Side-cleft grafting of cocoa trees is an attempt to rejuvenate cocoa trees with low productivity. This is due to age, pests and diseases and poor maintenance. The technique has a success rate of over 80%.
Cocoa trees are considered old when they are over 15 years old. At this point, tree production begins to decline. With a population of 900-1,000 trees/hectare, only 500-600 kg/hectare can be harvested. With such a population, farmers can harvest at least 1.5 tonnes/ha.
Side-cleft grafting has been shown to turn cocoa trees into teenagers in a short time. Seven months after grafting, the trees are ready to flower. Interestingly, farmers can still harvest cocoa trees from the rootstock, even though the grafted entries have not yet produced.
