Tree Crops

Harvesting and fermentation of cocoa

The formation and development of the pods take on average 5 to 6 months when the green pods turn yellow and red pods turn orange. Harvesting should be made with a sharp knife making sure not to damage the flower cushion which will produce the …

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Cocoa intercropping and Shade Plants

Cocoa intercropping appears simple and easy because of the term “intercrop”. However, there are many factors to consider before choosing or when choosing a crop to intercrop in cocoa plantations. Farmers intercrop to avoid total crop failure, increase income, and have varieties of farm produce. …

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Maintenance of cocoa farms

The maintenance of a cocoa farm is an all-year programme embracing various operations at different periods of the year. If maintenance is correctly and adequately carried out, diseases and weeds will be less of a problem and their control can be achieved more efficiently and …

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How to set up a Cocoa Plantation/Farm

In my previous article, I introduced the basic information you need to know about the agronomy of cocoa and its establishment, but in this article, I will expand the scope by explaining things I forgot to add. This is the link to the previous article …

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Varieties of Oil Palm

There are three major varieties of oil palm: dura, pisifera, and tenera. The dura palms have kernels with a thick shell, while the pisifera palms have kernels with no shell. The tenera palm is the cross between the two palm varieties (dura and pisifera). It …

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Guide on Oil Palm processing

The processing of palm oil involves the following steps; reception of fresh fruit bunches from the plantations, sterilizing and threshing of bunches to free the palm fruit, mashing the fruit, and pressing out the crude palm oil. The crude oil is further treated to purify …

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Oil palm seedling and nursery management

Oil palm is a gross feeder plant that requires more nutrients than other average plants. It requires an annual rainfall of 2000mm. Optimum yield can be obtained in areas with a maximum average temperature of 29-33oC and a minimum average temperature of 22-24 o C. …

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Establishing a Cocoa plantation in Nigeria

I’m motivated to write this article based on my experience and feedback from investors who ventured into cocoa production over the last 5 years. I noticed that existing cocoa farmers and their plantation continues to flourish and develop (though at a low yield). However, there …

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Maximizing Oil palm Yield with less Fertilizer

Oil palm is a gross feeder crop that demands a balance of micro and macronutrients for plant growth for a newly planted crop. After fertilizer application, plant roots take up little concentration while the remaining are loss through; volatilization, leaching, soil erosion, and surface runoff. …

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