World Cocoa Foundation Research Update: July 2007
Robert D. Lumsden, Plant Pathologist and WCF Scientific Advisor
WORLD COCOA FOUNDATION: On July 11, 2007 WCF announced that it has joined with two leading international development organizations to help improve cocoa farmer incomes in Cameroon, Ghana, the Ivory Coast, Liberia and Nigeria, titled: New Effort to Empower Farmers through Better Organization, Financing, Marketing; Earn More for their Cocoa Crop. The new program, supported by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and WCF, will help organize farmers into group sales cooperatives to help enhance their ability to sell cocoa at the best price. The program is part of the Sustainable Tree Crops Program (STCP) that helps cocoa farming families in West Africa. Click here to download the full press release.
Paul Ntim, currently a 2007 summer intern with the World Cocoa Foundation, visited the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center/ARS/USDA, July 25, 2007. Paul is a graduate student in Economic Policy Management from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs in New York and is on the staff of the Ghana Cocoa Board. He includes in his biography the following: My educational background includes a BA in Economics and Geography & Resource Development from the University of Ghana, Legon. I have also obtained Certificates in professional development courses such as Trade, Growth, and Poverty; Macroeconomic Management; Concept, Evidence and Case Studies; Standards Trade: Challenges and Opportunities for Developing Country Exports; Macroeconomic Management for Financial Stability and Poverty Reduction; Corporate Social Responsibility; Advanced Poverty Analysis; Poverty Dynamics, all with the World Bank Institute, Washington, D.C. and Data Management and Analysis from Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic (ISSER), University of Ghana. My areas of interest include economic policy and poverty analysis, cost-benefit analysis, trade and sustainable development coupled with the use of econometric and statistical tools for analysis and decision making.
I had the opportunity to visit the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service-Sustainable Perennial Crops Laboratory (SPCL) in Beltsville, Maryland. The visit afforded me the opportunity to see ongoing research activities aimed at addressing diseases and pests that threaten cocoa and coffee production in the world, but focuses mostly on Central and South America. My knowledge in biology and chemistry was refreshed. I had interesting discussion in areas such as biological and chemical disease control and development of agronomic systems for cocoa and alternative crops; environmental quality impacts from pesticides use on perennial crops; molecular characterization and diversity assessment of cocoa germplasm biodiversity, cacao farming irrigation as pertains to Australia, adaptation of cocoa production to climatic changes among others. I visited various units within the laboratory that deal with particular research activities to see research instruments and demonstration of research procedures. In the end, I appreciated the fact that, sustaining the global cocoa economy goes beyond market and economic conditions, policy makers, the farmers, industry regulators among others. In fact, it involves a greater number of stakeholders whose roles and activities should be properly coordinated and integrated aimed at sustaining the global cocoa economy. The visit was, of course, made possible by wonderful and affable scientists of SPCL: Lyndel W. Meinhardt-Research leader, Dapeng Zhang-Geneticist, Fernando E. Vega-Entomologist, Francisco Posada-Post Doctoral Entomologist, Prakash K. Hebbar, Senior Scientist Cacao Pests and Diseases Specialist of Mars Inc., Robert D. Lumsden- Cocoa Research Specialist and Consultant of World Cocoa Foundation and visit coordinator; and Eric Rosenquist-Tropical Commodities National Program Leader. To them, I say kudos. Contact Paul at: pntim@cocobod.gh.
RESEARCH GROUPS:
Recent progress was reported from the Nong Lam University (NLU), project entitled: Nong Lam University Cocoa Project in Vietnam.
Team Members: Pham Hong Duc Phuoc: project leader; Nguyen Van Hoang: manager of clonal trial at Thong Nhat, Dong Nai Province; Tu Van Hiep: manager of Cocoa Center of Excellence at Dak Lak Province; Nguyen Thi Phuong Dung: biotechnology; Nguyen Huu Huan: manager of nursery, seed garden, and germplasm at Nong Lam University; Le Thi Tuyet: coordinator of activities and reporting.
Project Update: From October 2006 to March 2007, the main activities of the WCF-NLU Cocoa Project were to maintain what was established previously and to conduct research as follows:
- Continue the management of two Centers of Excellence in Dak Lak and Nong Lam University that serve as training sites and places to conduct cocoa experiments.
- On-going maintenance of 5 ha clonal trial and collecting data from commercial cacao demo farms.
- Following up demonstrations in all provinces in the South of Vietnam.
- Promoting cultivation of cacao in the new provinces.
- Training facilitators in Ben Tre and Tien Giang in framework of the SUCCESS Alliance Project.
- Revising the training-of-trainers manual to fit conditions in the highlands.
- Identifying 88 clones by microsatellites.
- Introducing four commercial clones.
- Serving as a resource for farmers and those interested in cocoa by maintaining an informal “cocoa hotline.” Typical caller questions relate to the topics of pest and disease control, prices, cacao clones, and planting technologies.
- Offering consultancy (free) to farmers and plantations in Dak Lak (Krong Ana Co., Buon Ho Company, Thang Muoi Co.) and Dong Nai (Nguyen Loc Co., Trong Duc Co.).
Few cacao seedlings have been planted over the last six months due to the dry season, but preparation of millions of seedlings is underway for the upcoming planting seasons. A new nursery was established to meet demand of the new project and farmers. The government is paying more attention to cocoa and many foreign visitors have visited the Nong Lam University Cocoa Project. The Center of Excellence in Dak Lak is ready to serve as a training site for practical activities when training-of-trainers is conducted.
Research Program: Pest Control –Helopeltis is the main pest in the highlands, Dak Lak, Dak Nong and Lam Dong provinces. Pods at all stages, from cherelle to ripe, are heavily infested by this insect, and the insect also affects young shoots. In severe cases, shoots are dried out on a large scale. Controlling this pest is difficult for farmers. Insecticide use is costly, not environmental sound and not very effective.
Ongoing research using black ants to control Helopeltis continues to be successful in one cocoa demo farm in Ben Tre. This is done by trapping the black ants from the nearby province where Helopeltis free farms have plenty of black ants. Plastic bags filled with cocoa leaves are used to trap the black ants. However, only a few ants enter the traps. Continuing observations are being conducted to collect further data.
Cocoa Germplasm: Identifying cocoa clones by micro-satellite. This research is conducted at the biotechnology lab of Nong Lam University with the supervision of Dr. Juan Carlos Motamayor of Mars Inc. A set of 21 accessions was first screened with 5 pairs of SSR primers, and later identified for fingerprinting purposes. Good results were obtained by using micro-satellites to identify 13 commercial clones and 8 local cacao clones. Ms. Nguyen Phuong Dung of the NLU cocoa team went to Miami, Florida for six months of training. She was trained in extraction of DNA, PCR, and analysis of molecular genetic data. She worked on the Papua New Guinea Project population consisting of 520 progeny and parents, to evaluate 32 micro-satellite markers for 520 cultivars in the population. She identified 88 entries of the NLU cocoa germplasm with the use of 13 pairs of SSR primers. Furthermore, with permission, four cacao clones were imported and will be tested for yield potential and other characteristics under Vietnam conditions. These clones are: TARS SEI # 31 w2-2-D9-18, 75R W2-1-M-4-1, EET 40 W2-1-T-1-6, TARS SEL # 31 W2-2-D-9-17
Quality: Bean quality remains a concern of most stakeholders in Vietnam. Cargill, one of the main cocoa buyers, is very active in encouraging farmers to practice fermentation. ED&F Man, another major cocoa buyer, offers a large price differential between fermented and unfermented cocoa beans. The NLU project conducted many experiments concerning the size of boxes for fermentation, wet cocoa volume, and containers for fermentation. Fermentation is a "must" in cocoa production. In addition to fermentation, drying is a main factor affecting bean quality. Solar dryers modeled after those developed in PNG have been produced and tested - they worked well in the Mekong Delta, and Ben Tre, but not in Dak Lak.
Regional Breeding Program: Initiated by WCF and Mars Inc., a regional breeding program has been formulated with the collaboration of Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea and India. Member countries produce specific progenies that will be exchanged among members. Also see MEETINGS section below for recent meeting report. More details on this project are available in the project's semi-annual report or contact Le Thi Tuyet e-mail: tuyetlethi@hcm.vnn.vn.
Dr. Nisao Ogata, Director, Programa Arboles Tropicales, Centro de Investigaciones Tropicales (CITRO), Universidad Veracruzana, Calle 7 de Enero #12. Col. Felipe Carrillo Puerto Xalapa, Veracruz, México C.P. 91080. Dr. Ogata’s work is on the molecular biology of ancient populations of cacao -ancestor/descendant relationships between populations. He is also reconstructing historic/archeaological situations around cacao in Mexico. Original area of distribution was from the Gulf (close to Texas border in the north) and Yucatan in the south, and, from Colema up to Chiapas. He has samples of all cacao stocks. One of things found was a group of populations of cacao from Topomac area. He’s sure they are pre-hispanic. For further information email: theobroma@mac.com, or nogata@uv.mx or visit the CITRO website.
Continue >>