Time for Chocolate: Current Understanding and New Perspectives on Cacao Witches' Broom Disease Research

Autor(es)

Teixeira, Paulo Jose Pereira Lima ^[1] ; Thomazella, Daniela Paula de Toledo ^[2] ; Guimaraes Pereira, Goncalo Amarante ^[3]

Afiliação do(s) autor(es)

^[1] Univ N Carolina, Dept Biol, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 - USA

^[2] Univ Calif Berkeley, Dept Plant & Microbial Biol, Berkeley, CA 94720 - USA

^[3] Univ Estadual Campinas UNICAMP, Lab Genom & Expressao, Dept Genet Evolucao & Bioagentes, Inst Biol, Campinas, SP - Brazil

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: PLOS PATHOGENS; v. 11, n. 10 OCT 2015.
• Citações Web of Science: 11

Resumo

Theobroma cacao is a tropical understory tree that is one of the most important perennial crops in agriculture. Treasured by ancient civilizations in Mesoamerica for over 3,000 years, the cocoa bean now supports a multibillion-dollar industry that is involved in the production and commercialization of chocolate, a treat appreciated worldwide. The cacao tree is originally from the Amazon rainforest and is currently grown in more than 50 countries throughout the humid tropics, serving as a major source of income for over 40 million people. Each year, more than 3 million tons of cocoa beans are produced, mostly by smallholder farmers in areas of high biodiversity. Notably, the cacao tree does not require direct sunlight and naturally grows under the canopy of other, taller trees. This characteristic often encourages farmers to preserve existing forests and to plant additional trees to shelter their cacao plants {[}1], thereby reducing the environmental impacts of cacao cultivation. Despite its great importance, the cacao tree is affected by a number of untreatable diseases that reduce fruit production and threaten our global supply of cacao. Among them, witches' broom disease (WBD) stands out as one of the most severe problems that affect this crop, accounting for production losses of up to 90%. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 09/50119-9 - Estudo integrado e comparativo de três doenças fúngicas do cacau: vassoura-de-bruxa, monilíase e mal do facão, visando à compreensão de mecanismos de patogenicidade para o desenvolvimento de estratégias de controle
• Beneficiário: Gonçalo Amarante Guimarães Pereira
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Temático