The Americas Cacao Breeders Working Group was established during a meeting of the Americas Cacao Breeders to improve germplasm management and boost breeding efforts to adapt cacao production to changing weather and disease.
6 November 2014: The Americas Cacao Breeders Working Group was established during a meeting of the Americas Cacao Breeders to improve germplasm management and boost breeding efforts to adapt cacao production to changing weather and disease.
Supported by the World Cocoa Foundation (WCF), U.S. Department of Agriculture/Agricultural Research Service (USDA/ARS), Costa Rica’s Tropical Agricultural Research & Higher Education Center (CATIE) and Bioversity International on behalf of CacaoNet and the International Group for Genetic Improvement of Cocoa (INGENIC), the Working Group aims to facilitate coordination among cacao breeders, scientists in related disciplines, and industry members and improve collaboration on cacao breeding and management of germplasm resources. Members of the group will exchange information on breeding progress and cacao germplasm exchange in the Americas, and discuss successful models of germplasm management in other parts of the world.
The Americas Cacao Breeders meeting was held from 29 to 31 October, 2014 at CATIE in Turrialba, Costa Rica. Bioversity International is a member of the CGIAR consortium. [Bioversity International Press Release][WCF Press Release][CacoaNet Website][INGENIC Website]