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Twelve cacao (Theobroma cacao) clones propagated by grafting and orthotropic rooted cuttings of somatic embryo-derived plants were grown on an Ultisol soil at Corozal, Puerto Rico, and evaluated for 6 years of production under intensive management. Year, variety, year × variety, and propagation treatment × variety interactions indicated significant effects for dry bean yield, number of pods produced, pod index, plant height, and stem diameter. Propagation treatments had a significant effect on dry bean yield and pod index but not on number of pods produced. Average yield across varieties for both propagation treatments was 2087.9 kg·ha−1 per year of dry beans. There was a highly significant variety effect. ‘UF-668’ was the top yielder averaging 2536.7 kg·ha−1 per year of dry beans; however, this yield was not significantly different from the average yield of varieties ‘TARS-30’, ‘TARS-1’, ‘TARS-13’, ‘TARS-14’, and ‘TARS-2’, which averaged 2427.0 kg·ha−1 per year. Except for ‘UF-668’, the TARS varieties were released in 2009 as high-yielding selections. Propagation treatments had a significant effect on dry bean yield. Dry bean yield of varieties propagated by grafting was 7% higher (2166.7 kg·ha−1 per year) than those propagated by orthotropic rooted cuttings of somatic embryo-derived plants (2009.2 kg·ha−1 per year). This yield difference could not be attributed to grafted plants being more vigorous nor by differences in root architecture. The lowest pod index value in both propagation treatments was obtained by ‘UF-668’; however, pod index for this variety did not differ significantly from values for ‘TARS-2’ and ‘TARS-23’ in grafted plants and from ‘TARS-2’, ‘TARS-23’, and ‘TARS-1’ in plants propagated by orthotropic rooted cuttings of somatic embryo-derived plants. With few exceptions, flavor characteristics were not significantly affected by propagation treatments. Although there were significant differences between plant propagation treatments for some of the variables measured in this study, these were not of a magnitude that would preclude the use of somatic embryogenesis as a viable propagation system for cacao.

A three-year study was conducted on an Ultisol to determine the water requirement, yield and fruit-quality traits of three ratoon crops (R1, R2, R3) of`Grande Naine' banana (Musa acuminata Colla, AAA group) subjected to four levels of irrigation. The irrigation treatments were based on Class A pan factors ranging from 0.0 (rainfed) to 1.0 in increments of 0.25. When needed, drip irrigation was supplied three times a week on alternate days. Results showed signi®cant (p 5 0.01) irrigation treatment and crop eects on bunch weight, yield, bunch mean hand weight, weight and fruit diameter of the third and last hands, and length of fruits of the third hand. Highest marketable yield (47.9 t ha 71 ) was obtained from the R2 crop with water application according to a pan factor of 1.0. It was concluded that irrigating the crop according to a pan factor of 1.0 was sucient to justify the investment of a drip-irrigation system for a farm in the mountain region.

on an Ultisol under transient dry periods were determined by Irizarry (1995, 1998). UsingThere is a scarcity of information regarding the optimum water Class A pan factors that ranged from 0.25 to 1.25, they requirement for banana (Musa acuminata Colla, AAA group) grown found that all yield components for the plant crop and with supplemental drip irrigation on an Oxisol. A 3-yr study was conducted on a very-fine, kaolinitic, isohyperthermic Typic Hapludox

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