World Cocoa Foundation Research Update: February 2007
Robert D. Lumsden, Plant Pathologist and WCF Scientific Advisor
WORLD COCOA FOUNDATION:
Kuhn, M. E. Sweet, sustainable forces of change: it's neither simple nor easy, but World Cocoa Foundation initiatives are delivering improvements in cocoa farming conditions. Industry supported foundation supports cocoa farming. Confectioner, 2006, vol. 91, p. 17.
http://www.confectioner.com/content.php?s=CO/2006/12&p=5
RESEARCH GROUPS:
Researchers from Indonesia, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea visit the Cocoa Pod Borer Research Program at USDA-ARS, Beltsville. Entomologist/Plant Pathologist from three Asian countries, Indonesia, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea, funded by USDA-Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) Cochran fellowship and Mars Inc. grants, are currently visiting USDA, Beltsville to learn about the ongoing joint USDA/Mars Cocoa Pod Borer research. They are, Endang Sulosawati (liessuryo@telkom.net) and Soekadar Wiryadiputra (Soekadar@yahoo.com), from Indonesian Cocoa and Coffee Research Institute, Jember; Ade Rosmana (rosmana@telkom.net) and Sylvia Sjam (sylviasjam@telkom.net) from Hassanuddin University, Makassar; Ike Viradiana (ike.virdiana@londonsumatra.com), from London Sumatra Estate, LONSUM, Sumatra, Indonesia; Navies Maisin (navie@koko.gov.my), from Malaysian Cocoa Board, Sabah, Malaysia, and Paul Gende (entomology@ccipng.com.pg), from Cocoa and Coconut Institute, Rabaul, Papau New Guinea. The one-month training/scientific exchange program is coordinated by Prakash Hebbar, from Mars Inc., Francisco Posada, from USDA, Avis-Watts Massenburg from USDA-FAS, and Lyndel Meinhardt, Research Leader of the USDA/ARS Sustainable Perennial Crops Lab. (SPCL), Beltsville.
Indonesia is the third largest cocoa producer in the World (approx. 430,000 mt/annum) responsible for more than 70% of the production in Asia and has over 500,000 farmers engaged in production of this cash crop. It is estimated that 40% of the crop is lost due to the cocoa pod borer pest and $500 million is lost in export earnings in Indonesia. Although Malaysia produces less (<30,000t), it is a large processor of cocoa. The pest has recently moved into PNG and is a major threat to the cacao crop in the next few years unless something is done soon (see below). USDA-ARS is the leader in organizing a global pests and diseases management program, which includes a wide range of subjects from breeding for resistance, plant pathology, taxonomy, biological control, IPM, pest control, entomology and molecular biology.
Currently at USDA, under a Mars Inc. funded project on CPB, methods such as the pheromone technology is being developed to manage CPB pest in partnership with the Asian research institutes. The visitors are spending time in the 1) Insect Biocontrol Laboratory: (Francisco Posada) Biological control of insect pests, biology of Cocoa pod borer, 2) Systematic Entomology Laboratory: (Sonja Scheffer and Leo Shapiro) Insect taxonomy/molecular systematics, Taxonomy of Cocoa Pod Borer; 3) Chemicals Affecting Insect Biology Laboratory: (Aijun Zhang) Role of pheromones in management of insect pests. Use of pheromones for managing cocoa pod borer.
A visit with Pam Waterworth, USDA-APHIS plant quarantine center in Beltsville, has provided them with valuable information on how to avoid movement of exotic pests. The visit will also assist the scientists in building networks and bringing new IPM/breeding technology to combat this pest. This should help the cocoa scientific sector in Asia in their research to minimize and also find alternatives to chemicals. The highlights of the visit included a meeting with the Indonesian Ambassador to Washington, kindly facilitated by Ms. Ade Tunus (Agricultual Attache). The visitors presented seminars on Cocoa Pod Borer at USDA (20th Feb), and Clemson University (Feb 22nd).
Cocoa Pod Borer scientists, seated: left to right Endang Sulosawati, Ike Virandiana, Sylvia Sjam, standing left to right, Francisco Posada, Paul Gende, Ade Rosmana, Navies Maisin, Solkadar Wiryadiputra, Prakash Hebbar.
From Smilja Lambert and Prakash Hebbar, Senior Research Scientists, Mars Inc. (Smilja.lambert@ap.effem.com; Prakash.Hebbar@effem.com): In March 2006, cocoa pod borer was detected in East New Britain Province, Papua New Guinea. Infestation was very high, but restricted to a small area. A large-scale eradication action started in April 2006. In November, a workshop was organized on the containment/control of cocoa pod borer in Papua New Guinea and a strategy was further developed for future actions. The eradication effort was very thorough and on February 7th, 2007 the province was declared free of cocoa pod borer based on their detection using pheromone traps. Monitoring and surveillance activities are ongoing using pheromone traps to detect any resurgence of cocoa pod borer infestation and to act accordingly. Currently, Pest Control, Ltd., Bangalore, India, is supplying Cocoa and Coconut Institute (CCI), Rabaul, PNG, with pheromone kits for this monitoring. The industry contact was developed under the USDA/Mars, Inc. Cooperative Agreement, with links established by Dr. David Hall, Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, UK.
Upon the invitation of Dr. Jean Beagle Ristaino, Professor, Department of Plant Pathology at North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, Prakash Hebbar, Mars, Inc., and Robert Lumsden, World Cocoa Foundation, presented a joint seminar entitled “Three major fungal diseases and integrated pathogen management of Cacao“. The presentation was one of several to be presented as part of a graduate level course in Tropical Plant Pathology taught for the first time at NCSU. Dr. Ristaino is the principal instructor and will accompany a group of about 15 students to Costa Rica later on this spring. While in Costa Rica the class will visit CATIE in Turrialba, specifically to visit with Dr. Wilbert Phillips, CATIE and Jane Crozier, CABI-Bioscience/CATIE. For further information contact by E-mail: Jean_Ristaino@ncsu.edu, and/or visit:
http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/plantpath/people/faculty/ristaino/.
South Sulawesi Cocoa Research Center, Makassar, 9th February, 2007. The Governor of South Sulawesi, Mr. Amin Syam has agreed that a center for cocoa research will be established in South Sulawesi.The establishment of a special center for cocoa research in South Sulawesi was proposed by a partnership of government, private sector and donor organizations in a meeting with the Governor on Friday 9th February.
Indonesia is the third largest producer of cocoa in the world with exports currently totalling more than US$700 million per annum and providing the main source of income for over 500,000 smallholder farmers and their families.
Cocoa farmers in Indonesia suffer from serious problems due to pests such as Cocoa Pod Borer and various diseases, aging cocoa trees and poor farm management practices resulting in lower than desired productivity and cocoa quality.
“The Cocoa Sustainability Partnership (CSP) is a public / private partnership of government and private / donor organizations that coordinates cocoa development activities for higher productivity, quality, efficiency and profitability, ensuring cocoa industry sustainability,” explained Dr. Djafar Baco on behalf of the CSP. “The CSP members involved in research and development activities include the BPTP (The Indonesian Institute for the Assessment of Agricultural Technology), ICCRI (The Indonesian Cocoa and Coffee Research Institute), Hassanuddin University Makassar, Mars, Incorporated, ACIAR (The Australian Center for International Agricultural Research) and other local and international partners. These research partners will work together with the Indonesian Agricultural Extension Service (Disbun) to establish the Center for Cocoa Research in South Sulawesi, added Dr. Djafar Baco.
The Head of Disbun for South Sulawesi, Mr. Karya Yunus said that Disbun will work together with the BPTP to provide and prepare the land and infrastructure required for the research center. “The BPTP will also provide research and field staff to support the activities at the center,” added the Head of BPTP, South Sulawesi, Dr. Sahardi Mulia.
The facilities will be utilized by researchers from government, private and donor organizations working together on projects to identify long term solutions for the problems that are faced by Indonesian cocoa farmers including the most significant problem of cocoa pod borer.
Representing ACIAR, Mr. Peter Horne said that he was very pleased that the Governor had expressed such strong support for the establishment of a cocoa research center. “ACIAR is ready to commence a joint research and development program with the BPTP, ICCRI and Mars, Incorporated to develop cocoa varieties that are more resistant to cocoa pod borer while retaining high productivity and product quality,” explained Mr Horne. “ We will begin this cooperative program at the site of the new center within the next few months,” he said.
“The technology developed at the center will be fully evaluated and validated by the responsible authorities and then be transferred to farmers. The transfer of best practice technology is also conducted jointly by field trainers employed by Disbun, ASKINDO (The Indonesian Cocoa Association), Mars, Incorporated and other partners of the Technology Transfer Partnership” explained Mr. Rafiuddin Palinrungi, from IFC-Pensa and the secretary of the CSP.
The Governor, Mr. Amin Syam strongly agreed with the need for all stakeholders to work together to resolve cocoa industry issues and to establish a center for cocoa research in South Sulawesi. The Governor added, “We must do this together to ensure that we realize the significant opportunity and maintain the pride that we have in our cocoa industry, which is so important to our people.”
CACAONET:
Last November Martin Gilmour (representing the private sector) and Jan Engels (as the newly appointed CacaoNet Coordinator) paid a one day visit to the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ) near Frankfurt to explore opportunities for collaboration between CacaoNet partners with the GTZ Public-Private-Partnership programme and/or across-cutting Biodiversity Project. GTZ is currently involved in a number of cacao related projects in West Africa and South East Asia within the context of the PPP programme, with WCF members. Based on presentations made by the visitors on CacaoNet and its planned programme of work it became clear that there is plenty of common interest in topics that could be explored further for project development. A number of such ideas were discussed during the visit (see below) and it was agreed that a list of identified priority topics, established through a consultation process with CacaoNet stakeholders, will be shared with the responsible persons in GTZ for their feedback.
Topics and issues that were mentioned included the evaluation of existing germplasm collections on Pod Borer resistance; the evaluation and movement to West Africa and Asia of American germplasm accessions on tolerance to Witches Broom and Frosty Pod Rot; concerted efforts to collect and evaluate CATIE and CRU cacao accessions on Frosty Pod Rot and strengthen breeding efforts in a coordinated manner; flavour-based screening of the CRU/CATIE collections that will enable cocoa producing countries to make better informed choices about varieties; and assessing generated benefits and benefit-sharing arrangements between cacao diversity rich countries and cocoa producing countries through CacaoNet involvement. Please forward any more ideas or concepts on using cacao biodiversity as part of a potential GTZ public private partnership to Dr Jan Engels (mailto:j.engels@cgiar.org).
INGENIC: From Mark Guiltinan, Penn State University: Announcing the Huck Institutes hands-on workshops: The 2007 Techniques in Molecular Biology Laboratory workshop is on May 14-25 and the 5th Bioinformatics Workshop is on June 4-9 at Penn State. Registration is now open on a first-come-first-served basis! The Bioinformatics workshop will cover basic techniques in Bioinformatics including biological databases and information retrieval, sequence alignments and homology searches, DNA sequence analysis and gene finding, protein analysis tools and protein structure prediction, high-throughput gene expression analysis by microarrays, and phylogenetic analysis. For more information e-mail: mjg9@psu.edu, or visit Web Site: http://guiltinanlab.cas.psu.edu.
WEBSITE: Leah Porter of the Chocolate Manufacturers Association (leah.porter@chocolateusa.org) reminds everyone that the web site initiated by the American Cocoa Research Institute (ACRI), “Cocoa Integrated Pest Management,” contains information and scientific literature relating to cacao pests and diseases. The site is hosted by the Ohio State University's Agricultural Research & Development Center at: http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/cocoa/default.htm.