Genetic base-broadening in cacao

What is it about?

Making use of cocoa varieties that have attributes (disease resistance, pest tolerance, bean quality traits) different from what is commonly grown helps to make the overall production system more resilient to pest and disease outbreaks. New combinations between the old and new varieties also help to increase the chances of getting higher yielding types.

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Why is it important?

Threats of the emergence of new diseases and pests persist as people travel around the world. It is easy to unintentionally bring in pests and diseases from other parts of the world. One way to ensure not all varieties will succumb to such a new disease is to ensure that all different types of the crop that exist are assembled in the breeding program