ceratopogonid midges are now believed to be the main pollinating insects.
To maximise returns, it is essential to have a knowledge of the different types,
varieties and cultivars of cacao available so that you can decide which
type/variety grows best in a particular environment.
We will now look at the
different types of cacao.
6.2.3
Types and varieties
Cheesman (1944) divided the cultivated and wild cacaos into three main groups
based on Venezuelan trade names.
Criollo
Amazonian Forastero
Trinitario
These are described below.
Criollo:
Pods of this type are yellow or red in colour when ripe with 10 deep
furrows.
They are markedly warty, conspicuously pointed and thin and will
compress (crack) under pressure.
Seeds are large, plump and almost round in
section.
Criollo beans ferment quickly when processed but yields are low.
However, the
beans produce the highest quality cocoa, and as only small quantities are
available in the world market they therefore fetch premium prices. Criollo cacao
is subdivided into two varieties or cultivars.
1.
Central American Criollo:
This variety can be identified by the fact that
the unripe pod wall is predominantly green in colour, turning yellow when
ripe.
2.
Venezuelan Criollo:
The unripe pod wall is usually red in colour, but
exhibits a greater variation in colour, size and shape of pod because they
occur nearer the centre of origin.
3.
Amazonian Forastero:
This is the most common type of cacao grown or
produced by growers.
It can be recognised by the fact that pods are not as
Unit 6: Production of Plantation Crops
6.34
deeply grooved as the criollos, and in some cases the pods may even be
smooth.
Ripe pods are green or yellow in colour and the wall of the pod is very thick and
woody.
These pods are also shorter and more rounded.
There are also two groups of Forestero cacaos.
1.
Amelonado:
Amelonado cacao possess yellow pods, with flat seeds and
deep purple seed leaves inside the seed.
The quality of the cocoa
produced is lower than other
types. It makes up,
however, the bulk of the
world’s cocoa, since the quality its highly uniform.
2.
Fine Forastero:
This cacao possesses plumber (rounded) seeds with paler
cotyledons
or seed leaves inside the seed.
Of the two, Amelonado is
the best or better variety to grow because it is hardy, more vigorous, and
yields well.
3.
Trinitario:
Trinitario cacao is probably a result of cross breeding between
Criollo and Forastero cacaos.
It is very heterogeneous with pods having
characteristics of both Criollo and Forastero types.
Since it is
heterogeneous (variable), it may be useful in breeding programmes aimed
at improving productivity and other yield related characteristics.
Even though the above cacao types or varieties have different characteristics, they
generally have similar requirements for optimum growth in terms of climate and
soils.
Many countries in the South Pacific have planted cacao on the wrong sites
with consequent poor production.
