Effects of Spacing and Intercropping on the Rate of Infestation of Parasitic Weed on Cocoa Plantation

Abstract

Common types of parasitic weeds, infesting Cocoa plantations in Nigeria have been documented with their attendant effects on pod yields. This work was carried out to evaluate their status and study the effects of planting spacing of Cocoa and intercropped species on the rate of infestation of cocoa plantation by Mistletoes; Survey of the Cocoa growing regions was carried out and three spacing arrangement of cocoa on the field are: 2m by 2m, 2.5m by 2.5m and 3.1m by 3.1m while three cropping pattern of cocoa/ forest trees, cocoa/kola/citrus and cocoa/food crops were evaluated in relation to the rate of infestation by Mistletoe. Over 40% of the farmers enumerated in Ondo and Osun states responded that it is a serious problem while only 23.33 % considered Mistletoes as serious problem in Cross River state making it the least infested. Cocoa intercropped with forest trees had the highest infestation rate of 13% followed by cocoa/kola/citrus (10%) and cocoa spacing at 2m by 2m (9.3%). Two different varieties encountered were Tapinnanthus bangwensis and Phragmanthera incana with T.bangwensis accounting for between 67.3 % and 79.1 % throughout the different cropping pattern/spacings and also is more prevalent during the dry season. lntercropping cocoa with food crops in plantations with wider spacing recorded the least infestation of Mistletoes and higher pod yields .