EFFECT OF CROPPING SYSTEMS ON THE NUTRITIONAL VALUES OF CASHEW IN AGRO-ECOLOGICAL ZONES OF CASHEW TREES IN BENIN

Description of subject:Cashew fruits are still exported mainly according to their size and color, but neither of these two characteristics takes into account the nutritional potential of the almond and the cashew apple. Objective:The present research aims to assess the effect of cropping systems on the nutritional values ​​of apple and cashew kernel. MaterialsandMethods:The physico-chemical analyzes were performed in the laboratories and the data were processed using Microsoft Excel 2010 and SPSS v16.0 software. Frequency calculations and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were determined. Results: A significant variation (p <0.05) of the nutritive phosphorus (16.95 ± 0.21) was obtained in apples in the cropping system (cashew-soybean) against (7.6 ± 0.57) in the pure cashew culture (absolute control) and in cashew kernel (10.25 ± 0.07) in a culture system (cashew-soybean) against (10.15 ± 0.072) in a pure cashew culture system. Variations in taste and odor were observed in the cashew-soybean cropping system. In addition, the cashew-soybean cropping system induced the lowest tannin contents in cashew apples (0.261 ± 0.14) compared to the cashew-cotton cropping system (0.268 ± 0.071). Conclusion The cashew-soybean cropping system deserves to be encouraged in the context of optimizing cashew yields, exporting nutrients and reducing tannin in almond and cashew apple in Benin.