DESCRIPTION OF INCOMPLETE POD FILLING IN THEOBROMA-CACAO L IN THE COTE-DIVOIRE

The author of this article describes an abnormality frequently encount ered in cocoa cultivation, incomplete pod filling. Hybrid progenies an d various clones were studied under conditions at Divo (Cote-d'Ivoire) for their << apparent fertility >> (ratio of the mean number of norma l beans per pod to the mean number of ovules per ovary) and distributi on of the number of beans per pod. Incomplete pod filling seemed to be found particulary in Upper Amazon Forastero clones and their hybrid p rogenies. Unlike Trinitario and Amelonado varieties, this material is prone to strong seasonal and plot variations. The apparent fertility w as negatively correlated to the flat bean rate and, in the sample of c lones studied, the number of beans was not correlated to the number of ovules. The variations in the number of ovules per ovary, which were small, cannot explain the substantial variations in the number of bean s per pod.