The Spaniards subjected the land of the Aztecs and the Mayans. It was then called the land of Mexico where the cacao trees were first seen. The Spaniards then shipped the cacao to the Philippines through the use of the galleon trading system. The Philippines was the first country outside Mesoamerica that plants and grows cacao. It became more popular to the country and also to the other parts of the world.
As stated by the Cacao Manual published by the Inter-American Institute of American Sciences, the fruit of the cacao tree is botanically a drupe but commonly referred to as a pod. Some pods are as long as 32cm and others as short as 10cm. The shape ranges from oval to a somewhat cylindrical form. Young pods are normally red or green in color. …show more content…
(A) Natural Control. The natural enemies of insects include other predatory insects. The various ecological factors operating in the environment of the cacao tree, not only control the physiological process of the cacao plant. Biological control: Attempts have been made to increase the number of predatory and parasitic insects that prey on cacao. Entomophagous fungi: Certain fungi are capable of reducing the numbers of various sorts, including some that are pests of cacao. Effects of weeds: the presence of weed is particularly harmful to the cacao for the harbor cacao-feeding insects. (B.) ARTIFICIAL CONTROL. The use of powerful insecticides, for destroying harmful insects in the cacao plantation is fraught with extreme danger because it may also destroy beneficial insects comprising predators, parasites and pollinators. The spraying and dusting of insecticides onto the leaves of cacao trees generally cause greater destruction of predators and parasites than of harmful insects. This is because the beneficial insects are much more mobile, continually running over the plant in search or prey to attack, whereas the harmful insects usually stay in one place for long periods, sucking or eating the soft succulent tissues but changing their position only occasionally when moving to fresh feeding …show more content…
The early bioplastics were simply displaced by plastics made from synthetic polymers. Thanks to the World War II, plastic productions were increased.
In the year 2000’s and beyond, the demand for materials in manufacturing plastics is continually growing. Now, the plastics industry has a huge importance in our economy. However, the magnitude of the plastics industry itself has a cause for concern by increasing waste and diminishing.
Finding the alternative of plastic bags for wrapping the cacao pods which is a biodegradable material that we are researching for. In Kablon farms, they wrap the cacao pods based on its size. The size that is being determined is like the diameter of a size D battery. They plant cacao trees all year round using the Trinitario cacao variety. They haven’t tried using biodegradable wrapping materials on their pods but they do use plastic bags, a non-biodegradable material. Every year there’s an infestation. They prevent infestation by using the plastic bags. Cacao pods that haven’t been covered will be infested, while the covered ones are in a healthy state. They don’t spray insecticides so most probably, the natural enemies of the insects are present in the farm. If there’s a small quantity of cacao pods, it will be much more likely to be infested by the cacao pod borers. If the cacao pod is hard in the inside, it is actually infested. Peak seasons of cacao tree growth is the last part of the year.
As stated by the Cacao Manual published by the Inter-American Institute of American Sciences, the fruit of the cacao tree is botanically a drupe but commonly referred to as a pod. Some pods are as long as 32cm and others as short as 10cm. The shape ranges from oval to a somewhat cylindrical form. Young pods are normally red or green in color. …show more content…
(A) Natural Control. The natural enemies of insects include other predatory insects. The various ecological factors operating in the environment of the cacao tree, not only control the physiological process of the cacao plant. Biological control: Attempts have been made to increase the number of predatory and parasitic insects that prey on cacao. Entomophagous fungi: Certain fungi are capable of reducing the numbers of various sorts, including some that are pests of cacao. Effects of weeds: the presence of weed is particularly harmful to the cacao for the harbor cacao-feeding insects. (B.) ARTIFICIAL CONTROL. The use of powerful insecticides, for destroying harmful insects in the cacao plantation is fraught with extreme danger because it may also destroy beneficial insects comprising predators, parasites and pollinators. The spraying and dusting of insecticides onto the leaves of cacao trees generally cause greater destruction of predators and parasites than of harmful insects. This is because the beneficial insects are much more mobile, continually running over the plant in search or prey to attack, whereas the harmful insects usually stay in one place for long periods, sucking or eating the soft succulent tissues but changing their position only occasionally when moving to fresh feeding …show more content…
The early bioplastics were simply displaced by plastics made from synthetic polymers. Thanks to the World War II, plastic productions were increased.
In the year 2000’s and beyond, the demand for materials in manufacturing plastics is continually growing. Now, the plastics industry has a huge importance in our economy. However, the magnitude of the plastics industry itself has a cause for concern by increasing waste and diminishing.
Finding the alternative of plastic bags for wrapping the cacao pods which is a biodegradable material that we are researching for. In Kablon farms, they wrap the cacao pods based on its size. The size that is being determined is like the diameter of a size D battery. They plant cacao trees all year round using the Trinitario cacao variety. They haven’t tried using biodegradable wrapping materials on their pods but they do use plastic bags, a non-biodegradable material. Every year there’s an infestation. They prevent infestation by using the plastic bags. Cacao pods that haven’t been covered will be infested, while the covered ones are in a healthy state. They don’t spray insecticides so most probably, the natural enemies of the insects are present in the farm. If there’s a small quantity of cacao pods, it will be much more likely to be infested by the cacao pod borers. If the cacao pod is hard in the inside, it is actually infested. Peak seasons of cacao tree growth is the last part of the year.