Plant & Animal Genomes XVIII Conference Plant & Animal Genomes XVIII ConferenceJanuary 9-13, 2010
Town & Country Convention Center
San Diego, CA
In the late nineties, CATIE, with the support of the World Cocoa Foundation and the USDA-ARS initiated a regional breeding program. The focus of the program is selection and generation of high-yielding and disease resistant genotypes with emphasis on moniliasis (Moniliophthora roreri) and black pod (Phytophthora palmivora) diseases, two of the major biotic factors limiting cacao production in Central America and Mexico. Moniliasis is of particular interest due to both its highly destructive behavior shown in tropical America where it is still restricted, and its potential dispersal into surrounding areas (Brazil, the Caribbean, etc) and overseas, which is facilitated by the fungus’s ability to spread and aggressiveness, and the apparent susceptibility of most commercial varieties grown world-wide.
The program now includes 28 field trials, where six segregating populations for molecular studies, 532 clones, and 292 hybrid families are under evaluation. Trees are evaluated monthly using parameters related to precocity, vigor, yield capacity and disease resistance. The original source of the experimental germplasm is the International Cacao Collection (IC3), which currently comprises 1107 accessions with different genetic and geographic origin. In spite of its relatively short existence, CATIE’s breeding program has been successful in exploiting this genetic diversity to generate novel cacao varieties. A group of six clones has been recently released for farmers’ use in six countries of Central America, and different groups of candidate clones are in various stages of development for future release.