Manejo integrado cultivo de cacao (<i>theobroma cacao</i> l.): enmiendas edáficas, efecto en la floración y cuajado de fruto.

Abstract

This work was conducted at the Guayacanes site, belonging to the parish of La Cuca, Arenillas cantón, El Oro province. In the period from September 2020 to March 2021. Cacao, belonging to the Malvaceae family, is one of the best-known and most important fruit crops in the world, which has been increasing over time, growing from 9,437,318 to 12,234,311 harvested in the last decade worldwide. Some 525 435 ha of cocoa are distributed throughout the country with yields of 539.9 kg ha-1. The low productivity of the plantations means a complicated socio-economic situation for small producers of National-type cocoa, this is due to factors such as the presence of diseases and for both genetic reasons, as well as their management, to achieve better yields in the plantations of cocoa are related to good agronomic management practices, including fertilization that improves the physical-chemical conditions of the soil. The low productivity of the plantations means a complicated situation for small producers and achieving better yields is related to good agronomic management practices, including the application of soil amendments. The main objective when conducting research on fertilizer use is to increase crop yields. The objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of two treatments of edaphic amendments on flowering and fruit set to improve the productivity of Cacao Nacional in the province of El Oro. A completely randomized experimental design (DCA) was carried out. Due to the fact that two factors were evaluated, the first that belongs to the edaphic amendments and the second that comprises the type of management that is given to the crop, this last factor was evaluated assuming that each experimental plot has homogeneous conditions within itself. The treatments applied in the study were two different doses without the presence of the control (Biochar + Potassium Nitrate and Biochar + Fossil Shell Agro + Potassium Nitrate) with 30 repetitions for each dose, in two different management conditions (with y and without technical management) having a population density of 120 plants in total. The following variables were measured: number of fruit set, damaged fruit land flower bearings pad per plant. When applying the combined treatments, an effect of not additive was reported in them, and when analyzing statistically it can be concluded that the technical management of the cocoa crop translates into higher results of the studied variables, number of fruit set, damaged fruit land flower bearings pads per plant. The Biochar + potassium nitrate mixture presented the highest values within its management types for the number of fruit set, damaged fruit and flower pads at the end of the samplings. The combination of Biochar + potassium nitrate with a technified crop management system was the one that represented the highest averages for all the variables studied while Biochar + Fossil Shell Agro + non-technified potassium nitrate obtained the lowest averages in all the statistical analysis of the variables, number of flower pads, fruit set and fruit damaged per plant.