Cocoa Book

SOLOMON ISLANDS
COCOA BOOK
Solomon Islands Cocoa Livelihoods
Improvement Project (CLIP)
About this Book
This book was written and published by staff of the Solomon Islands Cocoa
Livelihoods Improvement Project (CLIP) in 2010. CLIP is an Australian Government
Aid Program funded initiative to assist smallholder cocoa farmers in Solomon
Islands.
Riaz Meninga has drawn most of the pictures used. Layout, Design & Picture
colouring by Koko Siga, Fiji
AcknowledgementS
Acknowledgment is given to previous researchers and staff from Lowlands
Agricultural Experimental Station, Papua New Guinea and Cocoa Coconut Institute,
Tavilo, Papua New Guinea and staff of the previous Samoa Cocoa Project. They have
provided information and sketches used from books including Torubat Wokim
Bisnis Long Kakao, (Trevor Clarke 1981) Joseph Grows Cocoa, and The Cocoa Book,
Western Samoa. Drawings from Cocoa Board of PNG Publications on Cut tested
beans, Black Pod and Vascular Streak Dieback (VSD) drawn by Celia Bridle have
also been used.
The Research Bulletin No. 2 revised, entitled A Guide to Growing Cocoa in Solomon
Islands, written by K. Trewran, based on previous edition by P.R. Linton has also
been used a key reference.
Valuable inputs from staff of the Solomon Islands Ministry of Agriculture and
Livestock, (MAL) and Commodity Export Marketing Authority (CEMA) have also
been incorporated.
2 SOLOMON ISLANDS COCOA BOOK

Contents PAGE
Introduction ............................................................................5
Soil.............................................................................................6
Shade..........................................................................................10
Cover crops................................................................................16
PLANTING SEEDS .........................................................................23
Planting out seedlings.............................................................28
MAINTENANCE OF YOUNG COCOA.....................................................32
COCOA REHABILITATION ................................................................52
Harvesting and processing.......................................................58
Pest and Disease control..........................................................77
Chemicals ..................................................................................80
Common Cocoa Insects...............................................................81
Diseases of Cocoa .......................................................................100
Meaning of Words Used..............................................................109
Keeping Records ........................................................................116
SOLOMON ISLANDS COCOA BOOK 3

Cocoa growers can receive a good income to support their
families

Introduction
Cocoa has been grown in Solomon Islands since plots were established in Aimela,
Malaita in 1958, and the first cocoa production of three tonnes was sold in 1960.
Production didn’t start picking up until the late 1970’s. Amelonado cocoa was
introduced among other varieties, and was found to be the most suitable variety
for Solomon Islands conditions.
Plantations and many small holder farmers planted cocoa from the 1970’s on, and
have since received a steady income from this crop.
After logging and oil palm, cocoa is the third highest revenue earner for Solomon
Islands, but is especially important for smallholders because it spreads wealth
further than other options and is less damaging to the environment.
Cocoa as a business
Cocoa is subject to supply and demand on the world market, like other
commodities, which causes the price to go up and down. However, over
the years cocoa prices have proved to be relatively stable, with fewer price
fluctuations than other major commodities.
Cocoa can be a rewarding crop for smallholder families to grow if the right
management practices are applied.
Much of the cocoa in Solomon Islands is not properly managed and yields are low.
The crops true potential is not fully realized.
Read this book and learn how to improve the productivity of smallholder cocoa in
Solomon Islands.
CLIMATIC REQUIREMENTS
Cocoa production is most suited to the following climatic conditions
• 1,500 mm to 4,000 mm per annum
Rainfall • The climate is too dry if rainfall is less than 100 mm average per month for
three or more consecutive months.
Temperature Minimum 21 degrees Celsius to a Maximum of 31 degrees Celsius
Sunshine 4.5 to 6.5 hours of direct sunlight per day

Altitude Up to 600 metres above sea level

SOILS
The best soils for cocoa are;
• at least one metre deep, free of big stones
• well drained – no excess water
• high organic content black forest soils best
• PH level (acidity /alkalinity) of 6.5 to 7.5
Unsuitable soils for cocoa are:
• Shallow
• Stony
• Waterlogged
1 metre
Unsuitable soil
Suitable soil Shallow
1 metre deep Stoney
No big stones Waterlogged
Free draining

Selecting a suitable site
It is not a good idea to clear new sites for cocoa if your old cocoa trees are not
producing and just need to be rehabilitated. It is better to rehabilitate cocoa
rather than clear bush unnecessarily. Always make sure you leave enough land for
food gardens and houses, and bush for firewood and building materials
With new cocoa, only plant what you and your family can manage. An average
family of six can comfortably manage 500 -1000 trees.
• Secondary regrowth bush is preferable to primary forest sites.
• Food gardens can be used, with bananas providing temporary shade until
cocoa trees are established.
• The slope of the area should not be more than 30 degrees.
• The site should not be too close to the sea, as salt will damage cocoa
leaves.
Bush should be cleared before planting shade trees and cocoa seedlings .The
problem with using bush as shade is that it is difficult to remove or thin- out later
when the young cocoa trees need more sunlight to produce pods.
Clearing land for cocoa

Lining or marking out
Marking out a new cocoa farm should be done using a rope with 3.5 metre
intervals or 4 metres if a wider spacing is preferred. 3.5 metre intervals can be
painted along the rope to give a 3.5 metre metre square spacing suitable for
Amelonado type cocoa plants. Experience shows that 3 metre spacing is too close,
and under village or smallholder management can quickly become overgrown.
Gliricidia sticks about 1.5 metres long, and sharpened at one end are good for
marking out because when the marking sticks grow they provide shade. Cocoa
seedlings should be planted half- way between gliricidia sticks.
Marking out lines should follow an east-west direction for maximum sunlight to
reach cocoa trees.
3.5 metre
Marking out with a string line marked at 3.5 metre intervals

Shade
Planting shade trees in combination with food crops in new cocoa farms provides
the best use of labour and land. Bananas can be used as temporary shade,
particularly varieties that don’t have many suckers because they are easier to
remove when the cocoa trees mature.
Permanent Shade
Coconuts
Coconuts are a good permanent shade crop if planted wide enough apart to
allow enough sunlight through to the mature cocoa. They provide a second
cash crop and there are generally less insect problems in cocoa under coconuts
because of better light and air ventilation.
Coconuts should be planted 2-3 years before cocoa. Coconuts should be widely
spaced at about 10.5 metres apart. (90 trees per hectare).Closer spaced coconuts
will not be suitable for interplanting cocoa because there will be too much shade.
3.5m
3.5m
10.5m
10.5m

Marking out under coconuts already established
When planting cocoa under mature coconuts that are close together, assess the
sunlight and remove some coconut trees to allow sunlight for cocoa.
Thinning out coconuts to allow more sunlight for cocoa

Allow more sunlight in by removing some coconuts

Gliricidia
Gliricidia is easy to establish and is a fast growing shade tree. It is also a legume,
returning nitrogen to the soil, will attract crazy ants which help control cocoa
pests and is a good source of firewood.
Gliricidia can be hard to manage if the trees get too big leading to overshading of
cocoa trees.
Plant gliricidia 6- 9 months before cocoa seedlings. Planting sticks should be 1.5
metres long and sharpened at one end. Use a crowbar or hardwood stick to dig a
planting hole that is slightly bigger than the girth of the gliricidia stick, and 200
mm or more deep.
3.5 metres
s
e
tr
e
m
5
3.
etre s
3.5 m
Lining and marking out at 3.5 metres using gliricidia sticks
Betel nut
Betel nut is a good crop shade for cocoa. They should be planted between every
second cocoa tree. This is about 400 betel nut trees per hectare, which should
allow enough sunlight through for the cocoa to produce well. Unlike coconut,
betel nut palms can force their way through an established cocoa canopy.
Betel nut provides a good second income source.

Bush Shade
Cocoa should not be planted under heavy regrowth or primary forest. Not
enough sunlight will be available for the cocoa trees to produce properly when
they are mature. Some bush trees are also hosts to cocoa pests and diseases.
Fruit and nut trees (such as ngali) are best planted around the boundary of the
cocoa farm. This way they act as a wind break and also provide some shade to the
cocoa trees and provide food and income.
Some fruit trees such as sour sops, lemons, cut nuts and ngali host green tree ants
( Ekofola) which control pests of cocoa.
Agro forestry
Planting cocoa under trees such as teak is similar to using bush shade. The dense
shade from the teak means that there is not enough sunlight for the cocoa to
produce well and this is not recommended.

Cover crops
Cover crops are crops planted to cover the ground, fertilize the soil and prevent
weed competition.
Legumes such as peanuts which provide a second income, or other legumes

which grow in shady conditions are best.
Temporary Shade
Bananas
Bananas are a good shade crop that also provide an important source of food,
but need to be removed 4 to 6 months after cocoa is planted. Bananas that have
fewer suckers are easier to remove and should be planted between every second
cocoa position, alternating with gliricidia.
Bananas used for

temporary shade

Pigeon pea
Pigeon pea seed can be planted between cocoa seedling rows. Pigeon pea
improves the soil as a legume and a mulch. Pigeon pea seeds are edible and are
recommended for both livestock and people.
A couple of pigeon pea seeds should be planted in holes spaced 1 metre away
from cocoa seedlings. Pigeon pea will die out after a year or so.
Planting pigeon pea as temporary shade

Nurseries and planting out
A nursery is used to produce good quality cocoa seedlings that can be quickly
transported to the cocoa farm and planted out after spacing, lining and shade
establishment have been done.
Cocoa seedling nurseries should be located near the proposed cocoa farm,
should have access to water, and be secure from pigs.
Direct planting
Direct planting is planting the seeds
straight in to the field.
If a nursery is not managed properly

and the cocoa seedlings are spindly and
weak from over shading, direct planting
is recommended. If only a few cocoa
seedlings are required to fill in gaps
in the farm, it is easier to direct plant
using good Amelonado seeds.
When direct planting seeds, loosen

the soil before planting. Plant 3
seeds. After two or three months
select the strongest seedling and remove the other two. Direct planting
Nursery Preparation
Seedlings are reared in a nursery and then transported
to the planting site.
Seedlings in planting bags will normally stay in the

nursery 3 to 4 months. Black polythene planting bags
that measure 25 centimetres long by 12.5 centimetres
wide are recommended. The bags have holes which
allow water drainage.
Black polythene
If a plastic rice or sugar bag is used, it should be 25cm planting bag
long and make holes in it for water drainage. Bags must 25 cm x 12.5 cm
be long enough to enable good tap root development.
Fill bags with good
forest top soil
1o mm The planting bag should be filled up

with good forest top soil, not sub-soil
or silt.
Avoid using soil from old cocoa farm

sites because pests and diseases may
be in the soil.
The planting bag should be filled

with soil up to 1 cm from the top of
the bag. This is so the top of the bag
doesn’t fold back inwards and prevent
water and air getting in.
The bags should be lined up in rows

no more than three metres wide, with
a support wire or bamboo used to
keep the bags upright.

Lining up the bags in the nursery
Young cocoa seedlings need a certain amount of shade to grow well. Too much
shade will cause seedling blight and weak seedlings. Not enough shade will cause
the seedlings to be yellow and unhealthy.
Young cocoa seedlings need about 50 % shade cover to grow well.
A bush timber frame should be constructed capable of supporting 50% shade

cloth or palm leaves. Palm leaves should allow 50% of sunlight through to the
seedlings. They can be thinned out to allow 70% sunlight through when seedlings
are nearly big enough to plant out.
Shade cover is also needed to prevent damage to seedlings from heavy rain, and
rain drops splashing diseased soil onto seedling leaves.

Reducing the level of
nursery shade
Establishing a shade
cloth nursery
Timber posts with wire supports can be used to make larger nurseries.
50% shade cloth can be used to cover the frame.

Planting seeds
A fungal disease that is common in nurseries (especially in wet humid conditions)
is called seedling blight. The leaves of seedlings turn brown and the seedling
dies. The seedlings twist into a hook shape.
To prevent seedling blight, soak 1000 cocoa seeds in a Ridomil (Metalaxyl)

solution of 30 grams powder to 3 litres of water in a bucket for 20 minutes before
planting. 30 grams of powder is about 3 match boxes full.
Always use gloves when handling Ridomil because it is poisonous and can
make you sick.
Soak seeds in a bucket with

Ridomil to prevent seedling blight
in the nursery
Seedling blight affecting seedlings

Planting seeds
The recommended way to plant cocoa seeds is to lay them flat on the soil inside
the poly bag, then carefully push them about 25 mm or 1 inch into the soil. If you
plant them up side down, the root will be twisted and the seedling ruined.
Seed planted
flat safest
planting method
If planted
upside down,
twisted tap
root
Planting seeds in polybags 2.5 cm

deep, and planted flat
Planting seeds in polybags 25 cm deep, and

planted flat

Maintenance of seedlings
If the cocoa seedlings get seedling blight it usually means they have too much
shade. Check shade levels and reduce the shade cover. Remove diseased
seedlings immediately and discard them away from the nursery.
Ridomil (Metalaxyl) can be sprayed on to seedlings every month to prevent

seedling blight.
The mixture for spraying is 20 ml (two match boxes full of Ridomil powder) to 10
litres water in a knap sack.
If leaf eating insects are a problem, a solution of common insecticide, such as

“karate”, can be sprayed to kill them.
Seedlings in the nursery require regular watering. If there is no rain, daily watering
by an irrigation system or watering can is needed.
Seedlings must be regularly weeded.

Young weeds need to be pulled out
before they get too big and compete with
the cocoa for moisture and nutrients.
Water seedlings regularly during dry periods

Hardening Off
Seedlings are exposed to higher levels of sunlight to harden them before planting
in the cocoa farm.
If seedlings are not hardened off, they may get a shock from direct sunlight when
planted out and die or be severely set back. A few weeks before you intend to
plant the cocoa seedlings, reduce the shade level to 20-30%. This may mean
taking the seedlings out of the nursery to a more sunny location, or reducing the
level of shade by removing palm fronds.
Remove weak seedlings

Some seedlings (up to 10-15%) are not strong and should be thrown away. If they
are weak in the nursery they will be weak in the field, and should be discarded.
Discard
After three to four months, you should have

healthy seedlings for planting out.
A good strong cocoa seedling

Budgrafting
Budgrafting is a method of making sure that the best cocoa trees are used for
planting material.
Scientists select the best trees for producing many pods with good bean size,
good flavor, and high fat content, thin shell, and pest and disease resistance.
If you plant seeds from these trees, they may not always have the same good
qualities and they may grow differently from the mother tree.
If you produce a new tree vegetatively by bud grafting, there is more chance of
the new plant having the same good qualities as the mother tree.
To budgraft, take young branches, called bud wood, off good mother trees. Bud
wood should be green turning brown.
Buds are cut off the bud wood and grafted on to another cocoa seedling (root
stock), and the growth from the bud develops into a good cocoa tree like the
mother.
Remove leaves at tip.

Colour light brown turning green.
Budstick
Tools
needed for
Budgrafting
Budwood
Budding knife
Budding tape

2. Remove bud from budstick
1. Cut bark flap
3. Insert bud 4. Fasten budding tape
5. Remove tape 6. New Growth

7. Cut off root stock when 8. New budgrafted plant
new growth established
Juvenile Budgrafting
Juvenile budgrafting uses very young seedlings, only a few weeks old, to graft
on to. Soft young bud wood should be collected from best mother trees. This
method is becoming popular because the plant needs to spend less time (just 4
months) in the nursery.
budstick
cut slit transparent

rubber
band or plastic bag
(remove after
tape 21 days, when
rootstock buds appear
and leave
tape in place)
Top Grafting
Another method that can be used is top grafting, where budwood from a good
mother tree is grafted onto a chupon of a poorer quality tree The resulting growth
should come up as a good quality tree, and the rest of the old tree can be sawn off
leaving the good tree in its place.
Planting out seedlings
Check the following before planting out.
1. The seedling has developed properly and is 3 to 4 months old. Ensure that
the seedling is not under or overgrown. An overgrown seedling is one
with a large bent tap root growing through the bottom of the planting
bag. It may die from shock if transplanted.
2. There is adequate shade in the farm to protect the young seedling after
planting out.
3. There has been good recent rainfall and there is good soil moisture
present. A cooler period is best.
4. The seedling is in good condition and free from pest and disease.
5. The seedlings should be placed in a shady, sheltered area while they are
waiting to be planted.
6. Water the seedlings before planting out and plant within a few hours of
watering. Water again after planting.
7. If seedlings are to be transported by vehicle, protect them from wind

damage.

PLANTING
Dig a hole
• The hole should be deeper than the depth of the polybag and twice
sub soil kept
as wide. For 25 cm length top soil kept on separate side
on one side
polybag, this means that the
hole should be 30 cm deep by
25 cm wide.
Prepare a hole for

planting a cocoa seedling
Loose soil at base
• Extra care must be taken to ensure that the top soil is kept on one side
of the hole, while the sub soil is kept on the other side. Use the top soil
below and around the seedling and the sub soil to compress around the
top.
• The soil at the base of the hole should be loosened up using a spade, so
the seedling roots can easily grow down.
• Then, using a sharp knife, slice off the bottom 2 - 3cm of the polybag,
making sure that the bottom curved portion of the taproot is also cut off.
• Carefully place the seedling in hole. Make sure that the top of the polybag
is level with the surface of the soil.
• Fill in some of the top soil around the bag.
• Pull the bag up over the seedling
• Compress the top soil around the seedling and the sub soil at the top.
• Collect all the used polybags and bury them.

Planting out seedlings.. Cut bottom 2-3 cm off the polybag to
prevent a bent tap root
Pull the polybag up

over the seedling.

Fill in the rest of the hole using the top soil. Compress the remaining soil around
the seedling. The seedling should be at ground level or slightly above to prevent
water logging.
• Use leaves or coconut husks as mulch placed in a ring around the seedling
to keep the soil cool.
Ensure the soil is higher than ground

level to avoid water logging

Maintenance of young cocoa
Ring weeding
You need to weed regularly in a ring around the base of young seedlings. The ring
should be the same diameter as the height of the seedling, or 60 to 100 cms (1
metre).
This should be done every 6 to 12 weeks, depending on the weather and weed
growth.
Weeds take water and nutrients away from the cocoa seedling.
Rotting weeds (without seed heads) and leaves can be put around the seedlings
as a mulch to prevent moisture loss and prevent further weed growth.
Regularly weed around

seedlings to prevent
competition for nutrients.

Remove temporary shade
Temporary shade, such as bananas and other food crops, need to be completely
removed as cocoa seedlings grow bigger. Do this in a wet period 9 to 12 months
after planting out cocoa seedlings.
Infilling
It is important to always have seedlings ready in reserve to replant the gaps
caused by seedlings that die from planting shock or insect attack. Planting shock
happens when the tap root is damaged when the seedling is planted out or when
the seedling receives too much direct sunlight with insufficient shade.
Direct planting can also be used to fill gaps.
Infilling gaps caused by seedlings that die or are weak

from insect attack.

Prune to one main stem
If young seedlings are tip damaged they will put up two or more stems. The
growing point of the stem is called the terminal bud.Remove any secondary
stems so only one strong stem is left.
Terminal bud
Prune seedlings to one stem

Slashing
To allow easy access and prevent competition from weeds, you need to regularly
slash between the rows of cocoa trees. As the young cocoa trees get bigger and
before they form a canopy, continue to slash and ring weed.
Slash between
rows of cocoa
Ring weed as
seedlings grow
bigger

Thinning out shade
Start thinning out gliricidia shade
when the cocoa seedlings are 6 to 9
months old.
3 to 4 year old cocoa requires only

one shade tree to 11 cocoa trees, or
about
90 shade trees per hectare.
Gliricidia trees are hard to kill. Strip

the bark from knee height down to
ground level to kill them.
Killing shade trees by

stripping the bark down
to ground level
Shade thinned out

Types of growth
Cocoa seedlings grow with a terminal bud at the top of a single stem. After 9 or 12
months the terminal bud divides and sends out 4 -6 branches called fan branches.
The point where the tree divides into branches is called the jorquette. It is called
ramification when the terminal bud divides or ramifies.
jorquette
Point where tree

ramifies
Chupon (water
shoot, “stilman”
Feeder root
Tap root

The fan branches are the fruit producing branches. The chupons (stilman) grow
for height so need to be controlled.
Fan branch chupon
Leaves on either
side of branch
Fan branches grow
laterally
Leaves in a spiral around the
branch chupons grow vertically
Chupon produces
a second storey if
If chupons are left to grow they not removed
will produce a second or third
storey of the canopy higher up.
This causes over shading of lower
pod producing area. The high
canopy can be a source of black
pod infection. To keep the tree
manageable, prune off chupons
regularly every month.
Second storey produced

by a chupon. Tree
becomes unmanageable.

Flower cushions
When cocoa trees grow flowers they are produced on flower cushions. These are
points on the main trunk and branches where lots of flowers are produced, but
only some (less than 5 %) become cocoa pods.
Young pods are known as cherelles.
Flower cushion
flowers
cherelle

Cocoa Pod
It takes 6 months for development of a cocoa pod from a flower. It is important
that the pod is ripe at harvest so there is enough sugar in the beans and mucilage
for a good ferment.
The parts of a cocoa pod and beans are shown below.
Mucilage
contains sugar
stem
penduncle
husk Cocoa pod
Stone cell layer

placenta
bean
cotyledon
Shell
furrow
ridge

Pruning cocoa
Things to do before pruning
1. Slashing and weed control
2. Shade thinning
Why prune?
• To control the shape of the tree so there is as much leaf area as possible to
trap sunlight.
• So the tree does not grow too high or too low, and maintains an adequate
number of pod bearing branches.
• To remove dead, weak, damaged, diseased and insect infected branches
• To promote enough air movement through the trees.
bow saw
pruning knife
secateurs

pole pruner
lopper
Pruning tools
Pruning tools used include secateurs, bow saws, pruning knives, loppers and pole
pruners.; Small chain saws are also useful for radical height pruning.
Pruning so that trees branch out at the same height.

If a cocoa tree ramifies higher than 1.5 metres it should be stumped back to
about 30 centimetres above the ground, and then let a chupon regrow, to a more
convenient height. 1.2 to 1.5 metres to jorquette

2m
1m
Cocoa trees with too much shade will have elongated stems and ramify too high.
Some trees will ramify too low (or below 1 metre) these can also be stumped back
and encouraged to ramify higher by allowing more shade.
If a tree falls over, a new chupon can grow up from the base, and the main tree
trunk sawn off later.
Prune a fallen cocoa tree to one chupon to get another tree

Pruning to improve light penetration
Assess the amount of light reaching the cocoa canopy. Not enough sunlight
will encourage pests and diseases and reduce pod production. Too much direct
sunlight can damage the tree bark and flower cushions.
Thin out and prune the shade trees first before moving onto the cocoa.
At least 10-15 % of light should be filtered by shade trees in mature cocoa.
Cocoa tree leaves need about 75% direct sunlight to make sugar for production
of pods. Some sunlight should reach the bearing area. This is the area on main
branches and the trunk where most pods are produced.
5 to 10% light should reach the ground under the cocoa trees.
bearing area

Timing
It is best to prune cocoa trees shortly after the major and minor cocoa flushes, or
peak production periods. Often this can vary from season to season, or area to
area, depending on prevailing winds and weather patterns in different locations.
See section on IPDM
Order of pruning:
Always prune the top branches first and then work downwards,
Formation Pruning and structural pruning

Develop 4 to 5 main fan branches and secondary fan branches for leaves to trap
as much sunlight as possible
Height pruning
Prune to achieve a total tree height of about 3.5 metres to 4 metres. Prune any
long high dominant branches back to a side branch.
A dominant branch is one which grows taller than the rest and takes sunlight away
from the rest of the tree. Prune them off square with a main branch (right).
3.5 - 4 metres

Height prune trees to about 3.5 metres (12 feet) tall.
One branch should always be left to shade the middle of the tree from direct sun-
light, or damage to the flower cushions and bark can occur and the tree will be less
productive.
Allow a branch to
remain to protect
middle of the tree

Prune inner jorquette area
Prune off branches inside the jorquette area to improve air flow and provide room
for the bearing area.
Any small branch within 40 to 60 centimetres from the jorquette should be re-
moved . 40 cm for younger trees and 60 cm for larger trees.
Prune branches
within 40 – 60 cm
of jorquette
40
–
60
cm
Criss-cross
cut where shown
Droopy branches
1.2 to 1.5m

Skirt Pruning
Prune off all branches that droop below the jorquette. This will lift the branches
up to a minimum of 1.2 to 1.5 metres high.
Prune criss crossing branches

Branches within the tree which cross over each other need to be removed for air
flow and bearing space.
Prune crows feet branches

Small branches growing from previous pruning sites need to be thinned to only
one branch for air flow and to better manage interlocking branches from neigh-
boring trees.
Prune crow’s feet branches
Prune where too many branches

in same position
Remove all chupons from chupon

the fan branches and
remove dead branches
Dead branch

Tip prune
Tip prune when branches are interlocking with neighbouring tree branches. Leave
a 10 -20 cm gap between branches of neighboring trees for air flow and sunlight
penetration.
Tip prune branches

leaving 20 cm gap.

Before tip pruning
10-20 cm 10-20 cm
After tip pruning
Prefered canopy shape

Chupon, (water shoot) pruning
A popular name for chupons is stilman, because they steal water and nutrients
from the tree so they need to be removed
If chupons are young they are soft and easy to prune with a sharp pruning knife,
flush with the main trunk or branch so prune chupons as regularly as possible.
Stub Ends
Don’t leave stub ends. Branches should be pruned straight with main branches or
dead stubs left will be an entry point for Giant Cocoa Termites

COCOA REHABILITATION
Old cocoa
Many cocoa farms in Solomon Islands are overgrown, over shaded and over 30
years old. Old cocoa trees take up good land but produce few pods and the black
pods high in the canopy of the big trees often give black pod disease to the pods
below them.
Before rehabilitating existing farms first reduce the number of shade trees, and re-
move shade tree branches to allow 75% light penetration to cocoa trees.
Old cocoa needing rehabilitating

Select the best Rehabilitation strategy
Farmers should not cut down or rehabilitate all the old cocoa trees at once because
they will have no income. Cocoa farms should be rehabilitated in sections, so some
income is still received during the process
• Assess which area to rehabilitate first.
• Decide whether to stump back all the old trees and let them regrow. It is
better to stump back all trees if there are a lot of gaps in the block and the
farm is over 20-25 years old.
• If there is a full stand of cocoa trees that are younger than 20 -25 years old,
gradually height prune all trees back to 3.5 to 4 metres.
• You should reline and replant all gaps in the cocoa farm with nursery seed-
lings, or by direct planting.
Plan which trees to replant, stump back, or height prune

Two strong chupons growing back from a stump
Stump back old cocoa trees and allow one strong shoot to regrow near the base
of the stump. It will put new roots into the soil and have a strong join to the old
stump. Cut up and leave branches from the old tree to dry and rot mid row.
If new shoots grow from an old stump, and new seedlings planted in the gaps
grow, reduce the shade after nine months.
Manage the new cocoa trees using standard management practices such as ring
weeding, slashing, and pruning. After about 12 to 18 months they should be back
in production.

Cutting up old trees, and branches
Pruned branches used as firewood or left to rot mid row

Radical Height Pruning
Radically height prune trees using a ladder and small chainsaw, pole pruner or
bow saw.
Radical pruning should be done in two to three stages over a period of 6 to 18

months, eventually reducing the tree to a manageable height of 3.5 to 4 metres.
Radical pruning is best done after the peak cocoa harvest period, usually from
August to October.
Do a follow- up prune 6 months after the first pruning by selecting the best fan
branches to form a new canopy, and then thinning out other fan branches.
Radical pruning will encourage many new chupons to grow. Continue to

remove chupons at least every month. If this isn’t
done, chupons will quickly regrow and form
another high canopy and your radical
pruning would have been wasted.
Do not over prune and leave

the middle jorquette and main
branches exposed to direct
sunlight. This will damage
the bark and flower cushions.
Leave a fan branch to protect
the middle of the tree.
Radical height pruning

with a small chainsaw
Leave a cover over
the middle of tree

Fertilizer
Fertilizer is expensive and may not help improve cocoa production. Its use in the
Solomon Islands is optional.
Do not apply fertilizer to cocoa which is over shaded and needs pruning, Always
thin shade, prune and ring weed before applying fertilizer. otherwise more growth
and no more production will be the result and the fertilizer and your money will be
wasted.
Only apply fertilizer to young, well managed trees to obtain and maintain high
production.
Before applying fertilizer,clear all leaf litter and weeds from a metre ring around
the tree. After the fertilizer has been applied, rake the leaf litter back covering the
fertilizer.
It is best to apply fertilizer before light rain. Do not apply fertilizer during a hot and
dry period or during heavy rain as it will be wasted.
The fertilizer recommendation for a young cocoa tree over 18 months old is 240
grams of NPK (half a large family (Solomon Taiyo tin) every three months.)
Urea is a nitrogen fertilizer that can be applied to young trees if leaves are yel-
low and the tree is growing slowly. 100 grams or 1 quarter of a tin fish every three
months.

Further recommendations
Do not apply fertilizer to cocoa trees younger than 15 months unless deficiency
symptoms are present, such as yellowing, browning of boundaries of the leaf, or
other leaf discolouration.
In clay over limestone soils such as Malaita, apply Muriate of Potash at 200 gram
per tree after planting and after one year old, and then 400 to 600 grams per tree
at yearly intervals.
For other soil types use the NPK recommendation mentioned above.
Other soil types may have trace element deficiencies. If cocoa leaves are discol-
oured or misshapen, consult your MAL Extension Officer for more information and
advice.
Production5
Expected smallholder amelonado cocoa production in kilograms per hectare if

maintained properly.
Year from Planting

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10-25
Dry bean yield (kg/ha )
Plant Main- Main- 150 500 1,000 1,200 1,200 1,200 1,200 1,000
tain tain
Wet bean yield (kg/ha assuming 35-45 % recovery )
Plant Main- Main- 330- 1,100- 2,200- 2,600- 2,600- 2,600- 2,600- 2,200-
tain tain 375 1,250 2,500 3,000 3,000 3,000 3,000 2,500

Harvesting and processing
Harvesting
Harvest ripe cocoa pods every week during peak production periods or every 2-3
weeks depending on the number of ripe pods. Discard all damaged and diseased
pods.
Pods should be ripe and beans should be free of black pod and damage from cock-
atoos, rats and flying foxes.
Cockatoo
Flying fox
Pod damage
rat
These pests mean less cocoa.-harvest pods regularly to avoid

losses

Cut or hook pod
Cut or hook off pods with a sharp knife or cocoa hook. Don’t pull and twist the pods
off, or you will damage flower cushions and allow canker disease to enter the tree.
Hook off ripe pods

with a sharp cocoa
hook
Use a sharp knife or hook
Don’t twist off

Breaking pods
Pods should be broken immediately after harvest or kept no longer than one week
before breaking.
Carefully break pods open without damaging beans inside. Use a blunt object to
avoid cutting the beans. Place the beans on clean leaves or in a clean container.
Do not break pods while it is raining or the sugar in the beans will wash off and
affect fermentation.
Discard any beans that are damaged by black pod, or are under or over ripe, or are
discoloured
Green unripe Diseased Over ripe

pod Properly ripe black pod pod
pod

Break pod
Remove beans
from placenta
Discard overripe beans

Selling wet bean
Farmers who are near a village fermentry or near a road with wet bean buyers can
sell their wet bean. This will provide money quickly, and is the best option for farm-
ers with only small cocoa farms, or in the non peak production periods where only
small amounts of cocoa is produced.
The wet bean needs to be clean of foreign matter such as stones etc. Cocoa will not
ferment properly if beans have been soaked in water before sale.
Selling wet bean
Fermenting
In Solomon Islands, wet bean cocoa is fermented in wooden boxes. Fermenting
cocoa develops a good chocolate flavour which the international market prefers.
Don’t ferment cocoa in bags, canoes, or in a hole in the ground.This will cause poor
quality.
Wet beans should be placed in a wooden fermenting box within 24 hours of break-
ing. Don’t mix beans from pods broken at different times and don’t add wet beans
to a ferment after the second day when a ferment has started.
Wet bean needs to be at least 40cm deep in the box, otherwise the cocoa will re-
main too cold and wont ferment properly. Also it should be no more than 60 cm
deep for air to get into aid the fermentation.

After the beans are placed in the box, the wet bean must be covered with ba-
nana leaves then clean sacks. Do not use plastic as a cover as it prevents air getting
in.Clean the boxes between ferments. The slits or holes in the bottom of the box
should be cleared of mucilage and rubbish between every turning.
The cover keeps the heat of the fermentation.
A large 1 metre x 1 metre fermenting box filled to 60 cm deep needs about 500 kg
of wet bean.Wooden dividers in the box can be used for smaller quantities of wet
beans
Cocoa beans must be fermented in wooden boxes for 6 to 7

days to produce good quality cocoa.
In the first 24 hours of fermentation excess water drains through slits in the bottom
and sides of the box. In days 2 and 3 the beans start to heat up. (They remain hot
(45 to 50 degrees centigrade until the end of fermentation in day 6 or 7.)

Turning
The beans must be turned once a day, every day, to allow air into the middle of the
mass and to break up clumps of beans.
The beans in the middle of the fermenting mass should be mixed with beans from
the corners and sides to get an even fermentation.
Drainage holes or slits in the bottom of the box should be cleaned every time the
beans are turned.

Are the beans properly fermented?
After day 6, randomly select a few beans inside the fermenting mass and cut them
in half.
If they are fully fermented the bean will be brown on the outside while on the
inside they will be turning from purple to brown and there will be a brown fluid
inside.They will also have the rich smell of fermented cocoa, and the cotyledons
(segments of bean) inside the shell will be open.
If the beans smell foul, and are turning black on the outside and attracting blue
flies, it means they have been left too long in the fermenting box and are going
rotten, or the amount and depth of beans was too small for a good ferment. The
buyer will reject this cocoa.

Drying
The next step in cocoa processing is drying the fermented beans. Before drying
the beans, ensure that the dryer is in good condition and there is enough firewood
available. Some firewood burns too hot and is less suitable.
Before placing the beans on the dryer bed, start the fire and heat up the dryer.
Spread out the fermented beans on the dryer bed.
Beans should be kiln dried for the first 12 hours. If not beans will keep fermenting
and go rotten. Usually fermentaries kiln dry beans over night.
The next morning they should undergo a resting period from the fire for several
hours so moisture equalizes from the middle of the bean to the outside. If there is
no resting period, the beans will be over dry on the outside but still too wet inside.
Sun drying during the day is a good option if the dryer has a sliding roof.
It is important to turn over the beans on the dryer bed every half an hour, so that
beans on the bottom and edges get moved to the top and centre and drying is
even through the mass of beans.
The drying process should not be continuous, and should take place over two days
or 48 hours.
Don’t use the dryer for other purposes such as drying copra, beche de mer, chillies
or kava. These will contaminate the cocoa.
The moisture content of the dried beans should be no more than 7 % and not less
than 6%.
Checking if beans are dry
Once the beans have cooled down, squeeze a bean between your thumb and fore-
finger. When the beans are properly dry they are no longer rubbery. They will crack
when squeezed and the bean will break into pieces with the cotyledons intact.
If the bean shell shatters the cocoa has been over dried.
If the beans are properly dry they will make a crackling noise if a handful are
squeezed. Make sure beans are cooled down and moisture equalized in the bean
before doing this

Cocoa Dryers
There are many different designs for cocoa dryers. A good type of dryer is a hot air
dryer with a sliding roof which uses the sunshine during the day to help dry the
cocoa so a good quality cocoa is produced using less firewood.
Cocoa dryers in Solomon Islands are hot air dryers, or dryers which use a kiln pipe
and fire underneath a bed of cocoa wire mesh.
It is important to have a kiln pipe and flue pipe (chimney) which isn’t rusted through
with holes, as this produces smoky cocoa which is poor quality and hard to sell.

Types of Dryers in Solomon Islands
Kukum Dryer
A common dryer in Solomon Islands is the Kukim dryer, shown below which makes
use of a kiln pipe, dryer bed and cement impregnated hessian sacks on the dryer
bed sides.
Kukum dryer over

view
Kukum Dryer
end view

Kukum Dryer side view
Floor Plan of Kukum Dryer

Mini Dryer
Another dryer which is suitable for smallholders is the mini dryer. It is designed to
handle smaller amounts of cocoa bean in the fermenting box and dryer bed.
Mini dryers have been used a lot in Bougainville, and are popular with smallholders
because it produces good quality dry bean cocoa and a better income than just
selling wet beans.
They are fabricated with a metal frame which enables it to be disassembled and
transported and quickly reassembled on smallholders farms. This makes it ideal for
remote isolated areas where there is a lack of wet bean buyers
chimney
Roof over
fermenting
box roof
dryer
Roof support
Build on cement slab

Fermenting box
Mini dryer

Grading
Discard dried beans that are flat, black, insect damaged, or have internal mould.
Pieces of placenta, pod husk and any other foreign matter should also be discard-
ed. A grading tray can be used to make it easier to find faulty beans and foreign
matter. Double beans (beans stuck together) should be broken apart.
Faulty beans are shown in the pictures below.

Discard all but well fermented and dried beans.
Flat bean Germinated Insect

bean damaged
Slatey
Internal mould Internal mould Over fermented
bean bean
Partially slatey Purple bean Fully fermented

Bagging
Dried beans must be left to cool down before bagging in a clean new jute bag or
sack. Each bag should contain 62.5 kilograms of beans.
The bag itself weighs 1 kilogram, and 16 bags will make a tonne of cocoa.
Beans should have no more than 7% moisture content. Check beans for dryness as
previously discussed.
You must stencil your bags so buyers, exporters and manufacturers know where
the cocoa has come from.
The stitching along the top of the bag should be close together to prevent beans
falling out.
Storage
The shed used to store full cocoa bags should be located in a well drained dry
location. Bags should be stored on pallets under a waterproof roof. The shed must
be secure against theft, rats, and other animals.
Don’t store cocoa with copra or fuel otherwise their smell will contaminate the
cocoa. Cocoa stored more than a month must be dried before sale to exporters.
Don’t handle the bags roughly or sit on them as this will damage the beans inside
Cocoa bagged and put into storeage

Transport
When bags are transported they should be covered with a canvas to prevent sea
spray, rain and dust getting on them.
Records
It is good management practice to keep records of all farm activities and financial
transactions relating to your cocoa enterprise. Weigh your bags of cocoa before
they go to the buyer so you have an independent record of the weight of beans
you are selling.
Marketing and Export

The cocoa is sold to an exporter who finds a market for the cocoa overseas. He
organizes the cocoa to be placed in containers and shipped to the buyer overseas.
It is important for Solomon Islands to export good quality, well fermented, and well
dried beans without foreign matter in the bags, so our cocoa has a good reputation
on the world market.
If the quality is good, farmers will get a better price, and cocoa will be easier to sell
when the world market is oversupplied.
Cocoa factory
Shipping overseas

Manufacturing
Cocoa is roasted and ground in factories overseas and made into products such
as cocoa liquor, cocoa powder, and cocoa butter. Sugar and milk are then added
and mixed together to make chocolate and products like Milo which are sold
throughout the world
Milo, a Cocoa product

Pest and Disease control
Many pest and diseases affect cocoa. The best method of dealing with these prob-
lems is to manage the cocoa farm well, including weed maintenance, adjusting
shade levels, pruning cocoa properly, and using biological controls, e.g. green tree
ant (Oecophylla, “Ekofla”) and crazy ants ( Anoplolepis) that reduce pests like Pan-
torhytes and Amblypelta
IPDM
IPDM” standing for Integrated Pest and Disease Management, (IPDM) is a system of
managing the cropping cycle where the best conditions are developed for the crop
to grow and produce well. IPDM means understanding the tree and understanding
the causes of pest and diseases and intervening to achieve maximum production.
Understanding pest and

disease spread
IPDM is also all about understanding and using the relationship between the cocoa
tree, the environment and the seasons. A management plan can be put in place like
the one shown next.

What is Intergrated Pest and Disease Management ?
Integrated Pest and Disease Management (IPDM) of Cocoa is a strategic approach
to improve your production by managing all aspects of your cocoa tree. To get the
most from your cocoa tree, you need to consider the environment in which your
cocoa is growing, the pest and disease living in your area and type of cocoa mate-
rial you are planting.
The IPDM strategy aims to manipulate the relationship between your tree, the envi-
ronment and pest and diseases at the most appropriate time so that it favours the
maximum production.
Strategy: The key points about the strategy are:

1. The management inputs are to be applied together and not individually, be-
cause the complete input combination gives the best significant outcome.
The management is called IPDM when all inputs are applied as intended.
When one component is missing, you should not expect to get the maximum
yield from your cocoa farm.
2. When it is the period for applying the IPDM inputs, it is advisable for all cocoa
farms in the your area should receive the IPDM inputs because of the commu-
nal nature of cocoa pests and diseases. If all apply the IPDM inputs and one
farmer does not, it is likely to affect the spread of pests and diseases to clean
cocoa blocks.
3. For managing cocoa using the IPDM strategy, the starting point is using good
planting materials. The material should be: high yielding, produce good
quality beans and should be resistant to pests and diseases.
Timing: The timing is important so that the pest and diseases of cocoa are manipu-
lated at the time when they are at their weakest point in their life cycle and when
the cocoa is highly receptive to inputs.
The inputs are designed to be applied twice a year, one is a major input period after
the major peak harvest and the other is a minor input period after the minor peak
harvest.
The IPDM activities: The IPDM inputs activities should be carefully carried out so
that the trees are not badly damaged

Management Inputs at best time in crop cycle
This can vary from season to season and location to location
Input application months Flower & Fruit setting Peak Harvest months
months
Heavy activities October, November, Major harvest
December & January
August, September & October April, May, June & July
Light activities April, May, June & July Minor harvest
January, February & March October, November,

December & January
Light Activities
• Slash & ring weed 1 m diameter
• Selective shade pruning to allow 75% sunlight to cocoa leaves
• Create 10-20 cm gaps between trees
• Prune off droopy canopies to start at 1.2m -1.5m above ground
• Removal of chupons
• Selective Pest and disease control and tree sanitation
Heavy Activities
• Slash & ring weed 1 m diameter
• Selective shade pruning to allow 75% sunlight to cocoa leaves
• Create 10-20cm gaps between neighboring trees
• Prune off droopy canopies to start at 1.2m -1.5m above ground
• Removal of chupons
• Pest and disease control and tree sanitation
• Height reduction to 3.5-4m, with structural and formation pruning

Chemicals
Chemicals are useful for controlling pests and diseases but they are expensive
and are ineffective if incorrectly applied. They are also poisonous, and can harm
people, animals and the environment if not carefully used.
Some people prefer not to use chemicals. Cocoa produced without chemicals is
called organic cocoa.
Safe use of chemicals

It is very important that farmers who use chemicals are fully aware of how to use
them properly, (following the correct dose rates, and using protective clothing in-
cluding gloves, goggles, hats, and boots.)
Use safe storage of any chemical containers away from children and animals. Dis-
pose of empty containers by burying them far from water sources.
Water Proof
Hat
Long Rubber
Gloves
Goggles
Long
Pants
Safety gear to Over boots
be worn when
using chemicals
Respirator Rubber Boots

Common Cocoa Insects
Wood borers
Pantorhytes weevil
Pantorhytes grub Pantorhytes adult
Description
The adult Pantorhytes is a large weevil (about 1.5 to 2 cm long) while the larvae is
short and fat (1-1.5 cm).
Frass (or faeces), saw dust and rubbish which comes out of a hole tells you there is
an active grub inside. The frass is a brown, moist, and the bore hole goes straight
into the trunk or branch of the cocoa tree.

Damage
Pantorhytes adults lay their eggs in the bark of cocoa trees. When the grubs hatch
out, they bore into the trunk or branches of the tree and weaken it.
These holes are an entry point for canker disease, which can eventually kill the tree.
Adult Pantorhytes also chew the bark off young shoots and branches, stopping
growth in seedlings and young trees.
Old cocoa trees or forest trees left in or near a farm of newly planted cocoa, can act
as a source of adult Pantorhytes infection
Control
Pantorhytes is usually not a problem where coconuts have been used as shade.
Collect all adult Pantorhytes (found underneath leaves in the heat of the day) and
kill them.
Use a flexible piece of wire to carefully remove grubs from their holes. Do not use a
knife to cut out the grub as this will damage the bark and may do even more harm
to the tree.
Biological Control- Crazy Ants (Ano-

plolepis) and Green Tree Ants (Oeco-
phylla)
Crazy ants chase away adult Pantorhytes

or kill them, and they eat the eggs laid in
cracks on the bark. Use pieces of bam-
boo with a few ripe cocoa beans inside,
to attract the ants. Place the bamboo on
the ground in an area where there are a
lot of ants. Put leaves into the mouth of
the bamboo.
Crazy ants 10 times actual size,

nesting in prepared bamboo

When the bamboos are full of ants nesting, seal them and carry them into the co
coa farm and lay them around the base of cocoa trees. The ants will colonize th
new farm area and help protect trees against Pantorhytes.
Green tree ants (sometimes called Large Yellow Tree Ant or “Ekofla”) can also con
trol Pantorhytes. They can be introduced by planting soursop trees around th
block and using bush rope as a bridge from the soursops to the cocoa trees.
Fire Ants
The small fire ants found in Solomon Islands are a nuisance to farmers trying to
manage their cocoa; but they also help to control damaging insects.
To reduce the bites and irritation from fire ants, wear a broad brimmed hat while
working under the cocoa canopy to protect your eyes and skin and wash any
areas of your body that are in contact with the ants.
Fire ants are less active in the rain, making this the best time for pruning.
Chemical control of Pantorhytes
Use a wire brush to clean any frass out of bore holes.
Paint the larvae bore holes with a mixture of;
• 45 ml Karate
• 250 ml White Oil
• 15 grams Ridomil ( for canker control)
If the Pantorhytes infestation is severe, consider spraying the adults in the tree can
opy with the following mixture..
• 28 ml “Decis/Karate” 2.5% EC
• 2 ml surfactant
• 10 litres water
Karate is a toxic chemical so gloves and a face mask must be worn when painting
bore holes.

Longicorn
Description
The adult longicorn can fly some distance

between various host plants in the bush,
including some fruit trees. The grub has a
large head and tapered, segmented body.
Longicon adult
Longicorn grub damage
Longicorn grub
Adult longicorn and grub
damaging tree
Damage
The longicorn adult lays its eggs in the bark

of cocoa tree and when the grub hatches out it bores into the tree, under the bark.
Longicorn grubs can completely ring bark a branch or the trunk of a tree A lot of
frass (saw dust, and sap to ooze from the bore holes.
Longicorn grubs can be particularly damaging to a stand of newly producing co-

coa trees by creating bore hole damage and an entry point for canker disease,
causing further damage and sudden tree death.
Control
Regularly check your cocoa trees for Longicorn damage.
Longicorn adults like dark, moist conditions to lay their eggs. Practices such as ring
weeding and pruning can limit the problem. Slashing around the base of the tree
can also prevent the adult laying its eggs.
Do not cut the grub out with a knife or you will harm the tree. A flexible piece of
wire can be used to push into the bore hole to kill the grub.

Chemical control
A wire brush should be used to first clean the bore hole.
The bore hole should then be painted with a mixture of:
• 45 ml Karate
• 250 Ml White oil
• 15 gram Ridomil ( for canker control)
Karate is a toxic chemical so gloves and a face mask must be worn when painting
bore holes.
Web worm (Pansepta)
Description
Pansepta, or web worm which it is commonly known as, is a moth. The larvae is a
grub about 1-2 cm long.
Damage
The Pansepta moth lays its eggs on the bark of the cocoa branches. The grub eats
its way into the branch, leaving a web from its frass.
The grubt usually attacks relatively small branches (1 – 5 centimetres in diameter.)

and trees up to 4 years old.
The growth of infected trees is restricted and branches that have been attacked
will die.
S O LPansepta
O M O N I damage
S L A N D SonC branches
OCOA BOOK 85
Pansepta moth
Pansepta grub
Pansepta worms inside branch
Pansepta web
Pansepta worms
inside branch
Pansepta worm
Control
Pansepta attack happens when there is not enough shade.The best control is to
increase shade levels.
Control should only be carried out if many branches are dying. If only a couple of
branches are affected, control is not worth while.
Any control measures should be aimed at killing the grubs in their bore holes.
Heavy pruning may result in weakening the tree, and exposing it to further attack,
and there is usually little chance of cutting out all the eggs and grubs.

Chemical control
Remove all the frass from the branches, and wipe a chemical mix of Dimethoate
(0.6%) solution on the bark of the branch using a swab.
A swab is made by securely wrapping a cloth around the end of a stick and soak
the cloth in the Dimethoate (0.6%)
A Rogor 30 solution can also be sprayed onto the infected branches with a knap-
sack.
• 210 ml EC, (Emulsifiable Compound)
• 2 ml surfactant
• 10 litre water
Giant Cocoa Termites
Description
A termite is a type of ant that feeds on wood. Termites are often found in house
posts and frames.
The type of termite that attacks the trunks and

branches of cocoa trees is the Giant Cocoa Termite.
The soldier and worker termites cause damage by

eating the wood of the tree.
Damage
A termite infestation is often difficult to detect in Soldier termite

cocoa until the tree has fallen over, or a large branch
has broken away in a strong wind or heavy rain
storm.
The bark over the termite nests is soft and spongy.
Younger colonies which have not made extensive

nests can only be found by breaking off sections of
dry wood.
Worker termite

Control
Other smaller species of termites which build tunnels on the outside of cocoa
trees can carry black pod spores up the tree and spread the disease. These tunnels
should be carefully scraped off with a bush knife.
Control of giant termites:
Control of Giant Cocoa Termites requires regular inspection and pruning of dead
wood. Since infestations only occur through dead wood, care should be taken to
prune branches as close as possible to the main branch or trunk.
If pruning is carried out correctly, new callus tissue will seal the wound and prevent
entry by termites.
Chemical Control
When a Giant Cocoa Termite colony is located, the nest should be opened with a
bush knife.
The chemical mixture below

can be tipped into the nest.
• 28 ml Decis /Karate,
• 2 ml surfactant,
• 10 litres water

STEM FEEDERS
Grey weevils
Description
The grey weevil is a small (1 cm) weevil.
Damage
The growing shoots of cocoa and

gliricidia can be so badly damaged
by the grey weevil that the trees
become deformed and may die.
Gliricidia can be hard to establish
when there is a severe attack of
weevils.
Control
Keep the grass in cocoa farms cut

short, or, use herbicides. Proper
weed control will help protect co-
coa trees from grey weevils and
other pests such as longicorns, and
also provide healthier growth by
reducing competition for nutrients.
The weevils are very difficult and

expensive to control using chemicals, as both the gliri-
cidia and the cocoa trees must be treated.
However, a 0.3% solution of Acephate (Orthene), or 0.01%

solution of Permethrin (Decis) applied with a knapsack
sprayer should give good results. To make up these solu-
tions mix together:
• 40gm “Orthene 75”

• 5ml washing up liquid
• 10 litres water

or
• 10ml “Decis”
• 5 ml washing up liquid or 2 ml surfactant
• 10 litres water
Several spray treatments may be necessary to reduce the pest to low levels.
Mealy bugs/scale insects

Description
A mealy bug is a soft white powdery insect that may attack young field seedlings
or nursery seedlings.
Damage
Mealy bugs can often be seen on cocoa trees
in low numbers but they rarely cause eco-
nomic damage and control is usually not
necessary. Occasionally, however, large num-
bers can cause serious damage to the grow-
ing shoots of seedlings. The cocoa stems and
leaves lose their colour and the growing tips
may die, resulting in a poorly formed tree.
This kind of damage should be controlled.
On very rare occasions, massive numbers

of mealy bugs build up on gliricidia and
produce black sooty mould. Growth of the
gliricidia shade trees is slowed down and
branches may die.

Control
You should only control mealy bugs when large numbers are found damaging the
growing shoots of very young (unjorquetted) cocoa or when the growth of young
gliricidia is being severely held back. Only spray those trees that are badly dam-
aged, and not all seedlings on the farm. This is called ‘spot spraying’.
The recommended chemical control is a 0.05% solution of Malathion. You should

spray the trees using a knapsack until liquid ‘runs off’. To make the solution, mix
together
• 10ml ‘Malathion 50’
• 100ml white oil
• 10 litres water
Crazy Ant Association
Mealy bugs living on cocoa and gliricidia shade trees are a major food source for
crazy ants. Because crazy ants protect cocoa from a number of insects (including
Pantorhytes) they should only be killed when necessary. If the mealy bugs on
young cocoa are killed by spraying, the crazy ants can still survive on the mealy
bugs living on the gliricidia.

Leaf Feeders
Caterpillars
Description
Caterpillars are the young stages of butterflies and moths. They have soft, often
brightly coloured bodies, and may grow up to several centimetres in length. A
number of moth caterpillars eat cocoa leaves .
Damage
Moths lay their eggs in clumps both on cocoa and shade trees. The eggs hatch
after a few days and produce caterpillars. The caterpillars feed almost continuously
on young cocoa leaves. They grow and change their skins about 5 times. They
then pupate on the cocoa trees as seen in the diagram, on the cocoa trees or in the
ground. After about 8 days the adult moths emerge.
moth
egg
pupa
Caterpillar damage
caterpillar

Caterpillar numbers are usually kept at low levels on cocoa by their natural insect
enemies and their feeding has little effect on the trees. Occasionally, however,
large numbers of caterpillars may build up and most of the young leaves may be
eaten. This reduces yield on mature cocoa though the trees soon recover and
produce new leaves once the pests have again been controlled by their natural
enemies. This cycle usually takes a few weeks.
Control
In areas where caterpillars are often a serious problem, coconuts or gliricidia should
be used as shade.for cocoa because these pests are less damaging on cocoa under
coconuts or gliricidia.
Chemical Control
Caterpillars that seriously damage cocoa less than 3 years old should be controlled
using insecticide sprays. On trees older than 3 years, spraying becomes too expen-
sive and difficult because of their size.
Use a knapsack to ‘spot spray’ trees affected by caterpillars. The best chemicals to
use are a 0.1% solution of Acephate (Orthene) or a 0.2% solution of carbaryl (Sep-
tene). To make the correct solution mix together:
• 13g ‘Orthene 75’
• 10 litres water
or
• 25g’ ‘Septene 80’
• 10 litres water

Rhyparids
Description
Rhyparids are small beetles that

are round in shape and about 7
mm long. They vary in colour from
a shiny dark brown to green or or-
ange. They have wings and can fly
from one cocoa farm to another.
Rhyparid beetle
Damage
Adult Rhyparids lay their eggs on the ground. The larvae hatch- out and feed on
plant roots. Pupation also occurs in the ground. The life cycle takes about 6 weeks.
The adults feed on young cocoa leaves.
Control
Use recommended sanitation practices such as slashing and ring weeding to

control Rhyparid numbers
Chemical Control
Spray a mixture of Malathion on the leaves of badly infected plants.
• 30ml “Malathion 50
• 100ml White Oil
• 2ml Surfactant
• 10L Water

Root Feeders
Root Chafers
Description
The grubs live below the ground. They are white grubs about 1.5 cm long..
Damage
The grubs attack the cocoa seedling feeder roots. The seedling will suddenly die
and roots show damage when the seedling is pulled up.
Control
Increase the fertility of the soil by adding well decomposed organic matter,
including manure.
Chemical Control
Use Bifithrin as a spray on the soil around the root system of infected cocoa
seedlings

POD FEEDERS
Pod Suckers
Amblipelta Damage
Description
Amblipelta adults has a light green body,
light brown wings, long legs and anten-
nae. It smells if picked up. The nymphs
(young stage) are dark brown with no
wings.
Amblipelta are not easy to find, except

when there are severe infestations.
Amblypelta damage
Damage
Significant losses to cocoa production can result from a severe Amblypelta attack.
Amblipelta pierce cocoa pods and feed on the sap. This leaves the pods with a dot-
ted appearance with a number of black sunken puncture marks. Infected pods may
die, or become malformed or smaller in size, reducing bean quality. Small pods can
fall off the cocoa tree if attacked.
Amblipelta adults and nymphs also feed on cocoa shoots, and large numbers may
damage the growing tip of young seedlings.
Amblipelta can also damage coconuts by attacking leaves and damaging the
growing tip.

Chemical Control
If Amblipelta damage is serious, chemical control should be considered.
The following mixture should be sprayed onto the trunk and main branches of af-
fected cocoa trees using a knapsack. For this you must mix together:
• 28 ml Karate 2.5 % EC
• 10 litres water
• 2 ml surfactant
The nozzle on the mist blower must be set so that 10 litres of chemical sprays about
100 mature trees.
A second Karate treatment 14 days after the first one should be made to kill young
Amblypelta that have recently hatched out. Only spot spray areas where Am-
blypelta are a serious problem.
Amblypelta control by large green tree ant
Biological control of Amblipelta using the large green tree ant (Oecophylla) is rec-
ommended. There is some evidence that the little fire ant (Ochetomyrmex) may
also be effective against Amblipelta

Cocoa Pod Borer
Cocoa Pod Borer is a very serious cocoa insect pest. It is not in Solomon Islands yet,
but it is already spreading through Bougainville. If it reaches Solomon Islands it will
badly affect cocoa production.It will make it hard for smallholders to grow the crop
profitably.
Description
The adult Cocoa Pod Borer is a moth the size of a mosquito. It is brown,and hard
to see and lays its eggs in the grooves of cocoa pods.
When the eggs hatch out, the grub bores into the pod and feeds on the beans.
When it reemerges from the pod it leaves an exit hole which can be clearly seen.
It then pupates on the leaves of the cocoa tree before changing to an adult.
Damage caused by Cocoa Pod Borer
Cocoa Pod Borer attack has caused 80% -90% losses in smallholder cocoa produc-
tion in other countries, therefore it is important it doesn’t spread to Solomon Is-
lands.
When the Cocoa Pod Borer grub bores into a pod it feds on the beans inside and
stops the development of the beans. Beans become discoloured and stick to the
wall of the pod.
Uneven Discoloured
ripening Beans stick
together
Cocoa Pod Borer

Damage
Not much mucillage

Affected pods ripen early and unevenly,and have brown discoloured beans inside
which causes a dramatic reduction in cocoa production.
Control
Cultural control measures are:
• Prune cocoa trees to a manageable size to improve maintenance and ac-

cess to pods for harvesting..
• Harvest regularly every pod, every tree, every week.
• Bury any pods affected by pod borer
• Improve the ventilation by following IPDM management practices
Chemical Control
It is difficult to control Cocoa Pod Borer by chemicals because the grub lives for two
weeks inside the pod and is hard to reach by spraying.
Quarantine
To protect agriculture and farmer’s livelihoods in Solomon’s, do not carry cocoa

pods from Bougainville or other infected areas into Solomon’s, and tell friends and
relatives about the serious risk to farmers from Cocoa Pod Borer.
Cocoa Pod Borer can also be carried on fruit, so do not carry any fruit from infected
areas.
If you see cocoa pods with brown discolored beans inside, and signs of damage
described, immediately inform Quarantine Officer or your local MAL Extension Of-
ficer.
Ask your MAL extension officer for more information about Cocoa Pod Borer.

Diseases of Cocoa
Cocoa Diseases
Black pod
Description
Black Pod is caused by a fungal disease called

Phytophthora Palmivora. Like other fungal
diseases Black Pod spreads rapidly in moist,
wet weather and dark, shady conditions.
The spores (small seeds) can be seen as fine
white powdery substance on the pods that
have turned black, easily seen on newly in-
fected pods.
Black Pod disease is also spread by black ants,
termites and other insects carrying soil up the
trunk of the trees and depositing spores on
uninfected pods.
Heavy rain drop splash can also transfer black
pod from exposed soil onto healthy pods.
When it rains or is windy these spores are
washed or blown on to other healthy pods,
which go black and cause the beans inside to
rot.
Black pod spread on a

Damage cocoa pod
Infected pods start out with a brown spot on the skin which
spreads to cover the entire pod.
Black Pod can be very damaging, affecting most of the

pods on a cocoa tree and causing big losses to cocoa pro-
duction.
Ant carries infected soil to pod

Control
• Reduce shade levels and prune cocoa trees so more sunlight reaches the
branches.
• Remove all black pods, place them on the ground between the cocoa rows
and cover them with prunings and leaf litter.
• Control canker and chupon wilt (disease of chupons)
• Harvest regularly so pods don’t get over ripe.
• Leave leaf litter on the ground to prevent raindrop splash spreading the
disease.
• Remove ant tunnels from the trunks and branches of cocoa trees.
• Control black pod, especially in young productive cocoa farms so it does
not take a hold.
• Plant cocoa variet-
ies such as Amelo-
nado, that are less
susceptible to black
pod.
Chemical Control
Regular spraying of pods

and cherelles is neces-
sary in high yielding cocoa
farms, using the following
mix:
• 30 grams Ridomil (3
match boxes)
• 10 litre of water
• 5 ml washing up
liquid
• Use Copper Sandoz
in the dry season
so the disease does
not become toler-
ant to Ridomil.

Canker
Description
The same fungal disease that causes black pod also causes canker, a disease of the
trunk and main branches of cocoa trees, which eventually causes the leaves of the
tree to turn yellow and kills the tree slowly.
Canker on tree trunk Cocoa tree slowly dies
Damage
Canker disease usually enters the trunk and branches through chupon wilt, and
black pods that are left on the tree. Pantorhytes and longicorn bore holes in the
bark also can act as entry points.
Control
Canker is hard to control when well established.. It is better to rehabilitate a badly
infected tree by cutting it down below the canker and letting new chupons come
up from the stump. Otherwise remove the tree and replant a new seedling in its
place

To avoid canker infection: Points where canker
disease can start
• Control black pod, Pantorhytes, Lon-
gicorn and chupon wilt.
• Reduce shade and prune cocoa to al-

low more sunlight in.
• With a new canker, scrape the bark

and expose the discoloured site..
The sun may dry it out and halt the
spread. Through
black pod
stem Blight
Chemical Control infected
chupon
Scrape the bark and paint a fungicide mix-
ture on the canker:
30 grams of Copper Nordox (three match

boxes) in a family sized tin fish of water.
Insect
bore
hole
Paint on
Copper Nordox
solution
Scrape canker

Root Rot
Description
Root rot is caused by a fungal disease entering the roots of the tree and causing the
roots to rot. It is common in wet, poorly drained soil.
Damage
Root rot causes all the leaves of a mature cocoa tree to suddenly turn yellow and
then brown, and then the tree rapidly dies.
Root rot can spread through to the roots of nearby healthy cocoa trees if not con-
trolled.
Root rot spread to healthy

tree by roots touching

Control
Cocoa trees dying of root

rot need to be chopped
down and all the roots dug
out and burnt to prevent
the disease spreading.
Replacement seedlings
should not be planted too
close to the site of an old
diseased tree. Leave a gap
of at least 1.5 metres.
Don’t plant cocoa in wet,

poorly drained areas.
Dig out stumps and roots to stop root
Thread blight rot spreading. Plant new seedling 1.5 m
away from old site
Description
Thread Blight is a fungal disease which causes small brown/ black threads, or
white threads like cotton, to grow on cocoa leaves and branches.
Damage
Thread Blight causes leaves and branches to die. The dead leaves are joined to-
gether by the threads.
Damage can be severe in over shaded, unpruned cocoa trees. If many healthy
leaves and branches are affected it retards tree growth and reduces production.
threads
Thread Blight damage causes dead leaves

Pink disease
Description
Pink Disease starts as a white powder growing on the branches or trunks of cocoa
trees. As the disease spreads, the old powder turns a salmon pink colour.
Damage
Pink Disease can damage young trees and spread to neighboring trees by spores
blown by wind and rain.
Cocoa trunks and branches develop a rough texture and die, A patch of several
dead trees on the farm can result.
Pink disease
STage 1 STage 2 STage 3

While fungus Pink-white pustules Pink-orange or
(spider’s web) pink-white crust
Control
• Reduce shade and prune cocoa trees to allow more sunlight through the
canopy.
• Remove surrounding bush that may harbour the disease.
• Remove branches 50 cm below the infection site.
• Burn all removed branches.

Vascular Streak Dieback ( VSD)
Description
VSD is a fungal disease which spreads by spores on young branches being blown
from tree to tree in wet windy conditions.
Visible signs of VSD are rough bark on young branches, a yellow spotted leaf, white
powder on young branches and a brown streak inside the stem when split open.
You will see the third or fourth leaf turn yellow with green spots and the branch will
have raised bumps on the skin. The new small branches will die off.
Damage
Many young trees die off in a large patch on a newly established farm.
VSD is not currently in Solomon Islands, but was very common in East New Britain,
PNG, until the introduction of resistant cocoa varieties.
If VSD gets into Solomon Islands it will be devastating because Amelonado cocoa
is not resistant to the disease.
Brown marks
seen after leaf
removed
Yellow leaf with

green spots
VSD in young tree Brown streak inside stem

Control
Quarantine
Cocoa trees which are dying, with green spots on yellow coloured leaves may have
VSD. To confirm the tree has the disease, see if the inside of a split branch is stained
with brown streaks.
Immediately report such a tree to your Quarantine or MAL Extension Officer.

Meaning of Words Used
Acidic Soils which have a PH of less than 7.0. Such soils do not contain
any lime, and are usually found inland, especially on mountains.
Anoplolepis See crazy ant.
Amblypelta An insect which eats and marks cocoa pods with spot, damaging
pods.
Amelonado Type of cocoa grown in Solomon Islands. Good variety for farmers
to manage.
Bean The seed from which cocoa is made.
Biological control The control of a pest, disease or weed without using chemicals, by
breeding a parasite or predator which attacks the pest, disease or
weed.
Bifithrin A chemical used for control of root chafers.
Blight A fungal disease same as black pod sickness which kills young
nursery seedlings.
Budding/ Budgrafting A way of grafting when a bud is taken from one plant and joined
onto another to get a good plant like the mother tree.
Budgrafting juvenile A type of grafting where very young rot stock (seedlings only a
few weeks old) are used to budgraft on to.
Bud wood A young branch cut off mother tree to provide buds for
budgrafting. Leaves removed called budstick.
Canker A disease, same as black pod found on trunks and branches
Canopy The top part of a tree, consisting of the branches and leaves.
Caterpillar Also called larva. The young growth stage of a butterfly or moth.
Chemical A poisonous substance used to control pests and diseases
Cherelle The immature pod of a cocoa tree.
Chupon A vertical shoot which grows from a cocoa trunk or branch, also
known as stilman or water shoot.
Chupon wilt A disease like seedling blight which kills chupon leaves and
branches.

C.L.I.P. Cocoa Livelihoods Improvement Project. The Australian
Government Aid Program project supporting the cocoa industry
in Solomon Islands.
Clump A term used when wet beans stick together during
fermentation.
Compression/compress Making the soil hard by walking on it, or (of soil) by the action of
rain drops on a bare soil surface, or by machinery such as tractors.
Contaminate Having some undesirable substance on or in a sample or food, e.g.
cocoa beans are easily contaminated by smoke.
Copper Sandos A chemical for controlling black pod and canker
Cotyledons The sections found inside a cocoa seed
Cover crop A creeping plant used to cover the soil surface to smother weeds,
prevent erosion, regulate soil temperature and provide nitrogen.
Crazy Ant (Anoplolepis). A small brown ant (1cm long) which nests on
the ground in leaf litter and climbs cocoa trees providing
biological control from Pantorhytes, and pod suckers. It runs fast
everywhere.
Criss Crossing Branches which cross each other and need pruning.
Crows feet Many small branches at the end of interlocking branches (needing
pruning to only one.)
Crop Calendar A term used to plan the give best time of year to do different tasks
on the cocoa farm
Cushion See flower cushion
Decis Type of chemical used for insect control.
Deficiency A shortage of a nutrient which is essential for healthy growth.
Dimethoate Chemical used in Pansepta control
Direct Planting Cocoa seed planted direct into the ground without using a
nursery.
Droopy branches Cocoa branches hanging below jorquette, need pruning.
E.C. Emulsifiable Compound (concentration or strength of chemical,
diluted with water)

Fan branch A main branch of a cocoa tree, which grows laterally, pods
produced mainly on fan branches
Feeder roots Fine roots in the topsoil which absorb the nutrients needed for
plant growth.
Fermentation The process whereby mucilage is broken down by bacteria (micro
organisms ) which feed upon the sugars.
Fertilizer . A type of substance with nutrients to enrich the soil

Flower cushion A place on the trunk or branch of a cocoa tree at which there is a
cluster of flower buds which can develop into flowers at any time
during the life of the tree.
Flue pipe A cocoa dryer chimney.
Flush (of leaves) A period of rapid growth and production of new leaves.
Flush (of pods) Peak production period.
Frass The waste products of woodboring insects
Fungicides Chemicals used to prevent or cure diseases.
Furrow A groove on the outside of a cocoa pod.
Germination The time when the first root or shoot emerges from a seed.
Giant cocoa termite Type of termite or white ant, which damages cocoa trees.
Gliricidia A type of leguminous tree used for cocoa shade.
Grey weevil An insect which damages young cocoa trees branches and leaves.
Hardening off Exposing cocoa seedlings to more sunlight to strengthen them
before planting out.
Height pruning Pruning cocoa trees down to a manageable size.
Herbicides Chemicals used to kill weeds.
Husk The outer layer of a cocoa pod.
Insecticide A chemical used to control insects.
Infilling Planting cocoa seedlings to replace seedlings that have died.
Interlocking Branches from neighbouring trees that are needing tip pruning.

Interplanting Growing two or more types of plant on the same piece of land
I.P.D.M. Integrated Pest and Disease Management. A system of managing
cocoa which uses best practices.
Jorquette The point at which fan branches develop from the terminal bud of
a cocoa tree. The tree ramifies and forms a jorquette.
Karate A chemical used for insect control in cocoa.
Larva The immature stage of an insect, usually a maggot or caterpillar.
Legumes Plants which increase nitrogen to the soil. They contain bacteria in
their roots which add nitrogen.
Light penetration The amount of sunlight that reaches cocoa tree leaves needed for
good pod production.
Litter Dead and decomposing leaves and twigs on the surface of the soil
in a cocoa farm.
Longicorn Insect whose grub bores under the bark of cocoa tree.
M.A.L. Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock.
Malathion Chemical used for controlling leaf eating insects.
Mealy Bug Insect that attacks cocoa seedling growing tips, leaves and
branches
Metalaxyl Chemical used in controlling fungal disease. (same as Ridomil)
Micro-organisms Extremely small living things, such as bacteria, fungi and yeasts.
In the soil, many different kinds of microorganisms work together
to break down dead leaves and stems, to produce organic matter
and essential nutrients.
Mucilage A slippery substance rich in sugars, which surround the beans in a
cocoa pod. Also called pulp.
Mulching Covering the soil with dead leaves or husks.
Nitrogen One of the 17 nutrients necessary for plant growth. Nitrogen is
needed in relatively small amounts by cocoa.
NPK Fertilizer which contains three nutrients, Nitrogen (N)
Phosphorous (P) and Potassium (K) Used to improve growth and
production.

Nutrients Chemicals which are needed by plants and animals for healthy
growth.
Ochetmyrmax Small fire ant living on cocoa trees which causes skin irritation to
people working with cocoa
Oecophylla Green tree ant, sometimes called Yellow Giant tree ant, “Ekofla”
Organic matter Decayed parts of plants or animals.
Orthene Chemical used to control leaf eating insects.
Pansepta Insect whose grubs bore into smaller cocoa branches.
Pantorhytes Weevil whose grubs bore into cocoa trees
Peduncle Part of a cocoa pod, arising near stem.
pH Measure the acidity or alkalinity of the soil. A reading of 7 is
neutral. Below 7 is acid, above 7 is alkaline.
Phosphorus One of the 17 elements which are needed for plant growth.
Phosphorus is important for healthy roots. Cocoa responds well to
fertilizers containing phosphorus.
Pigeon pea Temporary shade for cocoa, A legume that provides nitrogen,
improves the soil, and produces food for humans and livestock.
Placenta The central core of a cocoa pod, to which the seeds are attached.
Pod The fruit of a cocoa tree.
Pod feeder / sucker Insect which feeds on the cocoa pod.
Polythene planting bag A black plastic bag used for growing cocoa seeds in a nursery.
Potassium One of the 17 nutrients necessary for plant growth. Potassium is
needed in moderate amounts by cocoa for pod growth.
Processing Fermenting and drying cocoa beans
Pruning Removal of branches of a tree to regulate pod production, make
harvesting easier, and reduce the incidence of pests and diseases.
Pulp See mucilage.
Pupation The life cycle stage that comes before the adult stage in insects.
Pustules Raised bark found in Pinks disease

Quarantine Control measures taken to stop the importation of damaging
pests and diseases from other countries.
Radical pruning Height pruning of a big cocoa tree to bring to down to a
manageable size.
Rammification, ramify Terminal bud or growing tip splitting into 4-6 Fan branches,
forming a jorquette.
Rehabilitation Management of an old cocoa farm to bring it back into
production.
Rhyparid Beetle which eats cocoa leaves.
Ridomil Chemical used to control fungal diseases including black pod.
(See Metalaxl)
Ring weeding Removing all weeds within a limited radius of the trunk of a tree.
Rogor 30 Chemical used for Pansepta control.
Sap Blood of a tree
Secondary branches Branches which grow from the main fan branches.
Seedling blight A fungal disease affecting young cocoa trees.
Shell The outside skin layer of a cocoa bean.
Slashing Cutting down high grass on a cocoa farm.
Soil erosion The removal of soil by rain splash or water flow. It is especially
serious on bare soil and steep slopes in areas where there is heavy
rainfall.
Spindly Seedling growing too tall and thin due to a shortage of light.
Spores The seed of fungus diseases.. Spores are so small that they cannot
be seen without a microscope, and they are easily carried about
by wind.
Stem feeder Insect which feeds on cocoa tree stems.
Stone cell layer The hard layer of the pod inside the husk.
Storey A layer of the cocoa canopy
Stunted Very poor limited growth.

Subsoil The lower layers of soil, with usually little organic matter, and less
fertile than the topsoil.
Surfactant A chemical like washing-up soap which helps other chemicals to
stick to cocoa leaves.
Taint A bad flavour in the cocoa. A type of contamination.
Tap root The main downward growing root of a plant.
Terminal bud The top end of a seedling or branch which is the growing tip.
Topography Shape of the land.
Topsoil The uppermost layer of soil, usually rich in organic matter.
Turning Moving the wet and dry cocoa so middle goes to edges and top
to bottom to get even fermenting and dryness.
Trace elements Nutrients which are essential to plants, but required in very small
amounts.
VSD Vascular Streak Dieback. A bad fungal disease found in East New
Britain, PNG.
Waterlogging Too much water in and on the top of the soil which stops air from
reaching the roots, thereby preventing them from obtaining
nutrients.
Water shoot See chupon
White oil A chemical mixed with Malathion to help it stick to cocoa leaves.
Windbreak A barrier against the wind to protect a crop. A windbreak can
consist of a fence or trees.
Yield Amount of cocoa produced from a tree, or an area, e.g. tonnes per
hectare.

Keeping Records
Below is a handy table to help you to keep records of your cocoa sales.
Sales Record
Date Kg Wet bean sold Kg dry bean sold Price received Name of Buyer
Total

HANDY CONVERSION TABLES
Wet Bean to Dry Bean 100 kg wet bean at about 40 % 1 cubic metre wet bean
recovery = 40 kg dry bean = 1 tonne,= 1000 kg wet
bean
1000 cubic cm =
1kg wet bean
1 bag dry cocoa 62.5 kg dry cocoa per bag, 178-138 kg wet bean
16 bags per tonne + 1 kg sack=63.5kg = 1 bag dry bean
Length Imperial to metric Area

1 centimetre (cm)=0.394 1 inch = 2.54 cm 1 hectare = 2.47 acres
inches
12 inches = 1 foot =30.5 cm 1 hectare = 10000 square
1 cm= 10 millimetre metres
1 yard = 3 ft = 91.4 cm
100 cm = 1 metre 1 sq metre = 10,000 sq cm
1 mile = 1.6 kilometre
1000 metre = 1 kilometre
1 kilometre =0 .62 miles
Volume
1 litre = .22 gallons 1 gallon = 4.55 litres
1 litre = 1000 millilitres 1 fluid ounce =28.35 ml
Temperature
Centigrade to Farenheit Farenheit to Centigrade
9/5 Centigrade plus 32 5/9 Farenheit minus 32
Weight
1 kilogram = 2.2 pounds 1 pound = 0.454 kg
1 tonne = 1000 kg 1 pound = 16 ounces (oz)
1 kg = 1000 gram 1 ton=1016 kg

Record of Plantings
Farm 1
Number of cocoa trees planted__________ Year planted ______________
Farm 2
Farm 3


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SOLOMON ISLANDS

2 SOLOMON ISLANDS COCOA BOOK

PLANTING SEEDS .........................................................................23

Planting out seedlings.............................................................28

MAINTENANCE OF YOUNG COCOA.....................................................32

COCOA REHABILITATION ................................................................52

Harvesting and processing.......................................................58

Pest and Disease control..........................................................77

Common Cocoa Insects...............................................................81

Diseases of Cocoa .......................................................................100

Meaning of Words Used..............................................................109

Keeping Records ........................................................................116

SOLOMON ISLANDS COCOA BOOK 3

4 SOLOMON ISLANDS COCOA BOOK

Sunshine 4.5 to 6.5 hours of direct sunlight per day

SOLOMON ISLANDS COCOA BOOK 5

• at least one metre deep, free of big stones

• well drained – no excess water

• high organic content black forest soils best

• PH level (acidity /alkalinity) of 6.5 to 7.5

Unsuitable soils for cocoa are:

6 SOLOMON ISLANDS COCOA BOOK

• Secondary regrowth bush is preferable to primary forest sites.

• The slope of the area should not be more than 30 degrees.

Clearing land for cocoa

SOLOMON ISLANDS COCOA BOOK 7

Marking out with a string line marked at 3.5 metre intervals

8 SOLOMON ISLANDS COCOA BOOK

10 SOLOMON ISLANDS COCOA BOOK

Thinning out coconuts to allow more sunlight for cocoa

SOLOMON ISLANDS COCOA BOOK 11

12 SOLOMON ISLANDS COCOA BOOK

Lining and marking out at 3.5 metres using gliricidia sticks

Betel nut provides a good second income source.

SOLOMON ISLANDS COCOA BOOK 13

14 SOLOMON ISLANDS COCOA BOOK

Legumes such as peanuts which provide a second income, or other legumes

Bananas used for

SOLOMON ISLANDS COCOA BOOK 15

Planting pigeon pea as temporary shade

16 SOLOMON ISLANDS COCOA BOOK

If a nursery is not managed properly

When direct planting seeds, loosen

Seedlings in planting bags will normally stay in the

1o mm The planting bag should be filled up

Avoid using soil from old cocoa farm

The planting bag should be filled

The bags should be lined up in rows

18 SOLOMON ISLANDS COCOA BOOK

Young cocoa seedlings need about 50 % shade cover to grow well.

A bush timber frame should be constructed capable of supporting 50% shade

SOLOMON ISLANDS COCOA BOOK 19

20 SOLOMON ISLANDS COCOA BOOK

To prevent seedling blight, soak 1000 cocoa seeds in a Ridomil (Metalaxyl)

Soak seeds in a bucket with

Seedling blight affecting seedlings

SOLOMON ISLANDS COCOA BOOK 21

Planting seeds in polybags 2.5 cm