The Cashew - A Promising Support for Vanilla

Abstract

Cashew (Anacardium occidentale) was superior to bauhinia (Bauhinia reticulata) and bucare (Erythrina berteroana) as a support tree for vanilla when used on open hillside having a western exposure and without additional shade or wind protection. The vines on cashew produced more stem growth with long, thick internodes and dark-green leaves as compared to the short, thin internodes and yellow-green leaves of those grown on bauhinia and bucare. This was attributed to the inadequacy of the foliage of these supports to protect the vines and to the shedding of this foliage during the dry season, which further exposed the vines to intense sunlight. The writer wishes to express his appreciation to Jacinto Rivera Pérez, collaborating agronomist, for assistance in gathering part of the data and photographs for this paper.