Clovamide presence in disease-resistant chocolate tree leaves may spur novel breeding program
The researchers have created a streamlined sample-collection protocol that only requires a single leaf disc. The leaf discs are preserved in a solvent that prevents degradation of clovamide, allowing large-scale sampling in greenhouses and fields without the need for refrigeration.
Image: Ben Knollenberg/Penn State
Discovery of chemical clue may lead to solving cacao s black pod rot mystery
Jeff Mulhollem
December 23, 2020
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. The finding of relatively high levels of the antimicrobial compound clovamide in the leaves of a disease-resistant strain of cacao has significant implications for breeding trees that can tolerate black pod rot, according to Penn State researchers who conducted a novel study.
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IMAGE: The researchers have created a streamlined sample-collection protocol that only requires a single leaf disc. The leaf discs are preserved in a solvent that prevents degradation of clovamide, allowing large-scale. view more
Credit: Ben Knollenberg/Penn State
The finding of relatively high levels of the antimicrobial compound clovamide in the leaves of a disease-resistant strain of cacao has significant implications for breeding trees that can tolerate black pod rot, according to Penn State researchers who conducted a novel study.
The discovery is significant because this fungal disease is a serious problem in all areas of the world where cacao is grown, noted researcher Mark Guiltinan, J. Franklin Styer Professor of Horticultural Botany and professor of plant molecular biology, College of Agricultural Sciences. Black pod rot, caused by the fungus Phytophthora, causes pod losses of up to 30% and kills as many as 10% of the trees annually.