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Discovery of flowering gene in cacao may lead to accelerated breeding strategies In the research, embryonic cacao, over expressing the florigen gene, develop tiny flowers in tissue culture. This study is significant because cacao trees typically don t flower until they are between three and eight years of age. Such early flowering promises to greatly speed up breeding to develop disease-resistant trees. Image: Sarah Prewitt/Penn State Discovery of flowering gene in cacao may lead to accelerated breeding strategies Jeff Mulhollem May 17, 2021 UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. For the first time, Penn State researchers have identified a gene that controls flowering in cacao, a discovery that may help accelerate breeding efforts aimed at improving the disease-ridden plant, they suggested. ....
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. ....
E-Mail 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 ....