Researchers compile Cacao Gene Atlas to help plant breeders boost chocolate tree
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Cacao, the chocolate tree, is one of the world's most important economic crops, generating hundreds of billions of dollars annually. However, cocoa is affected by a range of pests and diseases, with some estimates putting losses as high as 30% to 40% of global production.
Now, a team led by researchers at Penn State has created a genetic information resource to help plant breeders develop resistant strains of cacao that can be grown sustainably in its native Amazon and elsewhere, such as the tropical latitudes of Central and South America, the Caribbean, Africa and Asia.
In findings published June 26 in BMC Plant Biology, the team described the Cacao Gene Atlas, a huge, compiled dataset of replicated transcriptomes the researchers started in 2016.
