Cocoa needs friable, potash-rich alluvial soil with plenty of humus and good moisture-holding, pH 6.6–7.0; up to 1200 m, about 150 cm of rain, 80% humidity and 24–25 °C. It is a shade-loving crop usually grown as an intercrop in coconut and arecanut gardens. Planting: June–July and September–October. Forastero types do well in India; varieties include CCRP 1–10 and VTLCC 1, and hybrids VTLCH 1–4.
Pending expert review
Source
Crop Production Guide – Horticulture Crops 2020 (Directorate of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Cocoa – Varieties; soil and climate; season, p. 203
