The cacao breeding and genetics group in Miami. Mars teams up with the USDA to improve cacao genetics for pest and disease resistance, better yields and climatic adaptation.

From a living research lab sitting on 197 acres of land in Miami, Florida, Mars scientists are working to protect the cacao tree – the source of cocoa beans – from the diseases and pests that threaten the world’s cacao supply.

Mars began researching disease prevention in cacao in the early 1990s after the Witches’ Broom disease effectively wiped out the Brazilian cacao industry. But the chocolate company took its research to a new level in 1999, when it entered into a collaborative partnership with the Agricultural Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA-ARS).

Now, leading scientists from both institutions are working at the USDA’s Subtropical Horticulture Research Station in Miami – the world’s foremost research institution for cacao genetics and the only site in the continental US that grows cacao outdoors – to genetically improve the plant. Part of the research program aims to map the cacao genome. By doing so, the scientists hope to identify the DNA sequences responsible for resistance to important diseases, which would likely enhance the selection for this trait in the field.

The research conducted by Mars and the USDA-ARS could tremendously impact the chocolate industry. A major challenge cacao growers face is the typical loss of 30 percent of their crop yield – at times up to 80 percent – due to pests and diseases. Growing cacao that could better withstand these externalities would significantly increase farmers’ incomes. It could also potentially prevent the spread of Witches’ Broom from South America to the rest of the world’s cacao producing regions. Moreover, resistant cacao cultivars may preclude the need for agricultural chemicals that can have harmful effects on the environment.

Mars is the only corporation working with the USDA-ARS in the prevention of cacao diseases. Through a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA), which extends until 2009, Mars provides funding to support cacao breeding trials in producing countries, while also agreeing to publicly share all research findings. In return, working with a reputable organization like the USDA that has established international relationships, provides Mars access to the best research institutions in Ecuador, Costa Rica, Ghana, Papua New Guinea and many other cacao-growing countries where Mars aims to make a difference.

Working with foreign institutions allows Mars to support sustainable programs that teach new agricultural technologies to cacao farmers, teach farmers to diversify their crops and sources of income, and help scientists from developing countries achieve PhDs. Initiatives such as these assure that cacao growing countries will maintain a network of people who work together, have access to technology and can continue research based on the groundwork Mars has laid.

Mars associates are directly involved in the work at the Miami research center, namely Dr. Juan Carlos Motamayor, cacao genetics research director, under the direction of Dr. Howard-Yana Shapiro, global staff officer for plant science and external research. They work alongside three USDA-ARS scientists, research geneticist Raymond Schnell, program statistician Steve Brown and molecular biologist David Kuhn.

To read more about Mars cocoa sustainability activities, click here.