Cacao （Theobroma cacao L.） trees are heterozygous with wide spectrum of agronomic traits in a population. To reduce production cost and to propagate rapidly, we grow cacao trees from seeds in Taiwan while t he technique for v egetative propagation was not mature yet .However,cacao beans with varied pod maturity and size cause the challenges in management, harvest and processing. To improve cacao industry in Taiwan, new solutions for breeding and vegetative propagation are necessary. This project addresses selections for high yield and quality cacao trees based on antioxidants analysis. Furthermore, the project will establish the vegetative propagation methods. The projected goal is to produce cacao trees having high yield and producing good quality beans in a large scale. Eventually, it will help to improve productivity and processing for the cacao industry. This year, we developed vegetative propagation method of cacao seedlings and preliminary selection of 51 good yield performance cacao trees.

▲Grafting of cocoa seedlings. 1- cutting the scion to wedge
shape. 2- cut off the rootstock and slitting it alone the cambium.
3- put the scion and the rootstock together. 4- fix the
combination place. 5- cover the scion by paraffin. 6- complete.