ResearchArticle Effects of Organic and Inorganic Fertilizers on Growth and Nutrient Uptake by Young Cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) Jerome A. Dogbatse , Alfred Arthur, Godfred K. Awudzi, Amos K. Quaye, Sampson Konlan, and Andrews A. Amaning CocoaResearchInstituteofGhana,P.O.Box8,EasternRegion,Tafo-Akim,Ghana Correspondence should be addressed to Jerome A. Dogbatse; agbesi2000@gmail.com Received 6 January 2021; Revised 28 February 2021; Accepted 10 March 2021; Published 19 March 2021 Academic Editor: Maria Serrano Copyright © 2021 Jerome A. Dogbatse et al. is is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Sustainable cacao cultivation in Ghana has been seriously hampered by high seedling mortality due to the low soil fertility of lands used for the establishment of new cacao farms. Alleviating the low soil fertility to enhance sustainable cacao cultivation requires the use of fertilizers. A study was therefore conducted at the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana to determine the effect of integrated application of poultry manure (PM) and sulphate of ammonia (SOA) fertilizers on survival, growth, and nutrient uptake by cacao seedlings under marginal field conditions. A randomized complete block design with four replications was used to evaluate the effects of six treatments. Traits assessed were percentage survival, height, trunk cross-sectional area (TCSA), and nutrient uptake. Results from the study showed no significant differences in soil N and K among the treatments. PM-amended plots had significantly higher soil P than nonamended control and SOA alone. Seedling survival rate ranged from 73.3 to 89.3% with a higher proportion of surviving plants in PM amended soils. e application of PM alone and its combination with SOA improved growth. Cacao trees of T4 (75% recommended dosage of SOA + PM) had the largest TCSA increment, which was significantly different from the other soil treatments. Leaf nutrient concentrations in cacao of T4 were higher than the other soil treatments. It was therefore concluded that T4 could be used during cacao establishment in marginal areas for improved plant survival and growth. 1. Introduction Cacao (eobromacacao L.) is an important cash crop that provides enormous foreign exchange about US$2.5 billion per annum for Ghana and remains the mainstay of the national economy [1]. Cacao cultivation is a major source of livelihood for over a million farmers and their dependants in rural communities of Ghana and contributes actively to the economy of these communities [2]. Attempts by farmers to increase cacao production are currently achieved through the establishment of new farms and the rehabilitation of aged/unproductive farms with mixed hybrid seedlings. For the past seven years, the Government of Ghana through Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has been supplying farmers with millions of cacao seedlings generated from improved varieties to establish new farms or rehabilitate old cacao farms. However, published statistics on cacao seedling survival rates from farmers’ fields are difficult to obtain. erefore, anecdotal evidence on the millions of seedlings supplied annually to farmers suggests a high mortality rate in their fields [3]. e high mortality rate that results in suboptimal plant population densities is partly attributed to marginal field conditions like inadequate soil nutrients and irregular rainfall. Low soil fertility has been noted as one of the field establishment stresses affecting cacao within the first year after transplanting [4, 5]. e establishment of cacao farms in Ghana has traditionally been dependent on the high natural soil nutrient endowment in primary or older sec- ondary forest soils [6]. However, these fertile soils for growing cacao are becoming limited due to competition for the cultivation of other crops. Consequently, many of the tropical soils including the soils used for cacao cultivation are characterized by low activity charges due to either Hindawi International Journal of Agronomy Volume 2021, Article ID 5516928, 10 pages https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/5516928