Theobroma cacao
Syn. Bontia germinans, Avicenna nitida, Avicenna tomentosa, Avicennia africana

Names: Cacaoyer, cacao, cocoa, chocolate tree, god's tree, kako, pyé kako, gwo kako, Kakao...

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FAMILY

STERCULIACEAE

 

ETYMOLOGY

Theobroma means "food of the gods" in Greek.
Cacao like chocolate are words of Aztec origin "cacahualt, xoxoatl and tchocolatl" , meaning bitter drink.

 

ORIGIN

Central America and South America .

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HABITAT

Cultivated and persistent at low altitude (0-500m) in humid, shady places and on fertile, well-drained soils.
Cocoa trees only grow in the ground in the "  cocoa belt  (between the tropics), but it makes a very nice houseplant.

 

DESCRIPTION

The cocoa tree is a small tropical tree with spreading branches that can reach 10m in height in the wild, but it is maintained at 5m in cultivation. 
It has large, elliptical, thick, sharp-tipped leaves. 
It has the particularity of producing its flowers directly on the trunk (cauliflory) and the branches (ramiflory) .
They are hermaphroditic, bloom 30-35 days after the appearance of the flower bud and are grouped together in inflorescences, forming “flower cushions”. A cushion can bear several flowers at different maturities, even young fruits, called “Chérelles” . 
The flower is attached to the tree by a pedicel and is formed by 5 white sepals (Calyx), 5 narrow petals at the base (Corolla) and 5 sterile purplish-colored staminoids which are visible, unlike the hidden stamens.
Pollination is carried out mainly by Diptera. 
The pointed, furrowed, warty ovoid fruits (pods) are 10-20cm long. They contain ovoid-flattened seeds (1-3cm long and 8mm thick), which are surrounded by a white, sweet and tangy pulp consisting of 80% water, 15% glucose and 5% pectin ( mucilage) . 
A pod contains 30-40 seeds and it takes 50 pods to produce 2kg of cocoa. A tree produces about forty pods a year. 
The term seed is used for the almond coated with mucilage contained in the cocoa. Fermentation and drying make it possible to obtain cocoa beans . After roasting and grinding, the cocoa mass is obtained. 
Unlike most fruits, the cocoa pod does not spread its seeds without human or animal intervention. 
There are 2 subspecies, the Criollo and the Forastero , the Trinitario would bring together hybrid forms between the first two.
 
Criollo ( Theobroma cacao subsp, cacao ) are slow growing, more susceptible to disease and insects, and have a high morphological diversity. 
The pods are brown/purple before maturity, orange when ripe, elongated and deeply marked with deep furrows. Their pericarp is warty, thin, easy to cut, the mesocarp is thin and not very lignified. 
The beans are plump, almost round in cross-section, with white or lightly pigmented cotyledons. 
The Criollo provide fine cocoa, very aromatic, its bitterness is light. They are used in chocolate for luxury products and are grown very little given their reduced vigor and susceptibility to disease.
 
The Forastero ( Theobroma cacao subsp. sphaerocarpum ) are a very diverse group and grow vigorously.
The pods are short and oval, green to yellow when ripe, the pericarp is thick and difficult to cut, the mesocarp is highly lignified. 
The beans are flattened and purple in color, the cotyledons are dark purple when fresh. 
Forastero are the most cultivated (80% of world production), given its resistance, productivity and rapid growth.
 
The Trinitario are known only in the cultivated state, they have intermediate characteristics between Criollo and Forastero. They were selected in Trinidad and come from natural crosses. There are different shapes from their origins: small and round, with a smooth surface (Calabacillo type) or more elongated with dark purple and sometimes white flattened beans (Catongo and Almeida type) or in the shape of small melon at the base narrowed into a neck bottle-shaped, smooth surface, slightly marked furrows (Amelonado type) or elongated, pointed, narrowed base in the neck of a bottle, warty surface (Cundeamor type).

 

NEEDS

Watering: lt must be plentiful. The cocoa tree appreciates a humid or moderate climate with good rainfall. It is very sensitive to water stress (such as the loss of all the leaves). 
The soil must be rich (presence of nettles or other bio-indicator plants, amendments), draining (presence of sand, water penetrates easily), deep (minimum 1m, presence of high termite mounds) and slightly acidic (pH test ( between 4.5 and 6.5) or bio-indicator plants. Soils full of stones should be avoided. The cocoa tree prefers volcanic soils. For cocoa production, we speak of terroir. 
It prefers partial shade , but can tolerate full sun for short periods. It is an undergrowth plant.
Hardiness: The cocoa tree, once established, resists temperatures of around 10°C. The ideal temperature is 21-27°C and the humidity 77-88%. 
Flowering in January and July/August.
Fructification : in March-May and October-December depending on the location. The first fruiting takes place from the 5th year depending on the variety. The fruits mature 5-7 months after pollination depending on the genotypes.

 

MULTIPLICATION

Seeds, cuttings, grafting 
Cuttings and grafting make it possible to save varieties and to have fruits from the second year, on the other hand, the trees will not have a tap root.
 

CULTURE

- During the first stages of its development, the young cocoa tree needs relatively dense shade, leaving only 25% to 50% of the total light. The reduction in shading must then be gradual up to 70%. Watch out for the taproot, repot in time to avoid chignonnage. 
- When the cocoa tree measures 40-60cm, you can plant them in the ground (May-June). You can also plant banana trees 6 months before to provide shade. 
- Choose the right place to plant and dig a hole of 40x40x40cm separating the different horizons. Mix the bottom soil with 2kg compost and replace in order. 
- Space the plants 3 x 3m apart, ideal density 1300 trees/Ha. Yield 3 tons/Ha, or you can also plant it alone.
- Economic duration: 15 years, maximum production between 7-12 years 
- The tree grown from seed is formed from an orthotropic axis, which will give birth after 12-18 months after planting has a crown made up of 5 branches.

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MAINTENANCE
- Regularly clean the plantation. Cut weeds and cover plants 4-6 times a year and lay the cut grass at the foot of the cocoa trees. Untie if necessary. Avoid weeding during Lent. 
- Replace the dead shafts in September-October or in May-June of the following year. 
- The cocoa tree is greedy, bring nitrogen-rich compost regularly at the start, then supplement with compost richer in potash and phosphorus from the 4th year. 
- Sizes are carried out from May to June.  

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DEFICIENCIES

- When Nitrogen is lacking, the leaves are small and turn a little yellow.
- When Magnesium is lacking, a bright yellow discoloration is seen on the leaf.
- When Zinc is lacking , the leaves deform and become thin and long. They are often curved.
- When Boron is missing, the leaves curl, the tip dries up from where the leaf is curled.

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PARASITES AND DISEASES

Defoliating caterpillars ( Earias, Lophocrama )
Damage: Destruction of foliage and slowing of tree growth.
Solutions: Creation of refuge areas for auxiliary insects (ladybugs, hoverflies, micro-wasps, predatory bugs). Regular monitoring of trees. Insecticides authorized in organic farming ( Bacillus thuringiensis, Spinosad, etc. ) 
 
Biting/sucking insects ( mealybugs, aphids, mirids and green bugs ) sting pods and cause black spots, sting young branches and leaves and cherelles dry out), leafhoppers (ends of leaves then edges) , stem borers (dig holes in the wood, the cocoa tree becomes weak and produces less) psyllids (bite the terminal bud), sessiids (attack the bark, a reddish sawdust comes out of the attacked areas and cracks), the tragocephala (dig galleries in the young stems).
Damage: Slowdown in tree growth, deformation of leaves and pitting in fruits, development of sooty mold. Cankers on branches.
Solutions: Creation of refuge areas for auxiliary insects (ladybugs, hoverflies, micro-wasps, predatory bugs). Regular monitoring of trees. Insecticides authorized in organic farming (white oils, sweet orange oil, etc.). 
 
Anthracnose ( Glomerella cingulata )
Damage: Slowdown in the development and growth of the tree).
Solutions: Promote good drainage and good ventilation on the plot. Destruction of affected parts. Sulfur or copper treatment.
 
Phytophthora diseases
Damage: Cankers on the trunk or branches. Pod rot.
Workarounds: Destroy affected branches and pods. Reduce shading that promotes humidity and ventilate the area.
 
Swollen disease shoot
Damage: Swelling of twigs, Red bands along the veins of young leaves which turn yellow afterwards, swelling of roots.
Workarounds: If you observe any of these symptoms, contact INRA.
 
Trunk canker (P. palmivora)
Witches' broom disease (Crinipellis pemiciosa)
cassava ants
 

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USES
 

MEDICINAL USE

Conditions: Asthenia (Fatigue)

Parts Used: Seeds

How to use: Decoction

Boil for 10 minutes in a covered container. Leave to cool, and filter.

Dosage:

- 7 dried seeds in 1 cup (250mL) of water

- Drink 1 cup, 3 times a day for 7 days (Source: TRAMIL )

Hazards:

Any.

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ORNAMENTAL USE

Very nice indoor plant.
 

FOOD USE

The seeds are fermented, then dried (the beans), then roasted and ground to make cocoa. By adding water and sugar, you get chocolate. By adding milk and sugar, you get milk chocolate. If you separate the fat from the cocoa, you get cocoa butter and lean cocoa. If you mix cocoa butter, milk and sugar, you get white chocolate. 
Cocoa is used to make confectionery, drinks, chocolate bars, cakes, syrups, alcohols, etc.

 

OTHER USES

Cocoa butter is used against chapped lips, breasts and scabs. It enters into the composition of cosmetic preparations and suppositories. The shell is used as mulch and as food for livestock, it is rich in nitrogen and tannin.

 

ANECDOTES

Domesticated by the Indians of Central America in pre-Columbian times, cocoa was used to prepare a drink called "xocoalt" (drink made of cocoa beans mixed with corn, vanilla and chilli), cocoa bean was also used as currency. 
This drink was offered to the conquistadors when they arrived (the Aztecs believed it was from the Gods), they found it too bitter and added sugar to it. This is how chocolate was born. 
Today, in most chocolate bars, cocoa butter is replaced by soy lecithin or others. Cocoa butter is sold for cosmetics and is expensive. It was Coenraad Johannes Van Houten who invented in 1828 a process to industrially separate lean cocoa (easier to dilute in water or milk) and cocoa butter. 
Cocoa beans are composed of 300 nutrients and active substances, such as cocoa butter (Triglycerides of fatty acids), Theobromine (antitussive, diuretic, vasodilating and stimulating properties), caffeine (stimulant and tonic), Ca, Mg, N, P, K, Anadamine (called the molecule of happiness), Epicatechin (Anti-oxidants), Phenetylamine (aphrodisiac), Ferulic acid (degradation of lipids, satiating effect), Vitamins B9, A, B1, C, D and E, Folic acids, trace elements and minerals, fibers (excellent for intestinal transit), Sulfur and Zinc (reconstruction of collagen and Keratin), Iron (anaemia), …. Maybe that's why it's called "Food of the Gods".

 

QUOTE

"  The cocoa bean is a phenomenon that nature has never repeated; we have never found so many qualities united in such a small fruit  -  Alexander Von Humbolt (German Naturalist), 1799.

 

RECIPE

Green fruits can be baked or fried in rings. It looks like vegan fish steaks.
 
First communion chocolate (4 to 6 people)
Ingredients :

   •   Lime zest
   •   Nutmeg
   •   Cinnamon
   •   1L of milk (or water)
   •   60g Cocoa powder (or Baton kako)
   •   200mL of Water
   •   1 can of sweetened condensed milk (optional)
   •   1 Teaspoon of Bitter Almond Essence
   •   2 Tablespoons of Toloman flour (or Dictame or Cornstarch)
   •   1 vanilla pod
   •   60g ground almonds (optional)

Preperation :
- Infuse the milk with the hot spices.
- In a bowl, grate the kako stick and add hot water, stir.
- Pour the contents of the bowl into the saucepan with the infused milk.
- Heat over medium heat, stirring and adding the Toloman flour until the desired thickness.
- Can be eaten with buttered bread.

 

SOURCES

• Manual_of_the_cocoa_planter
• Manual_training_cocoa_productivity_producers
• ASSOFWI Technical Manual 2020.pdf
• Cocoa from the Amazon - Technical booklet
• http://caribfruits.cirad.fr/fruits_tropicaux/cacao
• http://www.tramil.net/fr/plant/theobroma-cacao
• https://www.tatiemaryse.com/chocolat-antillais/