Scientists have published research suggesting genetic engineering could be used to increase disease resistance in cacao trees. Globally, around 20-30% of cocoa pods are lost to disease each year. Testing on detached leaves, the team at Penn State University, led by Andrew Fister, used the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing tool to knock out a small number of copies of a gene that suppresses the plant's disease response. "But land, water, fertilizer and other inputs are limited. The researchers found that they were able to use this technique to make plants resistant to two types of pathogens, including powdery mildew and black spot disease. Gene-edited cacao embryos were also created and will be grown to test whether the approach could have the same effect on a whole plant.
Scientists have published research suggesting genetic engineering could be used to increase disease resistance in cacao trees. Globally, around 20-30% of cocoa pods are lost to disease each year. Testing on detached leaves, the team at Penn State University, led by Andrew Fister, used the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing tool to knock out a small number of copies of a gene that suppresses the plant's disease response. The researchers found that they were able to use this technique to make plants resistant to two types of pathogens, including powdery mildew and black spot disease. Gene-edited cacao embryos were also created and will be grown to test whether the approach could have the same effect on a whole plant.