Temporal assay of cocoa agroforestry systems in the Ecuadorian humid tropic

Abstract

Cocoa can be cultivated in association with fruit, timber, and non-timber trees. Thus, the growth of four timber species and their behavior in producing "CCN-51" cocoa per seedling were evaluated. The timber species Caoba de Montaña (Colubrina arborescens (Mill.) Sarg), Fernán Sánchez (Triplaris guayaquilensis Weed), Guayacán Blanco (Cybistax donnell-smithii Rose) and Laurel Prieto (Cordia macrantha Chodat) were planted in the field, with a distance of 9x9 m (123 trees ha-1) and were planted cocoa with a distance of 3x3 (988 trees ha-1). Each experimental unit had nine timber trees and 40 cacao plants, using a Design Randomized Complete with four blocks. During 12 years (between 1995 and 2007), timber species were recorded (plant height, DAP, relative growth rate, and volume of wood). Cocoa yield components (seed index, pod index, number of healthy pods, and yield of cocoa beans per plot) were recorded between 2007 and 2008. Wood accumulated volume was modeled using sigmoidal regression analysis. The accumulated volume of wood in the dry season in 2006 and 2007 was significant for Fernán Sánchez (1.992 y 1.489 m3 tree-1). Similarly, the number of healthy fruits increased (228 and 133 pods), yield per plot per year (39.70 and 17.60 kg), and relative cocoa (0.76 and 0.82). The association Fernán Sánchez + cacao is an excellent alternative for agroforestry systems with cacao in the Ecuadorian coast.