Genotype × environment interaction for establishment and precocity traits among elite cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) hybrids in Ghana

Developing and releasing cocoa varieties take several years of testing bi-parental crosses within the cocoa production belt. A critical phase in these testing schemes is multi-location evaluation under farmers’ production conditions to elucidate the adaptation of promising varieties. The genotype and genotype- by- environment interaction (GEI) of 25 recently developed cocoa hybrids were assessed for establishment and precocity traits including stem diameter (SD) growth, percentage survival (%S), and number of pods per tree (NP). A randomized complete block design with four replications across five contrasting environments was used to evaluate the 25 hybrids together with two standard varieties. Variations due to genotype, environment, and GEI were highly significant ( p