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Abstract
Due to the lack of information on the water demand of cocoa seedlings, empirical techniques have been used in the supply of water to the seedlings, potentializing losses in their growth and development. In this context, the present study aimed to determine the optimal irrigation depth for a good development of the genotype PS-1319 cocoa seedlings. The study took place at the Federal Institute of Espírito Santo-Campus Itapina, located in the Colatina, a city situated in the northwestern region of the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil, in an experimental greenhouse of the campus, between October 20 and December 15, 2017. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design (CRD) using 20 seedlings of the genotype PS-1319 cacao per treatment. The treatments consisted of daily applications of six irrigation depths, corresponding to 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 14 mm d-1, being evaluated their effects on the morphological parameters (leaf area; dry mass of the aerial part, dry mass of the root system and total dry mass; height of the aerial part and stem diameter) and the quality (Dickson quality index). The applied depths interfered, both in the development and the quality of the seedlings, with quadratic adjustments for the leaf area, dry mass of the aerial part and total dry mass, diameter and for the Dickson quality index. The best responses to the studied parameters were provided by the 8.33 mm d-1 depth, which is recommended as an ideal for production of genotype PS-1319 cacao seedlings.
Highlights
The cacao tree (Theobroma cacao L.) belonging to the Malvaceae family is an essentially tropical tree, native of the American rainforest, cultivated between latitudes 20° N and 20° S, at temperatures above 20 °C throughout the year (Wood & Lass, 1985; Landim et al, 1994; ITC, 2001; Souza et al, 2016)
The data of the meteorological parameters monitored during the production of the PS-1319 genotype cocoa seedlings registered average relative humidity in the interior of the agricultural greenhouse of 60.13%, with average of the maximum and minimum relative humidity of the air of 85.80% and 34.46%, respectively
Plant cultivation depends on optimum climatic conditions to manifest their genetic potential, especially aspects related to plant growth and development (Silva Neto et al, 2001)
Summary
The cacao tree (Theobroma cacao L.) belonging to the Malvaceae family is an essentially tropical tree, native of the American rainforest, cultivated between latitudes 20° N and 20° S, at temperatures above 20 °C throughout the year (Wood & Lass, 1985; Landim et al, 1994; ITC, 2001; Souza et al, 2016). In Brazil, cacao cultivation was expanded by the banks of the Amazon River and introduced to Bahia in 1746, where it found good soil and climate conditions, forming the main producer region of the country and of great economic importance (Pamponet et al, 2012). Cacao is among the highly energetic and stimulating foods, mainly in the use of its seeds for the production of chocolate and other by-products such as honey, jellies, butter, and cocoa powder (Vello et al, 1969; Smith et al, 1990), whose taste is a highly important characteristic, constituting the main reason for its consumption (Santos et al, 2000). The propagation of rootstocks for the cocoa crop is carried out predominantly by the seminal way, and the Common and TSH-1188 genotypes are currently the most used as rootstocks in Espirito Santo (Lavanhole, 2018). The expansion of the genetic base has great relevance in this segment, minimizing the risks of loss due to both biotic and abiotic factors, and one of the potential genotypes in this expansion is the PS-1319
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