Colombia will begin to optimize cocoa irrigation

Colombia is implementing measures to improve cocoa transparency, reinforcing the importance of understanding the water needs of this crop. Óscar Eduardo Trujillo Obando, a doctoral candidate in Agricultural Sciences at the National University of Colombia, focused his research on the crop's basal coefficient, an indicator that evaluates the variation in water extracted from the soil by the plant from sowing to harvest, considering evaporation and transpiration. The main objective is to determine which ideal water specifications will be applied in the flat region of the Cauca Valley, known for its fertile lands and favorable climate that have become an important hub for cocoa production. However, the lack of adequate technology has limited the expansion of new cocoa projects in the region. Trujillo contributed his research in municipalities with a tradition of cocoa production, such as Andalusia, Buenaventura, Jamundí, La Unión and Trujillo. During this process, he characterized ...