Articles
The effect of nitrogen fertilization on vegetative biomass and yield in full-sun irrigated cocoa
Article number
1432_20
Pages
145 – 152
Language
English
Abstract
Cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) is an economically vital crop facing demands for increased productivity.
Despite its higher global yield potential, achieving optimal results requires efficient fertilizer use.
However, the comprehensive understanding of nitrogen’s (N) effects on cocoa cultivation is evolving due to complex interactions and varied agronomic practices.
Bridging this knowledge gap is essential for enhancing cocoa production especially in full-sun systems with irrigation and fertigation.
Therefore, it is crucial to optimize nutrient management through fertigation by balancing productivity between vegetative and reproductive growth and improving yield and cocoa bean quality.
Hence, to identify the suitable amount of N to be applied via fertigation, we performed an experiment applying three doses of N fertilizer (56, 226 and 340 kg N ha‑1) to the cacao genotypes ‘CCN-51’ and ‘PS-1319’ of 6 and 7 years old in 2022 and 2023 using a randomized complete split plot design at our research station in Barro Preto, Bahia, Brazil.
We collected cacao yield and quality characteristics in both years and pruning weights with N partitions from the leaves and branches in January 2023. The yield increased with the application of the highest N dosage; however, no statistically significant difference was observed between treatments of 226 and 340 kg N ha‑1 for both genotypes.
The ‘CCN-51’ genotype exhibited a higher yield compared to ‘PS-1319’. The application of 226 kg N ha-1 significantly enhanced leaf and branch production in both genotypes, with ‘PS-1319’ showing significantly greater biomass than ‘CCN-51’ across all treatments.
Although ‘CCN-51’ had a lower biomass, it demonstrated superior N use efficiency (NUE) under the 226 kg N ha‑1 treatment compared to ‘PS-1319’, due to its higher yield.
This improved NUE in ‘CCN-51’ can potentially reduce operational costs and minimize environmental impacts for full-sun irrigated cacao.
Despite its higher global yield potential, achieving optimal results requires efficient fertilizer use.
However, the comprehensive understanding of nitrogen’s (N) effects on cocoa cultivation is evolving due to complex interactions and varied agronomic practices.
Bridging this knowledge gap is essential for enhancing cocoa production especially in full-sun systems with irrigation and fertigation.
Therefore, it is crucial to optimize nutrient management through fertigation by balancing productivity between vegetative and reproductive growth and improving yield and cocoa bean quality.
Hence, to identify the suitable amount of N to be applied via fertigation, we performed an experiment applying three doses of N fertilizer (56, 226 and 340 kg N ha‑1) to the cacao genotypes ‘CCN-51’ and ‘PS-1319’ of 6 and 7 years old in 2022 and 2023 using a randomized complete split plot design at our research station in Barro Preto, Bahia, Brazil.
We collected cacao yield and quality characteristics in both years and pruning weights with N partitions from the leaves and branches in January 2023. The yield increased with the application of the highest N dosage; however, no statistically significant difference was observed between treatments of 226 and 340 kg N ha‑1 for both genotypes.
The ‘CCN-51’ genotype exhibited a higher yield compared to ‘PS-1319’. The application of 226 kg N ha-1 significantly enhanced leaf and branch production in both genotypes, with ‘PS-1319’ showing significantly greater biomass than ‘CCN-51’ across all treatments.
Although ‘CCN-51’ had a lower biomass, it demonstrated superior N use efficiency (NUE) under the 226 kg N ha‑1 treatment compared to ‘PS-1319’, due to its higher yield.
This improved NUE in ‘CCN-51’ can potentially reduce operational costs and minimize environmental impacts for full-sun irrigated cacao.
Authors
G. Macedo, L. Fernandes, S.D.S. Khalsa
Keywords
Theobroma cacao, nitrogen, cacao biomass
Online Articles (32)