Developing a core collection for the conservation of Theobroma cacao’s genetic diversity

Background. Crop core collections serve as a means of conserving genetic variation and providing a diverse array of accessions for future research and breeding endeavours. Despite the challenges posed by diseases and climate change to global cacao production, no centralized core collection currently...

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Main Authors: Todd, Evelyn T., Arigoni, Fabrizio, Holzwarth, James A, Bellanger, Laurence, Descombes, Patrick, Beche, Eduardo, Lass, Tony, Guiltinan, Mark J, Maximova, Siela N, Leandro Muñoz, Mariela E, Mérot, Virginie, Lepelley, Maud, Fillodeau, Audrey
Other Authors: Escobedo Aguilar
Format: Artículo
Language:Inglés
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:https://repositorio.catie.ac.cr/handle/11554/14205
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author Todd, Evelyn T.
Arigoni, Fabrizio
Holzwarth, James A
Bellanger, Laurence
Descombes, Patrick
Beche, Eduardo
Lass, Tony
Guiltinan, Mark J
Maximova, Siela N
Leandro Muñoz, Mariela E
Mérot, Virginie
Lepelley, Maud
Fillodeau, Audrey
author2 Escobedo Aguilar
author_browse Arigoni, Fabrizio
Beche, Eduardo
Bellanger, Laurence
Descombes, Patrick
Escobedo Aguilar
Fillodeau, Audrey
Guiltinan, Mark J
Holzwarth, James A
Lass, Tony
Leandro Muñoz, Mariela E
Lepelley, Maud
Maximova, Siela N
Mérot, Virginie
Todd, Evelyn T.
author_facet Escobedo Aguilar
Todd, Evelyn T.
Arigoni, Fabrizio
Holzwarth, James A
Bellanger, Laurence
Descombes, Patrick
Beche, Eduardo
Lass, Tony
Guiltinan, Mark J
Maximova, Siela N
Leandro Muñoz, Mariela E
Mérot, Virginie
Lepelley, Maud
Fillodeau, Audrey
author_sort Todd, Evelyn T.
collection Repositorio CATIE
description Background. Crop core collections serve as a means of conserving genetic variation and providing a diverse array of accessions for future research and breeding endeavours. Despite the challenges posed by diseases and climate change to global cacao production, no centralized core collection currently exists. To address this gap, we have assembled a new, general-purpose cacao core collection from accessions present in international collections. Results. A dataset of 310 cacao accessions from international collections were selected based on material availability, geographic origin, and known phenotypic characteristics. Population structure analysis of 26,601 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from these accessions revealed ten distinct genetic groups, consistent with previous studies. A core collection of 96 accessions was subsequently selected, encompassing 99.6% of the genetic diversity within the dataset. This collection comprises representatives of all ten genetic groups, as well as accessions exhibiting high productivity and pathogen resistance. Conclusions. This core collection will serve as a crucial genetic resource for the cacao community. Cultivating and maintaining the plants from this core collection will contribute to the preservation of genetic diversity within the population. Furthermore, this collection, when combined with appropriate phenotyping, will establish a foundation for novel breeding programs aimed at enhancing crop improvement in the future.
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spelling RepoCATIE142052025-11-30T04:41:43Z Developing a core collection for the conservation of Theobroma cacao’s genetic diversity Todd, Evelyn T. Arigoni, Fabrizio Holzwarth, James A Bellanger, Laurence Descombes, Patrick Beche, Eduardo Lass, Tony Guiltinan, Mark J Maximova, Siela N Leandro Muñoz, Mariela E Mérot, Virginie Lepelley, Maud Fillodeau, Audrey Escobedo Aguilar Theobroma cacao||Theobroma cacao||Theobroma cacao||Theobroma cacao Colección de referencia||core collections||undefined||collection de référence Diversidad genética (recurso)||genetic diversity (resource)||diversidade genética (como recurso)||diversité génétique (comme ressource) Genética de poblaciones||population genetics||Genética de populações||génétique des populations Cacao Cocoa Sede Central ODS 15 - Vida de ecosistemas terrestres Background. Crop core collections serve as a means of conserving genetic variation and providing a diverse array of accessions for future research and breeding endeavours. Despite the challenges posed by diseases and climate change to global cacao production, no centralized core collection currently exists. To address this gap, we have assembled a new, general-purpose cacao core collection from accessions present in international collections. Results. A dataset of 310 cacao accessions from international collections were selected based on material availability, geographic origin, and known phenotypic characteristics. Population structure analysis of 26,601 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from these accessions revealed ten distinct genetic groups, consistent with previous studies. A core collection of 96 accessions was subsequently selected, encompassing 99.6% of the genetic diversity within the dataset. This collection comprises representatives of all ten genetic groups, as well as accessions exhibiting high productivity and pathogen resistance. Conclusions. This core collection will serve as a crucial genetic resource for the cacao community. Cultivating and maintaining the plants from this core collection will contribute to the preservation of genetic diversity within the population. Furthermore, this collection, when combined with appropriate phenotyping, will establish a foundation for novel breeding programs aimed at enhancing crop improvement in the future. 2025-11-28T17:12:52Z 2025-11-28T17:12:52Z 2025-10-08 Artículo https://repositorio.catie.ac.cr/handle/11554/14205 openAccess en BMC Genomics https://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-025-11882-6 10 páginas application/pdf
spellingShingle Theobroma cacao||Theobroma cacao||Theobroma cacao||Theobroma cacao
Colección de referencia||core collections||undefined||collection de référence
Diversidad genética (recurso)||genetic diversity (resource)||diversidade genética (como recurso)||diversité génétique (comme ressource)
Genética de poblaciones||population genetics||Genética de populações||génétique des populations
Cacao
Cocoa
Sede Central
ODS 15 - Vida de ecosistemas terrestres
Todd, Evelyn T.
Arigoni, Fabrizio
Holzwarth, James A
Bellanger, Laurence
Descombes, Patrick
Beche, Eduardo
Lass, Tony
Guiltinan, Mark J
Maximova, Siela N
Leandro Muñoz, Mariela E
Mérot, Virginie
Lepelley, Maud
Fillodeau, Audrey
Developing a core collection for the conservation of Theobroma cacao’s genetic diversity
title Developing a core collection for the conservation of Theobroma cacao’s genetic diversity
title_full Developing a core collection for the conservation of Theobroma cacao’s genetic diversity
title_fullStr Developing a core collection for the conservation of Theobroma cacao’s genetic diversity
title_full_unstemmed Developing a core collection for the conservation of Theobroma cacao’s genetic diversity
title_short Developing a core collection for the conservation of Theobroma cacao’s genetic diversity
title_sort developing a core collection for the conservation of theobroma cacao s genetic diversity
topic Theobroma cacao||Theobroma cacao||Theobroma cacao||Theobroma cacao
Colección de referencia||core collections||undefined||collection de référence
Diversidad genética (recurso)||genetic diversity (resource)||diversidade genética (como recurso)||diversité génétique (comme ressource)
Genética de poblaciones||population genetics||Genética de populações||génétique des populations
Cacao
Cocoa
Sede Central
ODS 15 - Vida de ecosistemas terrestres
url https://repositorio.catie.ac.cr/handle/11554/14205
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