Evaluation of Cocoa Full-Sib Progenies in Challenging Conditions in Cameroon

The improved vegetal material cultivated by cocoa farmers in Cameroon consists in full-sib progenies issued from pods harvested in bi-clonal seed gardens set up during the 1970s. Interviews of cocoa farmers revealed their general satisfaction with the yield level obtained from these progenies but also their disappointment with the high level of susceptibility to black pod disease, a disease caused by Phytophthora megakarya, which is a serious challenge for cocoa production in this country. In order to select new future varieties that would combine high yield and resistance to black pod disease, new progeny trial plots were set up from 2005, in research stations and on farm.

23 cocoa full-sib progenies were assessed and compared to 3 control progenies. in a trial plot set up in 2005 in a research station located in the south western region of Cameroon. The cocoa trees were assessed during eight consecutive years of cocoa production. A large level of variation was observed among the progenies for mortality rate (ranging between 6 and 52%), annual potential yield (ranging between 151 and 1,808 kg/ha), annual actual yield (ranging between 114 and 1,159 kg/ha) and black pod disease incidence (ranging between 19 and 39,8%) caused by Phytophthora megakarya. Nine of the assessed full-sib progenies were identified as promising and the authors suggest how to confirm their performances before their release to farmers.