Optimasi Waktu Perendaman dan Stadia Kematangan Buah Kakao untuk Meningkatkan Daya Kecambah dan Pertumbuhan Awal Bibit Kakao

Ahmad Rizky Pratama; Siti Nurhaliza Ramadhani

Authors

Ahmad Rizky Pratama Universitas Mataram, Indonesia
Siti Nurhaliza Ramadhani Universitas Mataram, Indonesia

Keywords:

Cocoa Beans, Fruit Maturity Level, Soaking Duration , Germination Rate , Seedling Growth , Pre-Sowing Treatment

Abstract

This study aims to determine the effect of soaking duration and fruit maturity level on the germination and early growth performance of cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) seeds. A completely randomized design (CRD) was employed with two factors: fruit maturity (physiologically mature, fully ripe, and overripe) and soaking duration (0, 6, 12, and 24 hours). Each treatment combination was replicated three times. The results showed that both fruit maturity and soaking duration significantly influenced seed germination percentage, seedling height, number of leaves, and root length. The highest germination rate (92.22%) and best growth parameters were obtained from seeds derived from fully ripe fruits soaked for 12 hours. Conversely, seeds from overripe fruits without soaking exhibited the lowest germination (51.11%). The optimal soaking treatment appears to enhance water uptake and enzymatic activity, which supports early seedling development, while excessive ripening reduces seed viability. These findings suggest that selecting the right maturity stage and appropriate soaking time can significantly improve the success rate of cocoa seed propagation.

References

Anonymous. (2015). Phenology of flowering and pod maturity on some cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) clones. Pelita Perkebunan, 31(2), 73–80.

Carter, C. (2008). Somatic embryogenesis and maturation physiology of cacao (Theobroma cacao L.). Retrieved from Penn State University research summary.

Gonzales, A. T. (2023). Seed germination and seedling performance of cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) varieties using vermicompost-based potting media. International Journal of Bioscience, 23(1), 255–261.

IJAERS. (2013). Pre-germinating treatments on germination of cocoa seeds. International Journal of Advanced Engineering Research & Science, 6(6), 130–134.

Lefebvre, M., Villar, M., Boizot, N., Delile, A., Dimouro, B., Lomelech, A.-M., & Teyssier, C. (2020). Variability in seeds' physicochemical characteristics, germination and seedling growth within and between two French Populus nigra populations.

Louf, J.-F., Zheng, Y., Kumar, A., Bohr, T., Gundlach, C., Harholt, J., Poulsen, H. F. J. (2018). Imbibition in plant seeds.

Odoemelam, C. U., et al. (2023). Germination and early growth performance of cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.). Trends in Agricultural Science, 2(3), 274–280.

Okungo, L. A., Mwamba, K. J. P., Tshipamba, T. O., Okungo, T. A., & Mananga, N. P. (2022). Effect of the degree of maturity of cocoa pods (Theobroma cacao L.) on the germination capacity of the beans and the growth of seedlings in the nursery in Kisangani. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Publications, 4(9), 37–40.

Pancaningtyas, S., Santoso, T. I., & Sudarsianto. (2014). Study of seed germination by soaking method of cacao (Theobroma cacao L.). Pelita Perkebunan, 30(3), 190–197.

Shahruddin, S., Mohd Lassim, M., Awang, A., Ramba, H., & Azman, E. A. (2020). Moisture equilibration on germinability and seedling performance of cacao (Theobroma cacao). Transactions on Science and Technology, 7(3–2), 121–126.

Silvia, N., Novita, A., Harahap, A. S., & Daely, A. F. (2019). Effects of coconut water soaking time on cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) seed. ICoSAaNRM, Politeknik Pembangunan Pertanian Medan.

Singh, P., Chatterjee, A., Bhatia, V., & Prakash, S. (2018). Application of laser biospeckle analysis for assessment of seed priming techniques.

Vera, D. B., Oviedo, B., Chiriboga, W., & Zambrano-Vega, C. (2024). Deep learning‑based computational model for disease identification in cocoa pods (Theobroma cacao L.).