Evaluation of bare-root methods for transplanting cocoa seedlings

Abstract

Studies were carried out to evaluate various bare-root methods for transplanting cocoa seedlings. The objective was to find alternative methods to the ball-of-earth (polyethylene bag) method of transplanting cocoa seedling which is known to give very good establishment but is very expensive. The experiment involved three factors: (i) length of time after lifting seedlings from the soil (1, 2 or 3 days), (ii) with or without the application of clay-slurry to the roots, and (iii) eight different methods for packaging the uprooted seedlings in a 3 W 2 W 8 factorial experiment with the ball-of-earth method as a control. Seedling mortality was determined at 3-month intervals up to the 12th month whilst growth was measured at 12 months after transplanting. The experiment was repeated each year for 4 years. At the end of each year, less promising treatments assessed by percentage survival were eliminated. The following five bare-root treatments with a success range of 63 - 78 per cent were selected besides the ball-of-earth treatment which consistently had the highest mean survival of 92.5 per cent over the 4-year period: (i) roots wrapped in moist sack, leaves enveloped in clear polythene bag and seedlings planted on the same day; (ii) roots and leaves pruned, roots wrapped in moist sack, and seedlings planted on the same day; (iii) roots wrapped in moist sack and seedlings left in the shade and planted on the 2nd day; (iv) roots wrapped in moist sack, leaves enveloped in clear polyethylene bag, and seedlings left in the shade and planted on the 3rd day; and (v) roots and leaves pruned, roots wrapped in moist sack, and seedlings left in the shade and planted on the 3rd day. Verification of these treatments with farmer participation will help to determine their acceptance or whether to modify the different packages.


Ghana Jnl.agric. Sci Vol.32(1), 1999: 69-78