Safe handling and movement of cocoa germplasm for breeding

Abstract

Cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) originated in South America, but is now cultivated in various parts of the tropics. Movement of cocoa germplasm is often required in breeding programmes to increase the genetic diversity pool or to test clones/progeny in the field. However, such movement brings with it the risks of spread of pests and diseases, many of which are confined to particular geographical locations. Thus, it is critical that movement of germplasm is conducted within a quarantine framework. This chapter reviews the risks associated with the movement of cocoa germplasm. It considers international governance of plant movement and discusses the International Cocoa Quarantine Centre at the University of Reading (ICQC,R) as a hub for safe handling and movement of cocoa germplasm.

Geographic distribution, conservation, and genomic resources of cacao Theobroma cacao L

“…For example, the study of complex traits among different cacao populations (Figure 1) aided with GWAS can identify novel and useful alleles for breeding disease resistant and low cadmium (Cd) genotypes (Figure 3). Breeding programs can obtain pathogen‐free cacao plants (typically budwoods) from the International Cocoa Quarantine Center in the United Kingdom (Daymond, 2018). However, access to more diverse populations is often limited due to phytosanitary control and genetic resources’ protective regulations in countries with natural cacao populations and ex situ collections (Laliberté et al., 2018).…”