Yam and Cocoa Farming Guide PDF

# Yam ## Storage Yam tubers are tied up and stored in barns and to be inspected at least once in a week to remove sprout and rotten tubers. ## Pest of Yam - Yam tuber beetle - Yam shat beetle - Rodents ## Diseases of Yam - Yam mosaic disease - Yam rot - Yam leaf spot ## Varieties & Cultivars of...

# Yam ## Storage Yam tubers are tied up and stored in barns and to be inspected at least once in a week to remove sprout and rotten tubers. ## Pest of Yam - Yam tuber beetle - Yam shat beetle - Rodents ## Diseases of Yam - Yam mosaic disease - Yam rot - Yam leaf spot ## Varieties & Cultivars of Yam - White yam - Yellow yam - Water yam - Chinese yam - Ferial yam ## Cultural Practices of Yam - Mulching - Weeding - Staking - Training of vines - Fertilizer application of 200ng/ha of NPK three months after planting by ring method ## Reasons for Stake Staking Yam - It ensures adequate exposure of leaf surface to sunlight for photosynthesis (main reason) - To increase the yield of yam - To prevent leap rat - To keep the vines from soil micro-organisms ## Other crop plants that are staked are tomato, pumpkin. ## Maturity Lifespan 8-12 months after planting, hence it is an annual crop. ## Harvesting Dig the soil gently with cutlass to remove the tuber from the soil. ## Processing Yam tubers are processed into yam flour or consumed locally. # Cocoa ## Cocoa (Theobroma Cacao) Cocoa is a beverage crop that belongs to the family sterculiaceae. The fruit is called cocoa pod while the plant is known as cocoa. ## Land Preparation Land is cleared manually or mechanically. ## Climatic Requirement - Temperature of 17°C - Rainfall of 11 cm- 200 cm per annum. ## Soil Requirement Well drained deep sandy-loamy soil. ## Varieties or Cultivars of Cocoa - Pamelonado - Amazon - Criollo - Trinitario - Hybrid ## Processing of Cocoa - Breaking of pods - Fermentation of cocoa beans - Drying of fermented cocoa bean seeds: The commonly used methods in fermenting cocoa beans are: - Heap fermentation - Sweat box method - Tray fermentation ## Sweat box method of fermenting cocoa Load the fresh beans in a great box made up of wood of 9m long and 1m wide with a depth of 1m and cover with plantan or banana leaves for about six days. This helps to induce heat to change the beans to read brown color and gives a proper taste and chocolate flavour. ## Drying of fermented cocoa beans On the 7th day, the fermented cocoa beans are dried under the sun for 6 to 10 days. ## Reasons for fermenting cocoa - To facilitate the testa removal in the factory - To improve the aroma and produce chocolate flavour - To kill the embryo and discourage germination - To get proper taste and colour of cocoa. ## Storage Properly dried beans, stored in sacks or jute bags ready for sale or export. ## Pests of Cocoa - Mealy bug - Termites ## Diseases of Cocoa - Black pod disease - Swollen sprout disease ## Method of Propagation - Mainly by seeds - Vegetatively by budding and stem cutting ## Planting dates - In nursery: October - January in polythene bags filled with loamy soil containing organic manure. - In field: Transplanted April-June re 4-6months after planting in the nursery. ## Germination 7 to 10 days ## Spacing - In nursery: 20cm x 20cm - In field: 3m x 3m ## Cultural Practices of Cocoa - Weeding - Shading - Fertilizer application - Mulching: Is the removal of dead branches or unwanted growth of laver branches. - Pruning: Is the removal of dead branches or unwanted growth of layer branches. ## Reasons or advantages of pruning cocoa - To encourage better canopy formation - For more light penetration - For regular shape of the tree - For improved air circulation ## Maturity period/life span 3-5 years. Hence it is a perennial crop. ## Harvesting Harvest with a sharp knife or cutlass or sickle when pods change from green to yellow colour.