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PHOTOSYNTHETIC ACTIVITY AND EARLY GROWTH OF FOUR CACAO GENOTYPES AS INFLUENCED BY DIFFERENT SHADE REGIMES UNDER WEST AFRICAN DRY AND WET SEASON CONDITIONS

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 December 2012

K. ACHEAMPONG ,
P. HADLEY  and
A. J. DAYMOND
K. ACHEAMPONG*
Affiliation:
Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana, PO Box 8, Akim Tafo, Ghana, West Africa
P. HADLEY
Affiliation:
School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, The University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading, RG6 6AR, UK
A. J. DAYMOND
Affiliation:
School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, The University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading, RG6 6AR, UK
*
§Corresponding author. Email: oyacheampong@yahoo.com
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Summary

The physiological performance of four cacao clones was examined under three artificial shade regimes over the course of a year in Ghana. Plants under light shade had significantly higher photosynthetic rates in the rainy seasons whereas in the dry season there was a trend of higher photosynthetic rates under heavy shade. The results imply that during the wet seasons light was the main limiting factor to photosynthesis whereas in the dry season vapour pressure deficit was the major factor limiting photosynthesis through stomatal regulation. Leaf area was generally lower under heavier shade but the difference between shade treatments varied between clones. Such differences in leaf area allocation appeared to underlie genotypic differences in final biomass production in response to shade. The results suggest that shade for young cacao should be provided based on the current ambient environment and genotype.

Type
Research Article
Information
Experimental Agriculture , Volume 49 , Issue 1 , January 2013 , pp. 31 - 42
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

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References

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