with greater tolerance to new diseases. Quiroz (2009). In 1994 the International
Cocoa Organization decided that only 75% of Ecuadorian cocoa could be recognized as fine
and aromatic, since the quality of Ecuadorian cocoa provided organoleptic characteristics
above the international competition, despite not being among the world's largest producers, it
is the largest producer of quality cocoa (fine and aromatic), whose flavor has been recognized
for centuries. Freire (2009)The flavor has been recognized for centuries in the international
market, due to the fact that this type of bean is used in most of the refined chocolates. (Abad,
Acuña, & Naranjo, 2020 p. 434).
One of the existing practices to manage the caco canopy is pruning, which is a procedure that
has the purpose of stimulating the development of new buds, increasing flowering and fruit
production. Pruning prolongs the useful life of the tree and increases yields, and is generally
carried out according to the age and condition of the plant. Gutiérrez, Leiva, & Ramírez
(2019). Currently, three types of pruning are practiced: training pruning, which is performed
in the first two years of life to adopt the shape of the plant; maintenance pruning, which
consists of eliminating fruit and diseased parts due to pests; and rehabilitation pruning, which
is aimed at generating new terminal buds. (Arvelo, Gonzáles, Maroto, Delgado, & Montoya,
2017 p. 44)
In addition to pruning to improve cocoa productivity, foliar fertilization has become a
common and important practice for producers, because it corrects micro-nutrient deficiencies
favoring the good development of the crop, improves the yield and the quality of the corncob.
Trinidad & Aguilar (1999). Authors such as Uribe, Méndez, & Mantilla, (1999). reported the
increase in cocoa production with fertilizer treatments in solar exposure carried out in 10
experimental units of cocoa cultivation in Colombia from October 1990 to January 1996,
applying annual doses of N, P, K in the agro-ecological zone and harvesting the fruit every
two weeks and monthly.
26
In the same way, soil fertilization in cocoa cultivation has been extensively studied. The
application of fertilizers should be done based on a soil analysis, because due to the origin of
the same have minerals and nutrients that are rich to be absorbed by plants, but often over
time the sources are weakened by losing important nutritional values that crops need. It is
now known that the integrated application of organic and inorganic fertilizers in crop
production increases growth more than either used alone. Likewise, the application of organic
fertilizers in combination with inorganic fertilizers increases plant uptake of N, P and K
compared to the single application of organic or inorganic fertilizers. Therefore, an integrated
application of organic and inorganic fertilizers seems to be a suitable technique to meet the
nutrient requirements of cocoa grown on marginal soils for improved and sustainable growth.
Jerome, et al. (2021).
The objective of this research is to determine the effects of pruning and fertilization on the
yield of cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) in Guayas.
Materials and methods
The present research is experimental and exploratory, conducted in the cocoa-growing area of
the Chan-Chan precinct belonging to the parish Roberto Astudillo, Milagro canton of the
province of Guayas, whose UTM coordinates are X: 66470.27 E Y: 9751576.81 S, Zone 17S;
the altitude ranges between 24 to 50 m.a.s.l. with average daily temperatures between 24 to
27°C, annual rainfall between 1300 to 1800 mm, flat topography, soil variability in which
predominate deep clay loam soils with neutral pH and high base saturation and moderately
deep silty clay loam soils, with poor drainage and high fertility as established by the national
information system (2015) in its diagnostic report for the Roberto Astudillo parish. Based on
the conditions of the trial, a Latin square experimental design with 3 replicates was carried
out in which 4 treatments were established, as summarized in Table 1.
Table 1. Distribution of treatments
No.
Treatment
Description
Home
1
Pruning
Maintenance and phytosanitary
pruning
End of rainy
season
Pruning + Foliar
Fertilization
Maintenance and phytosanitary
pruning + Evergreen (1 lt/ha)
Appearance of
fruit
Pruning + Edaphic
Fertilization
Maintenance and phytosanitary
pruning + Ferticacao (389 g/plant)
Appearance of
Tapia, et al 2022
October - December vol. 1. Num. 15, 2022
fruit
Absolute witness
-
-
For the statistical analysis, an analysis of variance was performed, the scheme of which can
be seen in Table 2. For the comparison of means, a Tukey test was used with a value of
P<0.05, therefore, it will have a significance of 95%.
Table 2. Outline of the analysis of variance (ANAVA).
Degrees of freedom
The variables evaluated were: fruit diameter (cm), fruit length (cm), fruit weight (gr), seeds
per cob, 100-seed weight (g) and yield. The characteristics of the plots were 24 m long and
24 m wide, giving a total of 576 m2, replicated on three occasions by choosing plants
randomly, the distribution can be seen in Figure 1.
Figure 1. Distribution of treatments within the plots.
Result
28
Based on the research, a soil analysis was carried out, which yielded the data shown in Table
3.
Table 3.Summary of the soil analysis performed in the trial.
Lot
pH
NH4
P
K
Ca
Mg
S
Zn
Cu
Faith
Mn
B
Sample
1
7,5
6,0
20,0
246,0
431,0
480,0
9,0
2,2
6,5
78,0
11,0
1,8
Units:
µg/ml
Source: Soil, Plant Tissue and Water Laboratory (INIAP) Cod. 68538
Chemical properties suitable for cocoa cultivation are evident, based on this basis, the
treatments were analyzed in each of the replications.
Fruit diameter (cm)
A coefficient of variation of 3.62% was obtained for the aforementioned variable without
showing a level of statistical significance when comparing the means obtained by Tukey's
test, as shown in Table 4.
Table 4. Comparison of means in fruit diameter (cm)
N°
Treatments
Averages
Significance
1
Pruning
10,0
A
Pruning+Fert.
Foliar
9,9
A
Pruning+Fert.
Edaph.
9,9
A
Absolute witness
9,7
A
Equal letters show non-significant differences according to Tukey's test at 5%.
Tapia, et al 2022
October - December vol. 1. Num. 15, 2022
Fruit length (cm)
The fruit length analyzed in the different treatments shows that treatment 2 presented an
average fruit length of 23.6 cm, being superior to treatment 1, with similarities to treatments
3 and 4.
Table 5. Comparison of means in fruit length (cm)
N
°
Treatments
Averages
Significance
1
Pruning
22,6
B
Pruning+Fert.
Foliar
23,6
A
Pruning+Fert.
Edaph.
23,4
A
B
Absolute witness
23,1
A
B
Equal letters show non-significant differences according to Tukey's test at 5%.
Fruit weight (gr)
In the analysis of fruit weight (gr), it can be observed that treatment 2 obtained the highest
average, reaching 924.3 gr, being superior and statistically significant in the comparison of
means of the other treatments, as summarized in Table 5.
Table 6. Comparison of means for fruit weight (gr)
N°
Treatments
Averages
Significance
1
Pruning
743,4
B
C
Pruning+Fert.
Foliar
924,3
A
Pruning+Fert.
Edaph.
801,7
B
Absolute witness
712,5
C
Equal letters show non-significant differences according to Tukey's test at 5%.
Seeds per ear
With a coefficient of variation of 8.09%, it was determined for this variable that the treatment
with the highest average reached was treatment 2 with a value of 54.9 grains per ear, being
30
higher and statistically significant than the control treatment and the other treatments. The
summary of the comparison can be seen in Table 6.
Table 7. Comparison of means in number of seeds per ear.
N°
Treatments
Averages
Significance
1
Pruning
46,8
B
C
Pruning+Fert.
Foliar
54,9
A
Pruning+Fert.
Edaph.
51,1
A
B
Absolute witness
43,6
C
Equal letters show non-significant differences according to Tukey's test at 5%.
Weight of 100 seeds
In the evaluated variable, which presented a coefficient of variation of 3.72%, there was a
significant statistical difference, being treatment 3 the one that reached the highest average
weight with a value of 149.3 gr, followed by treatment 2 that reached 149.0 gr, both results
do not represent significance, therefore, we infer in this variable that the two treatments were
the best in comparison to the control and treatment 1. It is important to emphasize that the
weight variable is crucial for the economic importance of cocoa cultivation; the greater the
weight, the greater the economic returns.
Table 8. Comparison of means in the weight of 100 seeds (gr).
N°
Treatments
Averages
Significance
1
Pruning
132,8
B
Pruning+Fert.
Foliar
149,0
A
Pruning+Fert.
Edaph.
149,3
A
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October - December vol. 1. Num. 15, 2022
Absolute witness
123,7
C
Equal letters show non-significant differences according to Tukey's test at 5%.
Performance
The analysis of variance for this variable showed a significant difference with a coefficient of
variation of 5.19%. The comparison of means showed that the treatment with the highest
yield was treatment 2, with an average yield of 2355.6 kg/ha/year, which was different from
the other treatments evaluated.
Figure 2. Equal letters show non-significant differences according to Tukey's test at 5%.
Yield in kg/Ha/year in each treatment.
Finally, an economic analysis was carried out to determine whether it is feasible to
implement pruning and fertilization in the cocoa crop in the study area, obtaining favorable
results for treatment 2. With an adjustment in the yield considering a 10% reduction, it is
evident that an average cost/benefit of 2.21 was achieved, compared to the control treatment
that obtained 1.39 respectively.
Based on the results obtained in the present investigation, we can point out that there is
evidence of satisfactory results in comparison with investigations of similar characteristics.
According to the research conducted by Solorzano (2017) the use of Leonardite plus three
levels of N-P-K, B and Zn obtained favorable results in fruit development both in length and
32
diameter. In comparison with this research there is coincidence in relation to fruit diameter as
a function of fertilization.
Continuing with other evaluated parameters, the most relevant one is yield, where authors
such as Pinargote (2014) state that the use of different fertilizers such as "Evergreen" plus
pruning obtained a yield of 2355.6 Kg/Ha/Year, being lower than the yields obtained by
Alvarez and Mendoza (2013) who obtained a yield of 3346.30 kg/ha/year. The yield of this
research was higher with an average of (insert average annual yield).
Regarding the weight per 100 seeds, the research by Pazmiño (2016) where the
implementation of edaphic fertilization plus pruning managed to obtain weights of up to
177.83 gr being superior to that presented in this trial where values of up to 149.3 gr were
obtained. Consequently, the variable of grains per ear, where researchers such as Chinin
(2015) in his research on three types of pruning plus irrigation obtained averages of up to 59
seeds per ear, being very similar to those obtained in the present research, which reached 54.9
seeds per ear. In addition, the same research analyzed the weight of the fruit, whose average
was an average of 1109 gr. per ear, being similar to those obtained in this trial, which
corresponds to an average of 924.3 gr. per ear.
Conclusions
Based on the study of the effects of pruning plus fertilization in the commercial cultivation of
cocoa in the parish Roberto Astudillo of Milagro canton belonging to the province of Guayas.
Statistically significant results were obtained in terms of the agronomic response of the crop,
showing higher yields of cocoa per hectare per year compared to the control treatment.
Significance was also found in other variables such as seed weight, fruit weight, seeds per
cob and economic benefit. Small farmers in the area do not implement these practices in
their crops because they are unaware of the positive effects and the economic benefits they
can obtain. This research presents the response of the cocoa crop to two basic practices in the
concept of agricultural production that should be disseminated and applied in rural areas, in
order to improve the quality of life of the families that benefit economically from this crop.
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