Project Number: 500-8-001-25
Project Type: Reimbursable

Start Date: Feb 05, 2003
End Date: Apr 30, 2007

Objective:
To assist the U.S. Department of State, other donor organizations and the Ministry of Agriculture, Ecuador in the rehabilitation of the cocoa industry. This industry once accounted for the primary source of foreign exchange in Ecuador. As a consequence of disease pressure, both the quality and quantity of cocoa beans exported has decreased to a current level of 80,000 metric tons per annum. Improvement in the situation requires enhanced selection and breeding for both disease resistance and quality characteristics, improved cultural practices, replication of desirable clonal material, and an enhanced understanding of the local cocoa (Theobroma) genome, which possesses unique flavanoid characteristics. The industry is particularly important to U.S. industry since the Ecuadorian product contains unique flavanoids (arribas) necessary in blending high quality confectionary. The development and transfer of molecular techniques will form an important ancillary program effort.

Approach:
The diseases witches broom (Crinipellis) and frosty pod (Moniliopthora) have been the primary inhibiting factors in expanding the profitability of the cocoa industry in Ecuador. Through a combination of in-house and extramural research activities evaluate integrated pest control techniques including biological control; develop microarrays and molecular maps of key commercial varietals; explore and field trials resistant varieties; enhance capability for micropropagation and provide technology transfer to farmers' cooperatives in side grafting techniques. The development of technology transfer for propagation techniques to farmers associations will primarily be accomplished by cooperative agreements with extramural collaborators, primarily not-for-profit organizations.

Project Team

Rosenquist, Eric

Related National Programs

Plant, Microbial & Insect Genetic Res., Genomics, & Genetic Improv. I (301)   Crop Protection & Quarantine (304)