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Cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) is one of the important plantation commodities in Indonesia. However, one of the factors that can affect productivity is weeds because weeds compete with cocoa in getting water, sunlight, nutrients, air, and space to grow. One of the largest cocoa plantation areas in East Java is the Banyuwangi district. Information about the types of cocoa weeds in Banyuwangi is unknown even though weeds in one area are different from another. Weed can reduce the production of cocoa. So, This study is important for determining appropriate control methods. This study aimed to determine the type, diversity, and abundance of weeds. The research method used in this study was a survey with a square-plot size. All weed samples were identified. The results showed that there were twelve types of broadleaf weeds, three types of grass weeds, one type of sedge, and one type of fern. The highest importance value index (IVI) was found in Ottochloa nodosa at 40.91%. The diversity of weeds was in a medium category. Weed diversity in cocoa plantations in Banyuwangi was different from other areas in Indonesia. The results of this research contribute to providing information on the diversity of weeds that can be used in determining weed control strategies in cocoa plantations.

Theobroma cacao L. has been propagated through either generative or vegetative techniques. One of the vegetative methods of propagating cocoa is somatic embryogenesis. Somatic embryogenesis has been employed by the Indonesian Coffee and Cocoa Research Institute for producing cocoa seedlings. Plant breeding activities are hampered by the significant level of plant heterogeneity among their progeny. Mislabelling of genetic impurities can be an issue. Molecular markers can be used to detect genetic variation at an early stage. The most common marker is the RAPD molecular marker. The study aims to determine the polymorphic RAPD primers in the analysis of genetic uniformity between mother plants and the seedlings derived from somatic embryogenesis (SE). The analyzed samples consisted of twelve individuals: six mother plants and six seedlings derived from SE. The results revealed that the percentage of polymorphic bands was 100% with band sizes ranging from 295-2785 bp for primer GY169 while for primer GY107 percentage of polymorphic bands was 80% with band sizes ranging from 345-1678 bp. Primer GY169 and primer GY107 can be amplified and used for cocoa similarity and heterogeneity.

Reducing levels of heavy metals such as cadmium (Cd) in cacao beans has become an important priority for cacao production in Indonesia. Current mitigation strategies revolve around breeding and the use of soil ameliorants, and in the future, the soil microbiome may also have the potential to reduce Cd bioavailability and uptake by cacao trees. However, there remains a need for locally specific recommendations for low-Cd-accumulating cacao cultivars and knowledge of native beneficial bacteria and fungi. In a greenhouse study using field soil supplemented with Cd, five cacao clones (MCC02, M01, S1, S2, and ICCRI 9) were grafted in a fully factorial design to the same hybrid half sibling rootstocks, plant uptake was measured before and after the addition of cadmium nitrate, and rhizosphere microbial communities were characterized. Rootstock, scion, and graft combinations all significantly affected plant Cd levels, but the ranking of clones differed between low and high Cd soils. Twenty-six bacterial taxa and one fungal taxon were associated with Cd uptake. These results highlight the continued importance of breeding as a cadmium mitigation strategy and support the potential for the soil microbiome to contribute to reducing cadmium uptake in cacao.

Fat and polyphenols are functional compounds in cocoa beans that determine product quality and are highly influenced by environmental factors. Information regarding the stability of the character of the polyphenol and fat content of the cocoa plant is still limited, therefore it needs further study. This study aimed to determine the stability of fat and polyphenol content in several cocoa clones at three different growing locations. The study used a nested design with a randomized block design with field design consisting of five cocoa clones, three different growing locations and each combnation treatment was repeated three times. The cocoa clones used were ICCRI 09, MCC 02, Sulawesi 1, KW 516, and KW 562, planted in three different growing locations namely, Kaliwining Experimental Station, Jember, East Java; Sekampung Udik, East Lampung, Lampung; and Harapan Jaya, Pesawaran, Lampung. The combined analysis of variance indicated that there was a genetic interaction with the environment for the character of fat and polyphenol content. Based on the stability analysis, it is known that all cocoa clones fall into the stable category according to the concept of static stability. Furthermore, based on addtive main effect and multiplicative interaction (AMMI) analysis, the clones that can be recommended for Jember, East Lampung and Pesawaran locations for the character of fat content are clone KW 516, while for the characters of high and stable polyphenol levels at the three locations are clones MCC 02, KW 516, and KW 562. In addition, the most recommended clone based on fat content at Jember was the MCC 02 clone, KW 562 at East Lampung, and KW 516 clone at Pesawaran. The existence of the phenomenon of genetic interaction and the growing environment for the characters of fat and polyphenols in cocoa plants provides important information, especially in considering the development of cocoa for specific purposes, namely parameters of fat and polyphenols.

A steel surface coating has been carried out using the immersion method in an inhibitor of cacao peel extract (Theobroma cacao) for 24, 72, 120, and 168 hours. The corrosion was treated using HCl with variations of immersion for 48, 96, and 144 hours given after the inhibitor coating process. The corrosion testing using the weight loss method gave the best results with the lowest corrosion rate of 0.2972 mg.cm2/hour and inhibition efficiency of 74.7128% for steel samples with the longest and the shortest variations of immersion time in inhibitor in HCl. The results of optical microscopy and SEM tests indicated that when the immersion time in the inhibitor is getting longer, the surface morphology of the steel is getting better with fewer holes and cracks. The XRD results also indicated that there were four sharp peaks which meant that the samples with the lowest corrosion rate produced crystalline Fe and C phases due to the reaction between the steel surface and the inhibitor. The quantum chemical analysis using the DFT (Density Functional Theory) method also produced a fairly high inhibition efficiency and was close to the experimental result of 80.2098%.

Organization of plant aerial parts and root distribution, environmental conditions such as light, temperature, humidity and agronomic practices (grafting and pruning) influences the final architecture of the plant. Most of cocoa plantations in Colombia belong to the plagiotropic type that emit branches and suckers in a disorderly way, which leads to an unbalanced development, this makes it difficult to manage. To search for cocoa plants with better architecture, we evaluated the effect of the type of the bud (orthotropic and plagiotropic), the grafting techniques (approximation and patch grafting) and pruning (structural and conventional) on ICS 95 and CCN 51 clones. The monitoring was carried out at an open greenhouse and field. Plants obtained from orthotropic buds and approximation grafting had lower bifurcation angles, 42% more leaves and 50% more branches. The structural pruning had a positive influence on the architectural variables, which presented a higher conversion (8.68%) of fresh weight of cocoa pod into dry weight of cocoa beans, meanwhile CCN 51 trees showed a higher conversion (9.76%) compared to ICS 95 (7.34%). CCN 51 had the highest bean index (1.30) and the lowest pod index (22.0). This study demonstrated that structural pruning improved bean index and pod index. We concluded that for CCN 51 by approximation grafting technique is a good alternative for a tropical dry forest, as its production between 1995 and 2277 kg of dry cocoa beans ha-1 year-1.

Chocolate poisoning has long been recognized as a common cause mostly in dogs, although many species are susceptible. Contributing factors include indiscriminate eating habits and readily available sources of chocolate. In general, the poisoning resulted from a lack of public knowledge of the health hazard to dogs that may be imposed by these products.Chocolate is derived from the seeds of the plant Theobroma cacao, and the main toxic components are the methylxanthine alkaloids theobromine and caffeine, causing gastrointestinal, cardiovascular and central nervous signs. Diagnosis is based on history of exposure, along with clinical signs. Amphetamine or cocaine toxicosis, and ingestion of antihistamines, antidepressants, or other CNS stimulants should be considered in the differential diagnosis. Stabilization of symptomatic animals is a priority in treating chocolate toxicosis. Although there is no specific antidote, supportive management includes induction of vomiting and administration of activated charcoal, oxygen, and intravenous fluids. Preventing exposure is the key to reducing the incidence of these poisoning episodes. Therefore, it is important to increase the knowledge of dogs owners with regard to foodstuffs that must not be fed to dogs and should be stored outside their reach.

This study aims to obtain the best slurry dosage for the growth of cocoa seedlings. This reaserch was conducted in the experimental garden, chemical analyzed laboratory, and soil laboratory of Politeknik Negeri Lampung on November 2017 until March 2018. The method used was a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with 6 doses of slurry (0 ml, 80 ml, 160 ml, 240 ml, 320 ml, and 400 ml). Observation variables in the form of premilinary observations abd observations during the study. Preliminary observations analyzed the levels of N, P, K, pH, and C-Organic on topsoil and slurry. Obsevation during the study were plant height, stem diameter, number of leaves, dry weight of shoot dry weight, root dry weight, and moisture content. The results showed that slurry doses did not affect on the cocoa seedling growth.

Drought stress is a major constraint in cocoa production. The use of drought tolerant clone is the most efficient tool to overcome drought problem in cocoa production. North Carolina II (NCII) mating-design was used to identify parental and progeny performance in drought stress. The crossing consisted of three female parent clones namely KW 516, Sulawesi 3, and TSH 858, while male parent clones were ICCRI 09 and Scavina 6 then produced 6 combinations crosses. Genotypes used were 11 genotypes consisted of 5 parent clones and 6 cross genotypes. Drought treatment was applied to cocoa seedlings at 6 weeks after sowing with 25% and 100% available water content. The plants were maintained without water for five days to modulate the drought intensity. Variables observed were stem diameter, root length, root volume, shoot fresh weight, root fresh weight, shoot dry weight, root dry weight, and root/shoot ratio characters at 16 weeks after sowing. Based on the estimated general combining ability (GCA) value, TSH 858 was the best female parent, while Scavina 6 was the best male parent. Based on the estimated specific combining ability (SCA) value Sulawesi 3 x ICCRI 09 and TSH 858 x Scavina 6 were the best crosses. Based on the estimation of its genetic components, characters of drought tolerance stress were affected by additive genes. The dominant gene only affected the root fresh weight and root/shoot ratio. Based on SSI values, TSH 858 and Sulawesi 3 clones were drought-resistant clones, ICCRI 09 was moderate clone, and KW 516 and Scavina 6 were susceptible. Some of the findings were in contrast with earlier study.

This experiment aims to know the solar energy efficiency of four clones of cocoa that cultivated under three different shading plants. This experiment has been done from September until December 2013 located at Kaliwining Experiment Farm with characteristic 45 m above sea level, soil type is low humic gley, soil texture is silty clay loam, and climate classification type D based on Scmidht and Fergusson Classification. This experiment used Nested Design as Experimental Design with species of shading plant as main plot which are Teak (Tectona grandis L.), Krete (Cassia surattensis (Burm.) F.), Lamtoro (Leucaena leucocephala L.) and Cocoa clones as sub plot which are Sulawesi 1, Sulawesi 2, KKM 22, KW 165. The observation of solar energy efficiency consists of daily solar radiation intensity, solar radiation intensity above plant, solar radiation intensity under plant, and also plant total dry weight. The experimental result showed that there is differences (heterogenity) between shading location based on homogenity test by Bartlett Method. There are some interaction between the kind of shading plant and clones in parameter of interception efficiency, absorbtion efficiency, the efficiency of solar energy that caught by plant, and solar energy conversion efficiency. The efficiency of solar energy that caught by plant will affect the solar energy conversion efficiency with R2 = 0,86.

Many claim that commodity plantations release carbon stock and thus contribute to climate change effects. Yet, studies on cocoa carbon stock and nutrients are limited, especially in Malaysia therefore, objective of this study was to determine if there were any significant differences of carbon stock in five different tree parts of cocoa, namely branches, main stem, main roots, fibrous roots, and leaves. Twenty cocoa trees (aged 10 years old) at Kpg Muara Ahi, Serian Sarawak were destructively sampled in March, 2016, and cut into five tree compartments prior to analysis by using CHN and AAS Analyzer. Mean comparison was carried out by using one-way ANOVA SPSS 21.0 software. Total cocoa carbon stock was 27.32 M C ha -1 which branches contributing 47% from the total carbon (12.92 Mg C ha -1 ), followed by main stem (5.42 Mg C ha -1 ), taproot (4.05 Mg C ha -1 ), fibrous root (2.49 Mg C ha -1 ) and leaves (2.44 Mg C ha -1 ). Branches and main stems contained higher total carbon stock due to high total biomass (kg), how-ever, main root showed significantly (p

Study on resistance mechanism to vascular-streak dieback (VSD) disease in cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) is limited due to the lack of fungal spores for artificial inoculation. This research was conducted to study the production of secondary metabolites that appear to be evidence of defense signaling in resistant clone of Sca 6 and susceptible clone of TSH 858 to Ceratobasidium theobromae natural infection. A fungal staining method was employed to detect C. theobromae hyphae at early infection stages, before VSD symptoms appear. Metabolite profiling was analyzed using pyrolysis gas chromatography mass spectrometry (Py-GCMS) at pre-, early and late stages of C. theobromae infection. Histochemical and anatomical characteristics of both healthy and infected leaves were also observed to identify the accumulation sites of secondary metabolites on and in cocoa leaf tissues. The results confirmed that fungal staining using trypan blue can detect early stages of C. theobromae infection; at the 14th week (on susceptible seedlings) and the 18th week (on resistant clones), following placement of the seedlings under infected cacao plants. Phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, terpenoid biosynthesis, environmental information processing signal transduction pathways, and aromatic biodegradation were detected as important metabolite pathways during defense mechanism. I-limonene (terpenoid), p-ethylguaiacol (phenols) and 2.3 dihidrobenzofuran (heterocyclic compounds) were proposed as an active defense produced by the host after infected by pathogen mainly on late infection of C. theobromae. Terpenoid and phenol compounds were accumulated on the glandular trichomes, idioblast of upper and bottom epidermis, phloem vessel and cortex idioblast of cacao leaves. Epidermis thickness of resistant clone was significantly greater than that of susceptible clone on both surfaces. Leaf epidermis tissue and the accumulated compounds in epidermis idioblast may act as the physical and biochemical markers of cocoa resistance to VSD.

Vascular streak dieback (VSD) is one of the main diseases on cocoa. This disease can produce a heavy damage in susceptible plants. Agro-climatic condition influences the VSD disease severity level. A study on the relationship between agro-climatic condition and VSD disease severity was conducted in eight locations which were selected based on difference in agro-climatic conditions including altitude, rainfall, number of wet, and dry months. Randomized complete block design was used consisting of eight agro-climatic conditions as treatments which consisted of 200 trees samples, and scored for VSD intensity. A study was also conducted on the response of cocoa clones with different level of resistance at different altitude at Kendeng Lembu, Jatirono, Sungai Lembu, Banjarsari, and Sumber Asin Plantations. A split plot design was applied consisting of two factors. The first factor was location including Pager Gunung (highland) and Besaran (lowland). The second factor was clone resistance with two levels: PA 191 (resistant) and BL 703 (susceptible). VSD scores and stomatal characteristics (stomata number, stomata diameter, and stomata aperture) were determined. The results of experiment showed that VSD scoring differed significantly between the eight agro-climatic conditions. The highest VSD score occurred in the lowland (Gereng Rejo, Banjarsari Plantation, 38 m asl.), where the average annual rainfall was 2161 mm, with five dry months. Cocoa trees in Sumber Asin (580 m asl.), with the average annual rainfall of 2302 mm and 8.5 wet months/3.5 dry months were mostly free of VSD disease. Altitude was positively correlated with rainfall, and negatively correlated with VSD severity. Number of wet months was negatively correlated with VSD severity. Conversely, number of dry months was positively correlated with VSD. The result indicated that genotype, environment, or their interaction did not significantly affect number and aperture of stomata. Although stomatal diameter was significantly affected by environment, genotypes or their interaction with environment did not influence this character.

Tulisan ini merupakan kelanjutan hasil penelitian yang telah ditulis sebelumnya. Analisis mutu biji dilaksanakan pada panenan umur 7 tahun. Hasilnya menunjukkan bahwa batang bawah kakao tidak berpengaruh nyata pada mutu fisik maupun mutu kimiawi hasil biji batang atas. Akan tetapi ada petunjuk bahwa batang bawah sedikit memodifikasi harkat mutu tersebut lewat perubahan vigor. Ada kemungkinan mutu hasil akan terpengaruh jika dipakai batang bawah yang lebih jauh hubungan kekerabatannya. Berkaitan dengan hal itu maka kakao yang bermutu tinggi dapat dihasilkan dari lingkungan yang bermasalah dengan cara okulasi asalkan tersedia batang bawah yang toleran kondisi tersebut.