Conserving and exploiting cocoa genetic resources: the key challenges

Laliberté, B.; End, M. J.; Cryer, Nicholas C.; Daymond, Andrew; Engels, J. M. M.; Eskes, Albertus; Gilmour, Martin; Lachenaud, Philippe; Phillips‐Mora, Wilbert; Turnbull, Chris J.; Umaharan, Pathmanathan; Zhang, David; Weise, Stéphan; Cirad, formerly; Chocolate, UK Mars Global; Education, Costa Rica; Tobago,; Usda-Ars, Usa

doi:10.19103/as.2017.0021.02

Cited by 6 publications

(14 citation statements)

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“…Ex situ conservation was mentioned in 48 of the selected papers, while on-farm conservation was mentioned in 29 and in situ conservation in 16, which is consistent with the understudied nature of in situ and on-farm conservation compared to ex situ conservation (Laliberté et al, 2018). Publication dates range from 1994 to 2021, with half of them published between 2009 and 2013.…”

Section: Cacao Conservation Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 56%

“…Certain cacao populations may therefore be under or overrepresented in ex situ collections. Furthermore, cacao relatives in the Theobroma and Herrania genera are not sufficiently conserved in these facilities either (Santos et al, 2011;Castañeda-Álvarez et al, 2016;Laliberté et al, 2018).…”

Section: Strengths Weaknesses Challengesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…When maintained in a well-managed facility, ex situ conservation of a core collection-i.e., a subset comprised of the smallest number of accessions that maximizes the diversity conserved (van Hintum et al, 2000)-, represents a cost-effective option (Iwaro et al, 2003;Van Treuren et al, 2009;Zhang et al, 2009;Bidot Martínez et al, 2017;Osorio-Guarín et al, 2017;Laliberté et al, 2018). Yet, few institutions have established a core collection based on clear objectives and such efforts remain expensive and difficult to fund in the long term (Marcano et al, 2007).…”

Section: Strengths Weaknesses Challengesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Local working collections as the foundation for an integrated conservation of Theobroma cacao L. in Latin America

Lavoie

Thomas²,

Olivier

2023

Front. Ecol. Evol.

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The intraspecific diversity of cacao has traditionally been preserved in genebanks. However, these establishments face various challenges, notably insufficient funding, accession redundancy, misidentification and lack of wild cacao population samples. In natural environments, it is expected that unknown varieties of cacao may still be found, but wild populations of cacao are increasingly threatened by climate change, deforestation, habitat loss, land use changes and poor knowledge. Farmers also retain diversity, but on-farm conservation is affected by geopolitical, economic, management and cultural issues, that are influenced at multiple scales, from the household to the international market. Taking separately, ex situ, in situ and on-farm conservation have not achieved adequate conservation fostering the inclusion of all stakeholders and the broad use of cacao diversity. We analyze the use of the traditional conservation strategies (ex situ, in situ and on-farm) and propose an integrated approach based on local working collections to secure cacao diversity in the long term. We argue that national conservation networks should be implemented in countries of origin to simultaneously maximize alpha (diversity held in any given working collection), beta (the change in diversity between working collections in different regions) and gamma diversity (overall diversity in a country).

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Section: Cacao Conservation Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 56%

Section: Strengths Weaknesses Challengesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Strengths Weaknesses Challengesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Local working collections as the foundation for an integrated conservation of Theobroma cacao L. in Latin America

Lavoie

Thomas²,

Olivier

2023

Front. Ecol. Evol.

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“…As an important tropical crop, there is a constant need to develop high-yielding and disease-resistant varieties [5][6][7]. Thus, conservation and use of cacao genetic diversity are essential not only for sustainable cultivation in producing countries, but also for diverse and growing needs of the chocolate industry and consumers [1,[8][9][10][11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geographic Patterns of Genetic Variation among Cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) Populations Based on Chloroplast Markers

et al. 2021

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The cacao tree (Theobroma cacao L.) is native to the Amazon basin and widely cultivated in the tropics to produce seeds, the valuable raw material for the chocolate industry. Conservation of cacao genetic resources and their availability for breeding and production programs are vital for securing cacao supply. However, relatively little is still known about the phylogeographic structure of natural cacao populations. We studied the geographic distribution of cpDNA variation in different populations representing natural cacao stands, cacao farms in Ecuador, and breeding populations. We used six earlier published cacao chloroplast microsatellite markers to genotype 233 cacao samples. In total, 23 chloroplast haplotypes were identified. The highest variation of haplotypes was observed in western Amazonia including geographically restricted haplotypes. Two observed haplotypes were widespread across the Amazon basin suggesting long distance seed dispersal from west to east in Amazonia. Most cacao genetic groups identified earlier using nuclear SSRs are associated with specific chloroplast haplotypes. A single haplotype was common in selections representing cacao plantations in west Ecuador and reference Trinitario accessions. Our results can be used to determine the chloroplast diversity of accessions and in combination with phenotypic assessments can help to select geographically distinctive varieties for cacao breeding programs.

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“…The discovery of high-yielding and disease-resistant varieties is needed to support the growing global cacao industry (Goenaga et al, 2009;Phillips-Mora et al, 2013). The conservation and utilisation of cacao genetic diversity are crucial for the sustainable cultivation of cacao (Zhang and Motilal, 2016;Laliberté et al, 2018).…”

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confidence: 99%

Genetic diversity and population structure of fine aroma cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) from north Peru revealed by single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers

et al. 2022

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Cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) is the basis of the lucrative confectionery industry with “fine or flavour” cocoa attracting higher prices due to desired sensory and quality profiles. The Amazonas Region (north Peru) has a designation of origin, Fine Aroma Cacao, based on sensory quality, productivity and morphological descriptors but its genetic structure and ancestry is underexplored. We genotyped 143 Fine Aroma Cacao trees from northern Peru (Bagua, Condorcanqui, Jaén, Mariscal Cáceres, and Utcubamba; mainly Amazonas Region), using 192 single nucleotide polymorphic markers. Identity, group, principal coordinate, phylogenetic and ancestry analyses were conducted. There were nine pairs of matched trees giving 134 unique samples. The only match within 1,838 reference cacao profiles was to a putative CCN 51 by a Condorcanqui sample. The “Peru Uniques” group was closest to Nacional and Amelonado-Nacional genetic clusters based on FST analysis. The provinces of Bagua and Utcubamba were genetically identical (Dest = 0.001; P = 0.285) but differed from Condorcanqui (Dest = 0.016–0.026; P = 0.001–0.006). Sixty-five (49%) and 39 (29%) of the Peru Uniques were mixed from three and four genetic clusters, respectively. There was a common and strong Nacional background with 104 individuals having at least 30% Nacional ancestry. The fine aroma of cacao from Northern Peru is likely due to the prevalent Nacional background with some contribution from Criollo. A core set of 53 trees was identified. These findings are used to support the continuance of the fine or flavour industry in Peru.

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Conserving and exploiting cocoa genetic resources: the key challenges

Cited by 6 publications

References 0 publications

Local working collections as the foundation for an integrated conservation of Theobroma cacao L. in Latin America

Local working collections as the foundation for an integrated conservation of Theobroma cacao L. in Latin America

Geographic Patterns of Genetic Variation among Cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) Populations Based on Chloroplast Markers

Genetic diversity and population structure of fine aroma cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) from north Peru revealed by single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers

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