Hello Steemblockchain, welcome to my blog. We ended my last post with Oil palm production series.
In this post we will commence with an introduction to Cocoa production series.

COCOA

Site Selection

For cocoa tree to grow well, select soil with good structure, permeable and deep. The cocoa tree has tap-roots. The tap-root descends straight into the soil. The branch roots go down very deep. But many small branch roots also grow near the surface. If the soil is of good structure and contains much humus, the roots penetrate well.Never plant cocoa trees in soil with a lot of stones, or in soil where there is hard layer.

Field Measurement

Field measurement is very important because its accuracy guidesfarmers to know their farmsizesfor vital decision on farm operations including the right amount of inputs needed and the anticipated yields from the farms. The use of (Geographical positioning System, GPS) hands receiver has simplified the rigor of land measurement. Land area can be easily measured using GPS receiver while transecting the perimeter of the land. For field measurement using GPS, refer to GPS manual

Land Preparation

1. Land preparation and planting distance
Clear the nursery site and the permanent site of the land well in advance before the commencement of cocoa propagation. Cocoa planting distance 3 x 3 m or 4 x 2 m should be maintained, while the commonly used size of the hole is 60 X 60 X 60 cm. Planting hole should be made 6 months with manures. By making this planting hole, tried to ensure that the stones, and the remnants of the roots are not inserted back into the planting hole. Parts of top soil and sub soil lifted up the hole in the opposite direction, the hole left open temporarily. When closing the holes add more organic matter while top soil is placed at the bottom of the hole, the sub soil at the top.
2. Preparation of planting material and nursery Terminology
Some common sense is often encountered in the cultivation of cocoa:

Variety and seed selection
Varieties: plant material developed by generative breeding (with hybrid seeds).
Clones: plant material propagated vegetatively (by cuttings, grafting, side grafting)

I will stop here for now and continue in my next post. Thank you for reading.