What is it about?
Two fruits were observed arising from one peduncle or stalk on a cacao tree instead of the normal one fruit/pod per stalk. The aberration occurred as a result of the formation of two carpels in a single flower. The fruits matured normally and the fruit morphology and seed number were within the range of that reported for normal fruits of that accession observed in Trinidad. The plant is under investigation and the impact of this finding is highlighted. It is thought to be due to a random, spontaneous mutation since it has never been observed before in this cacao collection.
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Why is it important?
The phenomenon has interesting implications for yield. The trigger/s responsible for the aberration are worth elucidating. They could be environmental (biotic); perhaps due to a marked water deficit during the period leading up to floral initiation. If so, it is possible that such mutations can become more common under severe changes in climate.
Perspectives
Yield in cacao is constrained by several factors including pollinator abundance, pollination efficiency, compatibility status of the plant, nutritional status and carrying capacity of the plant and synchrony of fertilisation of flowers on a given plant. The production of two instead of one fruit per fertilised flower could result in increased yield per tree. The factors that could elicit this phenomenon are thus worthy of investigating. Apart from somaclonal variation associated with somatic embryogenesis (which does not come under consideration in this case), unusual climatic conditions, or availabliity of boron that affects flowering, other factors that may have caused this aberration are yet to be identified.
Dr. Frances Louise Bekele
The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, TRINIDAD
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Two fruits per pedicel in cacao (Theobroma cacaoL.) – a rare phenotype, Plant Genetic Resources, September 2013, Cambridge University Press,
DOI: 10.1017/s1479262113000427.
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