Produção do cacaueiro cultivado a pleno sol submetido ao estresse hídrico

Abstract

Most information on crop management and technical knowledge on cocoa plant phenology refers to data collected in traditional growing regions. Thus, the objective was to evaluate the phenology and production distribution of cacao grown in full sun with controlled water stress during flowering in tropical conditions of dry winter in the State of MG. The treatments, eight clones of cocoa already cultivated in the experimental area (PS 1319, CCN 51, SJ 02, CEPEC 2002, CEPEC 2005, CEPEC 2006, PH 16 and IPIRANGA) and two irrigation conditions (50 and 100% of crop evapotranspiration - ETc), were arranged in a randomized block design (DBC), in a split-plot scheme with three replications (8 x 2 x 3), with clones in the plots and irrigation depths in the subplots, thus constituting 48 experimental units. This difference in applied depth was maintained for only 45 days after pruning and felling of fruits and flowers, with full irrigation being maintained in the fruiting phase until harvest. Fruit and yield characterization variables were determined. The clones showed similar behavior in relation to controlled water stress. The clones PS 1319, CCN 51, SJ 02, CEPEC 2002 and CEPEC 2005 showed higher dry almond productivity. The results also suggest that the fresh fruit to dry bean ratio (RFF/AS) is a more stable index for estimating cocoa crop yields. The production peaks regarding the number and weight of harvested fruits have a similar behavior considering the same clone. The earliest clones were CEPEC 2002 and PS 1319 while the latest were CCN 51, IPIRANGA and SJ 02.