THE EFFECT OF PLANT DENSITY ON YIELD VARIABILITY AND CROP DISTRIBUTION IN THEOBROMA CACAO L

This study was carried out on the shade/spacing/cultivar experiment (D1 – U1) at Bunso, and involved four plant densities (1092, 1640, 2186 and 4374 plants/ha) and three cultivars.
Individual tree yield records were taken during the 1974/75 and 1975/76 seasons.

Equal class interval, size frequency distribution histograms permitted a visual assessment of shapes of the distributions.
Four statistics were calculated: (1) g₁, the third moment; (2) g₂, the fourth moment; (3) k, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov statistic and (4) the coefficient of variation.
The distribution of the crop between the trunk and branches was studied.

Yields at the higher densities and at some of the lower densities were significantly positively skewed, and a number of low density plots showed symmetrical and bimodal distribution.
The Kolmogorov-Smirnov statistic indicated normal distribution for most of the low density plots.
The coefficient of variation was less at the lower densities.

Plant density effected changes in the architecture of the trees which was reflected in the distribution of pods between trunk and branches.
A higher percentage of pods was borne on the trunk at high densities, on the branches under unshaded conditions and on the trunk in the minor crop.
Cultivars b and c bore most of the pods on the branches, whilst cultivar d bore almost equal proportions on trunk and branches.

Symposium on High Density Planting

E.E.N.A. Bonaparte

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1978.65.17