ABSTRACT In southern Bahia, Brazil, cocoa trees (Theobroma cacao L.) are grown in soils with varied physical properties. As many orchards in the region have surpassed their productive lifespan, renewal is crucial for increasing productivity. However, there is limited understanding of how soil physical properties affect the productivity of renovated cocoa orchards. This study aimed to assess the relationship between soil physical properties and cocoa productivity in no-till renovated orchards. The research was conducted across 15 field trials on cocoa farms in southern Bahia. Cocoa yield was monitored from 2019 to 2022 (4th to 7th year post-establishment), while soil physical properties—granulometry, porosity, bulk density, soil penetration resistance, and volumetric water content (at field capacity, permanent wilting point, and available water)—were measured in 2019 as baseline in three soil layers: 0.00–0.10, 0.10–0.20, and 0.20–0.40 m. Data were subjected to univariate and multivariate statistical analyses. In all layers, yield was significantly correlated (p<0.05) with silt content (r = −0.29 to −0.31), silt/clay ratio (r = −0.23 to −0.27), field capacity (r = 0.24 to 0.34), permanent wilting point (r = 0.23 to 0.26), and available water (r = 0.22 to 0.24). Principal Component Analysis showed that yield was positively associated with field capacity and permanent wilting point, and negatively related to soil resistance to penetration and bulk density in the surface layers. Hierarchical cluster analysis grouped the 90 plots into four productivity classes: G1 (74 %, 2,758 kg ha -1 ), G2 (58 %, 1,878 kg ha -1 ), G3 (37 %, 1,557 kg ha -1 ), and G4 (17 %, 792 kg ha -1 ). Tukey’s HSD test (p<0.05) revealed that the higher-yielding groups (G1 and G2) had significantly lower silt content and silt/clay ratios compared to the lowest-yielding group (G4). Overall, cocoa yield was constrained by excessive soil penetration resistance in surface layers and by high silt content and silt/clay ratios across all layers, while balanced sandy-clay textures with improved aeration and water retention favored higher productivity. These results corroborate previous studies recommending cocoa cultivation in soils with lower silt content, due to its association with compaction, drainage limitations, and reduced water retention. The findings highlight the importance of considering soil physical properties, particularly granulometry, as a criterion for selecting priority areas for orchard renewal, thereby contributing to high-yielding and climate-resilient crops.
Porto et al. (Thu,) studied this question.