Does Shade Impact Coffee Yield, Tree Trunk, and Soil Moisture on Coffea canephora Plantations in Mondulkiri, Cambodia?

Shade is a natural condition for coffee plants; however, unshaded plantations currently predominate in Asia. The benefits of shading increase as the environment becomes less favorable for coffee cultivation, e.g., because of climate change. It is necessary to determine the effects of shade on the yield of Coffea canephora and on the soil water availability. Therefore, three coffee plantations (of 3, 6, and 9 ha) in the province of Mondulkiri, Cambodia, were selected to evaluate the effect of shade on Coffea canephora yields, coffee bush trunk changes, and soil moisture. Our study shows that shade-grown coffee delivers the same yields as coffee that is grown without shading in terms of coffee bean weight or size (comparing average values and bean variability), the total weight of coffee fruits per coffee shrub and the total weight of 100 fruits (fresh and dry). Additionally, fruit ripeness was not influenced by shade in terms of variability nor in terms of a possible delay in ripening. There was no difference in the coffee stem diameter changes between shaded and sunny sites, although the soil moisture was shown to be higher throughout the shaded sites.

High insect pest damage increases faba bean (Vicia faba) yield components but only in the absence of insect pollination

Identifying and quantifying crop stressors interactions in agroecosystems is necessary to guide sustainable crop management strategies. Over the last 50 years, faba bean cropping area has been declining, partly due to yield instabilities associated to uneven insect pollination and herbivory. Yet, interactions between pollinators and a key pest, Bruchus rufimanus (florivorous and seed predating herbivore), on faba bean yield have not been investigated. Using a factorial cage experiment in the field we investigated how interactions between two potential stressors, lack of pollination from Bombus terrestris and herbivory by B. rufimanus, affect faba bean yield. Lack of insect pollination reduced bean weight per plant by 15%. Effects of B. rufimanus herbivory differed between the individual plant and the plant-stand scale (i.e. when averaging individual plant scale responses), likely due to high variation in the level of herbivory among individual plants. At the individual plant scale, B. rufimanus herbivory increased yield but only in the absence of pollinators, possibly due to plant over-compensation and/or pollination by B. rufimanus. At the plant-stand scale, we found no effect of B. rufimanus on yield. However, there was a tendency for heavier individual bean weight with insect pollination, but only when B. rufimanus herbivory was absent, possibly due to a negative effect of B. rufimanus on the proportion of legitimate flower visits by B. terrestris. This is the first experimental evidence of interactive effects of B. terrestris and B. rufimanus on faba bean yield. Our preliminary findings of negative and indirect associations between B. rufimanus and individual bean weight call for a better acknowledgment of these interactions in the field in order to understand drivers of crop yield variability in faba bean. This study showed that herbivory can increase yield, but this effect is only detectable when investigated in combination with lack of pollination.

Early evaluation of cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) clones as intercrop in coconut gardens under red river region of Assam State, India

A field experiment was conducted at Horticultural Research Station (AICRP on Palms), Kahikuchi of Assam Agricultural University for three consecutive years (2018-20) to study the initial performance of cocoa clones as intercrop in adult coconut (Cocos nucifera L) garden spaced at 7.5 m × 7.5 m taking sixteen cocoa clones. Data on tree height, stem girth, number of pods, pod weight, number of beans pod-1, dry bean weight tree-1 year-1 and single dry bean weight revealed significant variations among the 16 cocoa clones. Dried beans are the prime economic produce of cocoa, and single dry bean weight ranged from 0.95 to 1.4 g. With respect to dry bean yield tree-1, VTLC-20 recorded a significantly higher dry bean yield of 2.2 kg tree-1 followed by VTLC-18 (1.5 kg tree-1) compared to other cocoa clones, and eight clones yielded more than 1.0 kg dry bean tree-1. Results showed that the number of leaves on the crown, number of inflorescences per palm and nut yield of coconut was not negatively affected; rather, there was an increase in the yield of coconut over a period.

Early performance of cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.)genotypes in arecanut under Assam condition of North Eastregion of India

Cocoa is an important plantation crop grown in southern parts of India. Though many cocoa varieties have been released for cultivation in different parts of India, there is no variety recommended for cultivation exclusively for India’s North East region, especially Assam, where arecanut is grown as an important cash crop. Therefore the present investigation was undertaken to study the performance of twelve cocoa genotypes for its growth, pod yield and yield attributing traits for subsequent research programmes. The data for growth, pod yield and yield attributing traits were recorded three years after planting for five years (2015 to 2019), and the mean data were used for analysis. Genotype VTLC 11 significantly produced greater plant height (2.70 m), stem circumference (27.73 cm), height at jorquetting (36.16 cm) and canopy area (17.00 m2). Mean average pod yield among the genotypes varied from 20.65 to 48.40 tree-1 year-1. Genotype VTLC 19 produced significantly higher pod yield (48.40), number of fresh beans pod-1 (34.06), fresh bean weight pod-1 (229.65 g), dry bean weight pod-1 (119.32 g), single dry bean weight (1.20 g) and dry bean yield (1.76 kg). Considering the most economic traits of cocoa, VTLC 19 appears to be the most suitable genotype for commercial cultivation in the region.

Effect of altitude and shade on production and physical attributes of Coffee in Gulmi, Syangja and Palpa districts of Nepal

Coffee (Coffea spps.) is the second most traded commodity in the world after raw oil. Coffee is grown in mid hills of Nepal from an altitude of 700masl to 1500masl under different shade management practices. Nepalese coffee farmers grow coffee in a traditional way with almost zero application of inorganic fertilizers, pesticides and hence Nepalese coffee is popular as organic coffee or specialty coffee in the world. A study was carried out in three Coffee potent adjoining districts of Nepal: Gulmi, Syangja and Palpa. Ripe coffee cherries were harvested from every 200m altitude from 700masl to 1500masl under shade management and without shade management practices. Different physical attributes such as 1000 cherry weight, wet parchment weight, dry parchment weight, green beans weight, defected beans, and green bean diameter were observed. Production from each altitude level was recorded and highest production (7.04 kg per plant) was obtained from an altitude of 900-1100masl . The highest 1000 cherry weight (1297.17g) and the highest green bean weight (450.33 g) were obtained from 900-1100masl. Under no shade management, number of defected beans were 98 per 1000 beans whereas it was 64 under shade. The interaction of altitude and shade management practice had significant effect upon production (P=0.035), 1000 cherry weight (P<0.001), dry parchment weight (P=0.049) and green bean weight (P<0.05). Coffee produced at an altitude of 900-1100masl under shade management practice were found to have higher production and of better quality with fewer defected beans whereas that produced at extreme lower of 700-900masl and extreme higher altitude of 1300-1500masl were found to have lower production and poor quality.

Design of Measurement of Coffee Seed Water Content Using Load Cell Sensor On Coffee Dryer

The conventional method of drying coffee beans that depend on sunlight (drying) has a number of drawbacks, one of which is that the drying productivity takes a long time. In general, coffee drying is carried out until it reaches a moisture content of 12.5% to achieve a quality bean standard. Mathematically, the moisture content can be assessed by paying attention to the initial weight of the coffee beans and the final weight of the coffee beans. So that the use of the Load Cell sensor to read the depreciation value of the coffee bean weight on a coffee dryer powered by Hybrid Collector and LPG coffee beans. Research that has been carried out during 200 minutes of drying in a coffee dryer, the Load Cell sensor is able to read the depreciation value of the coffee bean weight by 114 grams from the initial weight of 978 grams. Therefore, it can be concluded that the final moisture content of coffee beans has reached 12.01% and the final weight of coffee beans is 864 grams.

Physical and Cup Quality Attributes of Arabica Coffee (Coffea arabica L.) Varieties Grown in Highlands of Amhara Region, Northwestern Ethiopia

Coffee is the second most traded commodity worldwide after oil both in terms of volume and value. The study was therefore initiated to evaluate the quality of highland coffee varieties grown in the region. For this purpose, coffee bean samples of the varieties Merdacheriko, Yachi, Wush Wush, Buno wash, 741, 7440, Ababuna, and Ageze were collected from trees which were grown in Adet and Woramit Agricultural Research Centers in RCBD with three replications. Physical (length and width of coffee beans, 100 bean weight, screen sizes, and raw quality) and cup quality (aromatic intensity, aromatic quality, acidity, astringency, bitterness, body, flavor, overall standard, and total cup quality) parameters, as well as total coffee quality, were evaluated by a team of certified panelists at Jimma Agricultural Research Center. The results depicted significant variations in physical quality parameters of coffee varieties, while the cup and total qualities of coffee varieties in WARC and in AARC were similar. In WARC, Buno wash, Wush Wush, and Ababuna coffee varieties showed better physical quality in terms of 100 bean weight, bean length, bean width, and screen size, while varieties Buno wash and Wush Wush showed better physical quality only in terms of 100 bean weight and bean length in AARC. Cup quality of coffee varieties grown in WARC ranged from 48.16% to 51.33% while that of coffees grown in AARC ranged from 45.00% to 50.83%. Total coffee quality in WARC was at the range from 85.50 to 89.33% while in AARC from 81.66 to 87.83%, which is within the standard of Ethiopian Commodity Exchange for coffee. All the tested varieties of Arabica coffee can be therefore used to produce coffee in both study areas and areas with similar agroecology of the Amhara Region, Ethiopia. Further research on the yield performance of the coffee varieties is also recommended.

Selection of putative relic cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) genotypes in farmers’ fields in Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago is a repository of putative relic cacao genotypes, given its long history of cultivating cacao from the 1700s onwards. As part of a project conducted between 2009 and 2011, funded by the World Bank Development Market Place, World Bank Project TF 093747 (DM 2008), 106 putative, ancient cacao varieties were collected from farms throughout Trinidad and Tobago to be conserved and utilized to preserve traditional quality (flavour) attributes. The objective of this article is to provide information on agronomic and phenotypic traits of 94 of these ‘relic’ accessions collected in farmers’ fields (FA). These are presumed to be relic Criollos or Trinitarios (selected pre-and post-1930s), and were selected over six cocoa production zones in Trinidad and Tobago. In addition, data for 31 regional Trinitario cacao accessions, which are conserved at the International Cocoa Genebank Trinidad (ICGT) were assessed. Morphological assessment of the selections was based on 22 phenotypic traits including characteristics of economic interest, viz. bean number (BN), individual dried bean weight (DBW), total wet bean weight (TWBW) and pod index (PI), which ranged from 26.4 to 58.0 (CV 16.3%); 0.6g to 2.12g (CV 22.6%); 42.5 to 228g (CV 24.2%) and 10 to 57 (CV 27.5%), respectively. Significant differences (p < 0.0001) were found among the production zones for BN and DBW only. Four zones had selections with significantly higher BN and all six had selections with superior TWBW relative to the ICGT clones studied. No association between cotyledon colour and leaf petiole hairiness was found, suggesting independent inheritance of these traits used for preliminary identification of ‘Criollo-like’ genotypes in the field. FAs from Tobago generally had selections with paler cotyledons, implying relatively more pronounced Criollo ancestry. Principal Component (PC) scores 1 and 2 accounted for 74.7% of the phenotypic variation expressed by the accessions studied in terms of five traits, based on Principal Component Analysis (PCA). PI and TWBW were major contributors to PC 1, while for PC 2, the major contributors were BN and DBW. The results of PCA and cluster analyses suggest that a phenotypically diverse and unique selection of genotypes was collected from the farmers’ fields, relative to studied ICGT types, several of which displayed ‘Criollo-like’ and Trinitario characteristics (large, plump seeds/beans with pale cotyledons) and favourable yield potential. These can be utilized to enhance the genepool at the ICGT, for breeding to introgress favourable Trinitario genes into national recurrent breeding programmes and for commercial cultivation.

Humic Acid and Biofertilizer Applications Enhanced Pod and Cocoa Bean Production during the Dry Season at Kaliwining Plantation, Jember, East Java, Indonesia

Cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) is an important crop in Indonesia, but many farmers still face problem in improving bean production. This research aimed to evaluate the effect of humic acid and biofertilizer applications on pod growth and yield of cocoa. The research was conducted at Kaliwining Plantation managed by Indonesian Coffee and Cocoa Research Institute at Jember District, East Java, Indonesia from June 2017 to February 2018. The experiment used mature tree of Sulawesi from one clone. Treatment used were humic acid at level of 0, 1000, 2000, 3000 and 4000 ppm in combination with biofertilizer at level of 0, 500, 1000, 1500 and 2000 ppm that were applied through soil and foliar respectively. Results of this experiment showed that there was an interaction between humic acid and biofertilizer on beans number per plant and photosynthesis rate. Plants treated with 1000 ppm humic acid produced the highest number of small cherelle. Biofertilizer applied at 1500 ppm increased cherelle number, healthy cherelle, number of young pods, number of harvested pods, bean weight per plant and bean yield. The combination of 1000 ppm humic acid and 1500 ppm biofertilizer increased bean production by 39.7%. The high bean production was in line with the high photosynthetic rate. Thus, humic acid and biofertilizer applications could be a way to increase cocoa bean production in this area.

Diversity of Pods and Beans of Twelve Cocoa Clones (Theobroma cacao L.) in Rainy and Dry Seasons

Cocoa is a sensitive plant to availability of soil water. The availability of water affects the formation of cocoa pods and beans. The aim of this research was to determine the genetic diversity and the influence of season on the diversity of cocoa beans quality as well as determining the pattern of genotype and season interaction on the quality of physical physiology of cacao beans. The research was conducted in Kaliwining Experimental Station, Indonesian Coffee and Cocoa Research Institute, Jember during dry season (2015) and rainy season (2016). This study used a complete randomized block design 2 x 12 factorial and three replicates as blocks. The first factor was the season consisting of two levels namely, dry season and rainy season. The second factor was cocoa clones, TSH 858, KW 084, KEE 2, Sulawesi 1, Sulawesi 2, BAL 209, KW 215, JTC 5A, JTC 5B, KC 2, KKM 22,and KJ 2. Observation variables included pod diameter, pod length, pod weight, dry bean weight, number of good beans/pod, number of empty beans/pod, numberof beans, and number of pods/tree/season. Data was analyzed using ANOVA fixedfactor. The bean dry weight characteristics possesed a low genetic diversity (0.27%) whereas the physical quality character of other beans, i.e bean count had moderategenetic diversity (14.20%). Meanwhile, the real difference was shown on the dry weight of bean characteristics. The best dry bean weight was observed during the dry season. Clones KW 215 and Sulawesi 1 in the dry season was catego-rized in grade A, while the lowest quality JTC 5A with grade D. The interaction of genotype (clone) with the environment (season) resulted in a significant effect onpod diameter character, pod weight, bean count, dry bean weight, and numberof pods/tree. Based on the biplot AMMI graph it was known that the TSH 858 clone showed genetic stability in bean count character. As for the character ofthe number of pods/tree, clones KKM 22, BAL 209, and KW 084 had the stability of the number of pods in rainy and dry seasons. Clones KJ 2 and Sulawesi 2 showed season-specific in the dry season for the number of pods/tree characters.