Introduction

Cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) the Food of Gods is an important plantation crop which, provides the worlds favorite food chocolates. Its native to Amazon region of South America was known as the beverage crop even before tea and coffee. Cultivation of cocoa started in India in the early 1970s and mainly grown as a mixed crop in Coconut and Arecanut plantations. At present, cocoa is cultivated in an area of 17,800 hectares in India with a production of 10,000 MT. Kerala accounts for 71 percent of the area and 80 percent of the production. It has great potential to be introduced in states where Coconut, Arecanut and Oil palm are grown. Cocoa being a profitable mixed crop, it is important to know about the varietal wealth for its cultivation and maximizing the productivity of plantation.

What is Germplasm?

Germplasm is the sum total of diversity available in a species which is a pre-requisite for genetic improvement program. Cocoa genetic resources assembled from various parts of the country and other growing countries serve various needs of cocoa researchers, farmers and industrialists. Characterization and documentation of genetic resources is an important step before tapping the full potential of germplasm.

CPCRI Collections

CPCRI has a collection of 158 accessions including 135 exotic and 23 indigenous accessions. Growth and yield characteristics were described and documented. Utilization of germplasm in breeding programmes and the outcome were also been presented in this Cocoa Germplasm Database.

How to Access the Database?  

This database consists of descriptor status of 158 Cocoa accessions along with photographs. Using this database we could retrieve the detailed descriptor data on plant habit, leaf, pod, bean characters, biochemical constituents, breeding potential with respect to compatibility reaction and pest & disease resistance data by simply choosing the name of the accession from the drop down menus. Cocoa breeding programmes conducted at CPCRI, progeny trials and varieties released are also being listed.