VTLCH-3 (Vittal Cocoa Hybrid 3)

VTLCH-3 is a CPCRI cocoa hybrid bred for gardens where water runs short. It is a cross of two accessions, EC 631534 (a Malaysian collection, VTLC 5, acquired in 1968) and EC 631546 (a Nigerian collection, VTLC 19, acquired in 1974). CPCRI recommended it for release in 2006, with VTLCH-1, VTLCH-2 and VTLCH-4. The tree is erect with a canopy of about 18 m². A 12-year-old tree gives about 41 pods a year, with 41 beans a pod and a dry bean of 1.00–1.05 g. About 30 pods make 1 kg of dry beans. The CPCRI evaluation trial gave a mean of 1.7 kg dry beans a tree a year, which is 1,150 kg a hectare at 685 trees. CPCRI says the parents and the progeny are tolerant to water-deficit stress, and the hybrid sheet adds that it suits high-density planting. The bulletin rates pod rot and tea mosquito bug damage as low but says preventive sprays are required.

Choose VTLCH-3 if water is the limit in your garden. CPCRI bred it with water-deficit tolerance in mind and recommends it for coconut tracts in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Expect a modest crop: 1.7 kg a tree in the CPCRI trial, against 2.5–3 kg for VTLCH-5. Choose VTLCH-4 if you prefer red pods and a similar yield. Choose VTLCS-1 or VTLCS-2 if you want a clone with a bigger yield that CPCRI also calls adapted to water-limited conditions. If pod rot is the loss that worries you, VTLCH-2 is the one named as tolerant.

Plant typeHybrid seedling
MaturityFlowers from about year 2 as a clone and year 4 as a seedling (CPCRI)
Yield potentialAbout 1.7 kg dry beans/tree/year in the CPCRI trial (1,150 kg/ha at 685 trees); the hybrid sheet gives 1.5–3.0 kg
Disease resistanceParents and progenies tolerant to water-deficit stress; low incidence of black pod rot and tea mosquito bug, with preventive sprays advised
SoilDeep, well-drained loam or clay loam rich in organic matter
SeasonAll seasons

• Sowing timeHigh-rainfall zones: post-monsoon, August–September. Low-rainfall zones: with the monsoon, May–June (CPCRI Cocoa Note Book)
• Seed rateAbout 277 plants an acre (685 a hectare) at 2.7 × 5.4 m under arecanut; about 200 an acre (444 a hectare) in a single hedge between coconut rows
• SpacingAbout 2.7 × 5.4 m under arecanut; 3 m apart in a single row between coconut rows 7.5 m apart
• Sowing methodOne plant per pit of 60 cm each way, half-filled with topsoil and 5 kg FYM a week before planting; shade the young plant with coconut leaves and give life irrigation if it does not rain
• IrrigationAbout 20 litres per tree per day by drip in rainless periods (CPCRI)
• FertilizerCPCRI schedule per tree per year: year 1, 33:13:46 g N:P₂O₅:K₂O; year 2, 66:26:92 g; year 3 onwards, 100:40:140 g
• HarvestingCut pods when they turn from green to yellow; heap in shade 3 days, ferment the beans 6 days, dry to 6–7% moisture

Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.

• Karnataka
• Kerala
• Andhra Pradesh
• Tamil Nadu

Do not raise seedlings from pods of your own VTLCH-3 trees. CPCRI makes hybrid seed in a bi-clonal garden where two parent clones cross; seed from a hybrid tree gives plants that differ from each other and from the mother. Buy hybrid seedlings or clonal plants from a CPCRI, DCCD or state nursery.

• VTLCH-1 (Vittal Cocoa Hybrid 1)

  An early CPCRI hybrid, cross of two Malaysian accessions (EC 631540 × EC 631534). Erect tree with a medium canopy of about 17 m², about 40–50 pods a year on a 12-year-old tree and 35–44 beans a pod. Dry bean 1–1.10 g, fat 50–53%.

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• VTLCH-2 (Vittal Cocoa Hybrid 2)

  A cross of two CPCRI accessions (IC 565551 × IC 565556). CPCRI names it as tolerant to black pod rot. Erect tree, canopy 15–20 m², about 50–65 pods a year on a 12-year-old tree, 40–45 beans a pod, dry bean 1–1.15 g, fat 50–54%.

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• VTLCH-4 (Vittal Cocoa Hybrid 4)

  A cross of two accessions (EC 631534 × EC 631556), a Malaysian and a Nigerian collection. The red-podded sister of VTLCH-3. Erect tree, canopy about 18 m², 40 pods a year on a 12-year-old tree, 40 beans a pod, dry bean 1.00–1.07 g. Tolerant to water-deficit stress.

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• VTLCH-5 / Nethra Centura

  Cross of NA 33 × ICS 89, recommended for release in 2016, the CPCRI centenary year. The highest-yielding CPCRI hybrid: 66 pods a year on a 13-year-old tree, 43 beans a pod, dry bean 1.1 g, fat 50–52%, about 20 pods for 1 kg of dry beans.

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• VTLCC-1 (Vittal Cocoa Clone 1)

  Clone selected from the Nigerian clone NC 45, recommended for release in 2006. Self-compatible and cross-compatible. Small canopy of 12–15 m², 50–75 pods a year on a 12-year-old tree, 35–37 beans a pod, dry bean 1.0–1.05 g. Recommended for the north-eastern states.

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• VTLCS-1 (Vittal Cocoa Selection 1)

  Selection from the Malaysian clone Jerangau Red Axil (JRA), recommended for release in 2012. Red, smooth pods; 51–57 pods a year on a 12-year-old tree, 40–42 beans a pod, dry bean 1.1–1.15 g (1–1.13 g on the clone sheet), fat 50–52%. Trinitario type, adapted to water-limited conditions.

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• VTLCS-2 (Vittal Cocoa Selection 2)

  Selection from the Upper Amazon Forastero clone IMC, recommended for release in 2012. Green pods, 53–56 a year on a 12-year-old tree, 40–42 beans a pod, bold beans of 1.2–1.4 g, fat 50–53%. Only 19–21 pods make 1 kg of dry beans. A bulk (Forastero) type adapted to water-limited conditions.

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