Importance of pruning Cocoa farms
Pruning in Cocoa is an important husbandry practice. Indeed, the importance of pruning Cocoa farms cannot be overemphasized. Cocoa as a tree crop produces many leaves and branches to enable it compete with other trees, shrubs and herbs. The more leaves and branches produced by a Cocoa tree, the less the amount of nutrients available for the production of pods and finally the number of matured pods which will be harvested.
It is recommended that a Cocoa tree has one main stem and up to 5 main branches and enough secondary branches with some good amount of leaves to capture sunlight for photosynthesis and aid good air circulation. Pruning therefore is necessary for Cocoa plants for more pod production and reduced incidence of diseases and pests. Rats and squirrels are some pests of Cocoa and their incidence is reduced when pruning is done because these pests prefer tall Cocoa trees with several branches.
Another importance of pruning Cocoa farms in that Black pod disease incidence is reduced in regularly pruned farms because of less warm and humid atmosphere.
Pruning in Cocoa also ensures that pesticides application process is less tedious. One is able to freely move in the Cocoa farm and have access to the pods, leaves and stems during pesticide application. Again, one is able to see all pods and correctly judge whether a case is a pest problem or a disease problem resulting in efficient use of time and pesticides.
This is another importance of pruning Cocoa farms. Harvesting is easier in pruned farms than in unpruned farms because one is able to easily reach the ripe pods. Regular harvesting is important in Cocoa farming.
There are two types of pruning in Cocoa- structural pruning and maintenance pruning. Structural pruning is done to maintain the recommended number of stems on the Cocoa plants. It is done to develop and maintain a good architecture of each Cocoa tree on the farm. Maintenance pruning is the process by which unwanted new shoots and new branches that grow on the Cocoa tree are removed.
Reference:
S. David 2010. Good agricultural practices for sustainable cocoa production: a guide for farmer training. Manual 2: Integrated crop and pest management for mature cocoa farms. Sustainable Tree Crops Program, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Accra, Ghana. November 2010 version
