Cocoa breeding must take into account the competitive value of cocoa trees

Trebissou, Caudou Inago; Tahi, Mathias Gnion; Muñoz, Facundo; Sanchez, Léopoldo; N’guetta, Assanvo Simon-Pierre; Cilas, Christian; Ribeyre, Fabienne

doi:10.1016/j.eja.2021.126288

Cited by 10 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Trebissou et al. (2021) reported several factors affecting cacao growth and productivity, such as the characteristics of neighbouring trees, resource limitations (soil nutrients and water), and physiological stress conditions (photoinhibition and shading effect), which can induce a competitive effect and/or affect production mechanisms. Wibaux et al.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…(2021) reported that greater density of cacao trees increased the inter-tree competition (cacao vs. cacao; cacao vs. ATL): the closer the trees were to each other, the more they would try to grow taller to obtain more light. This competition between cacao trees occurred gradually, intensifying over time as resources were depleted (Trebissou et al., 2021). For Rijkers et al.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Trebissou et al. (2021) reported greater pod production for taller hybrid cacao plants, such as those under A . lebbeck and those in Control plots (Table 2).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Trebissou et al. (2021) reported several factors affecting cacao growth and productivity, such as the characteristics of neighbouring trees, resource limitations (nutrients and water), and physiological conditions (photoinhibition, radiation load, and low leaf water potential) inducing a competitive effect and/or affecting production mechanisms. These interactive effects are mainly related to the associated tree species, notably the quantity and quality of their leaf litter (Sauvadet et al., 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of shade tree legumes on cacao biomass and bean yields after 20 years of intercropping in Ivory Coast

Silue,

Koné,

Kotaix

et al. 2024

Ex. Agric.

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Summary The choice of tree species planted with cacao trees is essential for ensuring the efficiency and sustainability of cacao farming systems. This raises the question of the long-term impact of associated tree legumes (ATLs) on cacao bean yields and biomass accumulation. This study was carried out in accordance with four-block randomised experimental design in Divo (Ivory Coast, West Africa). The study involved cacao-Albizia lebbeck (Cacao-Alb) and cacao-Acacia mangium (Cacao-Aca) intercrops and unshaded cacao plots (Control). After 20 years of intercropping, we assessed cacao dendrometry (height, circumference, biomass, and biomass C-stock) and production (number of pods per tree and bean yield at the plot level) as well as soil fertility (soil organic matter (SOM) concentration) at various distances from ATLs (D1:0–1.75 m; D2:3.25–5 m; D3:7–9 m). The distance from the ATLs had no significant effect on the measured cacao dendrometric parameters, except for cacao height. In contrast, the Cacao-Aca association had a negative impact on the SOM concentration (−22%), cacao tree height (−6.15%), and productivity parameters (biomass: −12.4%; bean yield: −43%). However, Cacao-Alb and the Control had no significant differences in terms of SOM, tree biomass, or bean production. Intercropping cacao with the tested tree legumes did not enhance cacao productivity and, in some cases, hindered it, depending on the ATL species. This study highlighted the importance of identifying appropriate shade tree legume species that could be promoted in cacao-based agroforestry systems.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Trebissou et al. (2021) reported greater pod production for taller hybrid cacao plants, such as those under A . lebbeck and those in Control plots (Table 2).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of shade tree legumes on cacao biomass and bean yields after 20 years of intercropping in Ivory Coast

Silue,

Koné,

Kotaix

et al. 2024

Ex. Agric.

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“…An updated evolutionary focus of crop yield in relation to plant-plant relations emphasizes kin selection and multi-level selection [85][86][87][88][89]. Empirical evidence supports the association between high yield per unit area and less competitive phenotypes in morphologically and physiologically diverse annual and perennial crops [90][91][92], including wheat (figure 5). In a collection of elite wheat CIMMYT 1 cultivars, removing or bending adjacent plant rows to relax competition with the focal central row showed a strong negative correlation between grain yield and response to reduced competition (figure 5a).…”

Section: Annual Crops and Fishes Respond To Environmental Variation Through Offspring Numbermentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolutionary and ecological perspectives on the wheat phenotype

Sadras

2021

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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Technologies, from molecular genetics to precision agriculture, are outpacing theory, which is becoming a bottleneck for crop improvement. Here, we outline theoretical insights on the wheat phenotype from the perspective of three evolutionary and ecologically important relations—mother–offspring, plant–insect and plant–plant. The correlation between yield and grain number has been misinterpreted as cause-and-effect; an evolutionary perspective shows a striking similarity between crop and fishes. Both respond to environmental variation through offspring number; seed and egg size are conserved. The offspring of annual plants and semelparous fishes, lacking parental care, are subject to mother–offspring conflict and stabilizing selection. Labile reserve carbohydrates do not fit the current model of wheat yield; they can stabilize grain size, but involve trade-offs with root growth and grain number, and are at best neutral for yield. Shifting the focus from the carbon balance to an ecological role, we suggest that labile carbohydrates may disrupt aphid osmoregulation, and thus contribute to wheat agronomic adaptation. The tight association between high yield and low competitive ability justifies the view of crop yield as a population attribute whereby the behaviour of the plant becomes subordinated within that of the population, with implications for genotyping, phenotyping and plant breeding.

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