Efecto de diferentes hormonas enraizantes y tipos de plásticos para cobertura en la propagación vegetativa de cacao CCN-51.

Abstract

Vegetative propagation of cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) enables the production of plants with desirable characteristics; however, cutting establishment, rooting, and subsequent development may be affected by the type of rooting hormone and environmental conditions during propagation. Therefore, this study aimed to (a) determine the influence of rooting hormones on root formation and the development of CCN-51 cacao cuttings, (b) identify the effect of cover colors on rooting and plant development, and (c) establish the most effective combination of rooting hormone and cover, together with its benefit–cost ratio. The study was conducted in the San José sector of La Troncal using a completely randomized design with a 3 × 3 factorial arrangement plus a control treatment and three replications. Hormodin 2, Hormodin 3, and Hormonagro were combined with light-blue, white, and transparent covers. The number of successfully established cuttings, shoot height, number of shoots, and root length were evaluated using analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by Tukey’s test at the 5% significance level, using Statistix 10. Hormodin 2 resulted in greater cutting establishment and root length, whereas Hormodin 2 and Hormodin 3 resulted in greater shoot height. The transparent cover resulted in greater cutting establishment, while the light-blue cover promoted shoot height and root length. No statistically significant differences were observed in the number of shoots. Treatment T3 (Hormodin 2 + transparent cover) resulted in the highest number of successfully established cuttings and the highest production. Economically, T3 yielded the highest net benefit (US$498.00/ha) and benefit–cost ratio (5.44). It is concluded that this combination promoted cutting establishment and profitability under the study conditions.