Abstract

The study was conducted in the localities of Buyo, Duekoué, and Gueyo in western Côte d'Ivoire, within agroforestry systems that combine cocoa trees with Irvingia gabonensis. The aim was to enhance cocoa production in Côte d'Ivoire by associating it with I. gabonensis to achieve sustainable production. To achieve this goal, plots with radii of 10 and 20 m around I. gabonensis trees were established to assess diameter, height, morphological characteristics of fruits and seeds, biomass, and carbon stock. The results showed uniformity in the morphological characteristics of I. gabonensis, fruit production, biomass, and carbon stock across all localities, except for height. The vigor and pod yield of cocoa trees near I. gabonensis were reduced, likely due to lower cocoa density in its vicinity. However, its presence in cocoa plantations increased biomass production and carbon stock. I. gabonensis also stabilized the incidence of rotted and gnawed pods. Therefore, integrating I. gabonensis into agroforestry plots could be beneficial, provided that cocoa density around it is reduced to minimize its impact on cocoa vigor and yield.

Key words: Cocoa, Irvingia gabonensis, agroforestry, sustainable system.