REPRODUCTIVE BEHAVIOR OF Theobroma cacao L. IN PLANTATIONS WITH ORGANIC RECONVERSION IN TABASCO, MÉXICO

Abstract

Two cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) plantations reconverted into organic ones with different shade tree
density were evaluated in Tabasco, México, in order to understand their effect on the flowering and
fruition of cacao trees. The high-density plantation had 233 shade trees and the low-density one 123
trees. The number of open flowers, number of formed and “tied” chilillos (immature fruits), and number of fruits/plant/month were evaluated, as well as the photosynthetically active and intercepted radiation on the cacao tree canopy (RFA, umol of photons m-² s^-1). The shade trees intercepted 51 % of the incidental RFA in the low-density plantation, and 62.4 % in the high-density plantation, with 49% and 37.6 % of the total incidental RFA reaching the cacao trees respectively, with significant differences. Of the total incidental RFA on cacao trees, their canopies intercepted 80.9 % in the low-density plantation and 68.5 % in the high-density of shade trees. The number of flowers in the high density shade was higher (164.5 flowers per tree) than in the low density (60.5 flowers per tree). In the plantations being studied, an incidental RFA of 49 % on the cacao canopy favors the production, tying of chilillos and number of mature fruits per tree.