This study aims to investigate the abundance of AMF according to soil properties and altitudes in different cacao plantations of Cameroon. Physico-chemical analyses were made on soil samples collected from three agro-...This study aims to investigate the abundance of AMF according to soil properties and altitudes in different cacao plantations of Cameroon. Physico-chemical analyses were made on soil samples collected from three agro-ecological zones. Soil samples were also used to evaluate directly the AMF abundance following the various altitudes and after trapping by sorghum plant. The results showed that soil properties, AMF spore abundances and colonization fluctuated significantly at different altitudes. The most represented texture was sandy loam. The bimodal zone presented a homogeneous texture (sandy loam) in all its localities. Cacao soil chemical characteristics showed that, the highest nitrogen rate (0.47%;p 0.05, Scott-Knott test) was recorded at Melong in a monomodal zone while Tonga in the Western highlands displayed the lowest rate (0.13%). Soil P concentration was significantly high in monomodal zones (Mbanga and Melong). Soil pH level indicated that the soil from Tonga in the Western highlands was neutral (pH = 6.67), and soils of other localities under study were acidic with the lowest (4.75) pH level recorded at Melong in a monomodal zone. In soil samples, the highest spore density (1.03 spores/g soil) was observed at Ntui in Bimodal zone, while the lowest spore density (0.26 spores/g soil) was observed at Bafang in the Western highlands. Root colonization showed that the sample from Bokito in a bimodal zone displayed the best frequency of mycorrhization (86.11%) while the sample from Bafang in the Western highlands recorded the lowest (27.11%). The PCA analysis highlighted that available phosphorus, pH and altitude all strongly correlated with AMF root colonization ability and can be used as a predictor of AMF colonization ability in cacao rhizosphere.展开更多
Cacao is a tree crop of high economic importance and the subject of several studies aiming the genetic improvement of the species with the incorporation of characteristics that are agronomically important to create su...Cacao is a tree crop of high economic importance and the subject of several studies aiming the genetic improvement of the species with the incorporation of characteristics that are agronomically important to create superior genotypes. In this context, this study aimed to characterize 22 genotypes of cacao for sexual compatibility, which is a trait that is strongly associated with yield. Additionally, we identify genotypes incompatible with clone TSH-1188 through controlled intercrosses, due to the great importance of this clone in cocoa breeding. Fifteen genotypes were characterized as self-incompatible and other seven as self-compatible, considering the retention index (20%) of self-pollinated flowers. Nine genotypes were characterized for the first time: CCN-16, COCA-3310, COCA-3370/5, EB-1017, IMC-119, IMC-97, LCTEEN-37A, NA-45, and UF-612. Cacao genotypes showed flower retention index ranging from 0.0% to 55.1% after 15 days of self-pollinations. The number of retained flowers varied after self-pollination of cacao genotypes at 1, 5 and 15 days after pollination. CCN-51, Catongo, CCN-10 and P-4B, were the genotypes with minor losses of flowers after 15 days of pollination, while IMC-119 and TSH-516 had 100% of loss of flowers between 1 and 5 days after pollination. Moreover, the flower retention index 15 days after cross-pollination with TSH-1188 ranged from 0.0% to 87.5% among the tested genotypes. The results of cross-pollinations identified two genotypes that are incompatibles, EB-1017 and IMC-119. This result is important for future allelic studies of incompatibility in cacao, because it might indicate that these genotypes share the same self-incompatibility allele(s). We conclude, therefore, that this study enable the characterization of this working collection of cocoa germplasm for sexual compatibility and this information is important for subsequent crosses between cacao genotypes.展开更多
Hair coloring is widely used by women and men either to change their natural hair color or to delay the onset of gray hair. Oxidative dyes may damage the hair, since chemical and physical procedures are involved to al...Hair coloring is widely used by women and men either to change their natural hair color or to delay the onset of gray hair. Oxidative dyes may damage the hair, since chemical and physical procedures are involved to alter the structure hair and consequently, alterations in its mechanical and of surface properties. One benefit of hair conditioners is to prevent flyaway hair, make the hair “shine”, and protect the hair from further damage. In this research we analyzed the hair protective effect conditioner agents Argania spinosa kernel oil and/or Theobroma grandiflorum seed butter in hair care on Caucasian hair post treatment with hair dye. The hairs were submitted by quantifying protein loss. The samples were classified as: hair untreated (I);hair treated with a commercial oxidative ultra-blond hair dye (II);hair post treatment II and F1: Base hair care formulation (III), hair post treatment II and F2: Base hair care formulation containing 1.0% (w/w) Argania spinosa kernel oil (IV), hair post treatment II and F3: Base hair care formulation containing 1.0% (w/w) Theobroma grandiflorum seed butter (V) and hair post treatment II and F4: Base hair care formulation containing 0.5% (w/w) Argania spinosa kernel oil and 0.5% (w/w) Theobroma grandiflorum seed butter (VI). For the protein loss, the results were: IIA = IIIA > IB = IVB = VB = VIB. Results classified with different letters present statistically significant differents, for α = 5, p ≤ 0.05, n = 6. Based on the results, the incorporation of conditioners agents Argania spinosa kernel oil and/or Theobroma grandiflorum seed butter in base hair care formulation applied in Caucasian hair post treatment with hair dye decreased the damage caused to hair by the coloring process.展开更多
Phosphorus (P) is an essential macronutrient for the growth and development of cocoa tree (Theobroma cacao Linn). Most of the soils used for cocoa farming in C?te d’Ivoire are low in phosphorus. But cocoa farmers gen...Phosphorus (P) is an essential macronutrient for the growth and development of cocoa tree (Theobroma cacao Linn). Most of the soils used for cocoa farming in C?te d’Ivoire are low in phosphorus. But cocoa farmers generally have a widespread reluctance to invest in chemicals fertilizers due to high costs and environmental associated risk. Phosphate Solubilizing Bacteria (PSB) are kwon to play an important role in supply of phosphorous to plants in a sustainable manner in P deficient soils. The aim of this research was to screen the endophytic bacteria of cocoa nurseries able to solubilize tri-calcium phosphate. Seedlings of two varieties of cocoa (P7 and NA32) and seedlings of an all-comer, were grown on eighteen (18) samples soils collected in six producing regions of C?te d’Ivoire. A total of 218 endophytic bacteria were isolated and tested on the Pikovskaya’s agar medium, containing Ca3 (PO4) 2. The colonies with clear zone around the microbial growth were suspected as phosphate solubilizing bacteria. Out of 218 bacteria, 90 (41.28%) showed a clear zone around colonies after 7 days of incubation. The Phosphate Solubilization Index (PSI) ranged from 20% to 200%. Bacterial isolated from the soils of Duékoué locality showed the highest mean index of 137.67%. Five PSB (CEBSP5, CEBSP6, CEBSP7, CEBSP8, and CEBSP9) from Duékoué soils and two PSB (CEBSP12 and CEBSP13) from Soubré soils have a PSI ranged from 150% to 200%. Further study in greenhouse and in field condition will confirm the use of these PSB as biofertilizer to increase the available P content in soils, reduce environmental pollution and promote sustainable agriculture.展开更多
Cocoa (Theobroma cacao), in all its presentations, is consumed all over the world and is one of the main drivers of the economic in several countries. The world’s Cocoa tendency is focused on developing special beans...Cocoa (Theobroma cacao), in all its presentations, is consumed all over the world and is one of the main drivers of the economic in several countries. The world’s Cocoa tendency is focused on developing special beans. This category is subject to postharvest processes of utmost importance such as the fermentation and dry, which are currently carried out with traditional and poorly effective devices, which need to be improved to obtain a high quality product. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of the pectin lyase enzyme (E.C.4.2.2.10) on the postharvest cocoa process. We evaluated the enzyme dosage (1.0% and 0.5%) in fermentation and its effect on the variables temperature, acidity and drying time by convection at 60°C. The Pectin lyase activity during fermentation does not cause a significant effect on the variables of temperature and acidity;however, the drying process time required to achieve 7.0% moisture was reduced. The enzyme dosage of 1.0% was the best result, the amount of exudate obtained (115 ml) during fermentation and the best degree of fermentation (77% ± 3.8) were increased and further shows a change in porosity facilitating the scale surface and internal moisture diffusion. The drying rate (Nw) expressed in kg<sub>water</sub>/m<sup>2 *</sup> min was determined based on the empirical model of Newton, where the higher speed was obtained during the falling period. In conclusion, enzyme dosage 1% was the best concentration evaluated because weaken grain husk, which allowed an adequate fermentation,and subsequent time drying reduction until 10.8 h.展开更多
The effect of agricultural practices on soil organic nitrogen （N） fractions in a cocoa plantation has not been much revealed till now. Despite the fact that soil organic N has been long admitted for its importance t...The effect of agricultural practices on soil organic nitrogen （N） fractions in a cocoa plantation has not been much revealed till now. Despite the fact that soil organic N has been long admitted for its importance to maintain soil fertility. Presented field experiment was conducted in Kaliwining Experimental Station, Indonesian Coffee and Cocoa Research Institute （ICCRI）, Jember, East Java, Indonesia, to investigate the effect of cocoa farm management, namely fertilization, weeding and soil tillage on the content of soil organic N fractions. The design of experiment was arranged in a split-split plot with two levels of weeding as main plots, two levels of soil tillage as subplot and three different fertilizer treatments as sub-sub plot. The analysis of soil N including total N and soil organic N fractions, namely, total hydrolized N, ammonium N, amino sugar N and amino acid N, were performed. The result showed that the effect of fertilization treatment was significant to the content of total N, ammonium N, amino sugar N and amino acid N. No-tillage treatment resulted in total N and amino sugar-N content increasing by 8% and 24%, respectively, over tillage treatment. Slashing treatment caused increase of the total N by 3% from herbicide treatment, whilst decrease of ammonium N and amino sugar N by 7% and 24%, respectively.展开更多
Changes in total polyphenols, O-diphenols and anthocyanin concentrations during fermentation and drying of pulp pre-conditioned cocoa （Theobroma cacao） beans were investigated using standard analytical methods. Incr...Changes in total polyphenols, O-diphenols and anthocyanin concentrations during fermentation and drying of pulp pre-conditioned cocoa （Theobroma cacao） beans were investigated using standard analytical methods. Increasing pod storage, fermentation and drying led to variable reductions in total polyphenols, O-diphenols and anthocyanins content of the beans. The rates of reduction were however more pronounced during fermentation than pod storage and drying. Storage of cocoa pods between 3-7 days with 6 and 7 days of fermentation and drying respectively retained 85%-90% of the total polyphenol and O-diphenols of the cocoa beans. Similarly, anthocyanin content of beans from the 10 days of pod storage decreased by 70% in the sixth day of fermentation. Pod storage decreased the anthocyanin content at all periods of fermentation. These suggest that the post-harvest treatments of pod storage, fermentation and drying all results in variable reductions in polyphenolic content （total polyphenols and O-diphenols） and anthocyanins content of cocoa beans.展开更多
In the last years,colorectal cancer(CRC)has been increasing substantially in developing countries.While the consumption of fat and meat have been linked with increased CRC risk,fruits intake can be protective.In addit...In the last years,colorectal cancer(CRC)has been increasing substantially in developing countries.While the consumption of fat and meat have been linked with increased CRC risk,fruits intake can be protective.In addition,since CRC’s chemotherapy may be accompanied with adverse effects,natural plant products have been postulated as alternative or complementary therapeutic options.Brazilian fruits are rich sources of bioactive compounds,mainly phenolic compounds,with antioxidant,anti-inflammatory,and anticancer benefits,thus,future candidates for CRC management.Therefore,this narrative review aims to present and discuss the potential of native Brazilian fruits(e.g.,açaí,cocoa,jaboticaba,passionfruit)on CRC.Experimental studies performed from 2001 to present were considered.Polyphenol-rich powders and extracts from Brazilian fruits are the most promising products for CRC management.Studies with açaí(Euterpe oleracea)and cocoa(Theobroma cacao)are more numerous and their effects on CRC models in vitro and in vivo are demonstrated with more complexity in terms of molecular mechanisms.The main signaling pathways modulated by the effects of native Brazilian fruits,so far studied on CRC,are associated with:1.apoptosis(B-cell lymphoma 2-and caspase 3-related proteins),2.inflammation(pro-inflammatory interleukins and enzymes),and 3.oxidative stress(antioxidant enzymes).In addition,adhesion molecules and nuclear factor kappa B have been shown to be downregulated,which can interfere positively in several cellular processes,including proliferation,angiogenesis,and migration.The investigation of signaling pathways of great relevance for CRC initiation and progression is still necessary.展开更多
Apparent electrical conductivity is an important parameter for describing the spatial vari-ability of physical and chemical attributes of the soil and for the delineation of manage-ment zones.The objective of this wor...Apparent electrical conductivity is an important parameter for describing the spatial vari-ability of physical and chemical attributes of the soil and for the delineation of manage-ment zones.The objective of this work is to outline management zones for the cocoa cultivation based on the spatial variability of the productivity and the apparent electrical conductivity(ECa)of the soil.Data collection was performed in a regular sample grid con-taining 120 points in an area cultivated with cocoa trees,located in the municipality of Ilhe´us,state of Bahia,Brazil.At each sampling point(cocoa tree),soil samples were col-lected to determine chemical attributes.Productivity was measured for one year,counting,monthly,the number of fruits,which were classified into off-season cocoa,harvest and annual production.Measurements of the apparent electrical conductivity of the soil were performed at different times of the year using a portable conductivity meter.The data were analyzed using classical statistics and geostatistics.The management zones were delin-eated using the fuzzy k-means algorithm.The ideal number of class was defined using the fuzziness performance index(FPI)and the entropy of the modified partition(MPE)indexes.The Kappa coefficient was used to validate the management zones,assessing their agreement with the chemical attributes of the soil.The ECa of the soil values pre-sented moderate temporal variation,with maximum amplitude of 19.37 mS m1 and min-imum of 0.82 mS m1 between measurement periods;higher averages of the ECa coincided with the highest levels of water in the soil.The measurements of the ECa of the soil carried out in April and October showed greater correlation with the chemical attributes of the soil,with significant values for 11 and 8 of the 17 attributes evaluated,respectively.The man-agement zones from the ECa measured in April showed:a)reduced number of classes;b)spatial continuity between classes,and;c)agreement from reasonable(kappa between 0.20 and 0.40)to good(kappa>0.41)with most of the展开更多
Changes in nib acidity, protein and sugar concentration during roasting of pulp pre-conditioned and fermented cocoa （Theobroma cacao） beans were investigated. A 4 - 4 full factorial design with the principal experim...Changes in nib acidity, protein and sugar concentration during roasting of pulp pre-conditioned and fermented cocoa （Theobroma cacao） beans were investigated. A 4 - 4 full factorial design with the principal experimental factors as pod storage （0, 3, 7 and l0 d） and roasting time （0, 15, 30 and 45 min） were used. The roasted samples were evaluated for pH, titratable acidity, protein content and sugars concentrations using standard methods. Increasing pod storage caused consistent increases in pH with concomitant decreases in titratable acidity, whereas increasing roasting time caused only marginal and insignificant changes in pH but significantly decreased the titratable acidity. The protein content decreased significantly （P 〈 0.05） with increasing pod storage and roasting time. Reducing sugars increased marginally with increasing pod storage treatments whiles increasing roasting time significantly （P 〈 0.05） decreased the reducing sugars of the beans for all pod storage. The non-reducing sugar and total sugar content of the beans decreased significantly from 3.493 mg/g to 2.641 mg/g and from 9.284 mg/g to 8.891 mg/g, respectively, for pods stored from 0 to 10 days while roasting time caused slight decreases in non-reducing sugars with a considerable decrease in total sugars. Pod storage up to seven days decreased considerable the nib acidity （non-volatile acids）, non-reducing sugars and total sugars while roasting up to 45 min at 120 ℃ caused dramatic decreases in the nib acidity and reducing sugars with only marginal decreases in non-reducing sugars and total sugars.展开更多
Investigations were conducted to establish effects of fermentation and drying on the fermentation index （FI） and cut test of pulp pre-conditioned Ghanaian cocoa beans using a 4 x 3 full factorial experimental design...Investigations were conducted to establish effects of fermentation and drying on the fermentation index （FI） and cut test of pulp pre-conditioned Ghanaian cocoa beans using a 4 x 3 full factorial experimental design with the principal factors being pod storage （0, 3, 7 and 10 d） and fermentation time （0, 3 and 6 d） to study the changes occurring during the fermentation process. The study also used a 4 x 3 full factorial design with pod storage （0, 3, 7 and 10 d） and drying time （0, 3 and 7 d） being the principal factors investigated to study the changes occurring during the drying process. FI and cut test of the beans were studied during fermentation as well as the drying process. FI of the beans increased significantly with pod storage and fermentation but decreased slightly during drying. FI of the unfermented beans increased slightly from 0.674 for the unstored pods to 0.763 after 10 days of pod storage. The FI of the fermented beans （six days fermentation） also increased from 1.390 for the unstored pods to 1.424 for pods stored for 10 days. It decreased from 1.389 at the start of drying for the unstored pods to 1.105 for pods stored for 10 days at the end of drying （seven days）. FI of all the beans were however, above 1.0 at the end of fermentation and drying for all pod storage treatments. Cut test revealed that storage of pods for 3, 7 and 10 days increased the percentage of brown beans by 66%, 94% and 72%, respectively, by the sixth day of fermentation. Percentage of brown beans decreased to 61%, 76% and 63%, respectively, for pods stored for 3, 7 and 10 d at the end of drying （seven days）. Cocoa pods can be stored for up to 10 days, fermented for six days and dried for seven days with the necessary formation of brown pigments characteristics of well fermented and dried cocoa beans.展开更多
Fruitlet abscission （cherelle wilt） is a major factor contributing to lower productivity of cacao plantation in Indonesia. An attempt was made to reduce such cherelle wilt by spraying plant growth retardants （PGRs...Fruitlet abscission （cherelle wilt） is a major factor contributing to lower productivity of cacao plantation in Indonesia. An attempt was made to reduce such cherelle wilt by spraying plant growth retardants （PGRs） on cacao trees at about 10 weeks before flowering session. The treatment was repeated every three weeks. Both the flowering initiation time and the number of flowers on the treated trees were improved significantly. With the most effective composition, flowers were initiated at 24 days after spraying （DAS）, where as the flowering initiation was 11-day later in the controls. At the 35 DAS, the chlorocholine chloride （CCC） 2,000 treatment induced about 20-80 folds more flowers than the controls. Extended observation was made to assess the treatment effect on the fruiting capacity. The treatments were found to improve fruiting ability by increasing the number of fruits set on the trees and shortening the time for fruit setting. At 20 weeks after the first spraying （WAS） there were on average 12.57 fruits per CCC 2,000-treated tree, as opposed to only 4.14 fruits per untreated tree. Analyses of the metabolites content in the flower cushions of the trees indicated that the reproductive growth is significantly correlated with the increased metabolites particularly the reduced sugar. Exogenous addition of sucrose to the PGR treatment gave greater improvement mainly in the fruiting. In conclusion, foliar spray of CCC induces flowering of cacao tress in the field that leads to improve the fruitlets productivity.展开更多
We have characterized the number of ovules per ovary (NoOV) in cacao plants originated from crossing the clones CCN 51 and TSH 1188 (segregating progeny) and determined the heritability of this characteristic in order...We have characterized the number of ovules per ovary (NoOV) in cacao plants originated from crossing the clones CCN 51 and TSH 1188 (segregating progeny) and determined the heritability of this characteristic in order to select plants with higher NoOV in this progeny. The NoOV was calculated as the average of 10 flowers per plant and ranged from 44.8 to 58.6 between the six clones (two parents and four clones belonging to their genealogy). In the progeny (n = 209 plants) the NoOV averaged 54.3 (range 44.1 to 67.8). The NoOV was distributed uniformly among the progeny indicating that this trait is conditioned by polygenes. Its heritability was estimated at 67.7%. The 32 plants with NoOV similar or superior to the genitor CCN 51 (highest amount among clones) were selected for use in the genetic improvement program. We showed that this population is suitable for genetic mapping, molecular marker identification and selection of superior cacao genotypes.展开更多
Preliminary research results indicated that the stomata is one important trait that can be used as an indicator of resistance to vascular streak dieback （VSD） disease. The influence of genotype and environment on th...Preliminary research results indicated that the stomata is one important trait that can be used as an indicator of resistance to vascular streak dieback （VSD） disease. The influence of genotype and environment on the stomatal characters is expected to provide information for specificlocations （habitats） suitable for planting cocoa in particular to avoid VSD attack. The research was conducted at KendengLembu, PTPNXII, East Java. Experimental design used a splitplot design testing： location （altitude） and genotype factors. The location factors, distinguished on the basis of the altitude, were labelled highlands and lowlands. The genotype factors consisted of three clones with different levels of resistance to VSD diseases： PA 191 （tolerant）, BL 703 and GC 29 （susceptible）. The cocoa clones observed were top grafted onto locally available rootstock seedling and planted in 2006-2007. The maintenance of the plants was conducted in accordance with the standards of cocoa cultivation in the PTPN XII. Parameters measured were leaf stomata traits at different positions of the leaf （tip, middle and base）. Characters observed were the number of stomata, opening width of stomata, and diameter of the stomata. The results of the research showed that PA 191 in the lowlands had the lowest number, diameter and opening width of stomata. In contrast, GC 29 in the lowlands showed the highest number of stomata PA 191 and BL 703 in the highlands had a number, diameter and openings width of stomata that was relatively low compared with GC 29. However, the characters of the stomata （number, diameter and openings width of stomata） of the three genotypes in the highland showed a smaller value in each case than in the lowlands. The severity level of VSD attack was greater in the lowlands than in the highlands and PA 191 showed the lowest level of VSD attack at both altitudes.展开更多
The authors investigated the plant species used for charcoal production and their sources and the willingness of the producers to plant charcoal-making species. Furthermore, the authors indirectly determined the invol...The authors investigated the plant species used for charcoal production and their sources and the willingness of the producers to plant charcoal-making species. Furthermore, the authors indirectly determined the involvement of farmers in charcoal production in Atwima Mponua District of Ghana. A total of 120 producers were interviewed and simple ranking was used for the analysis. Twenty-three plant species were used with the first, second, third and fourth which were Celtis mildbraediL Cylicodiscus gabunensis, Margaritoria discoides and Amphimas pterocarpoides respectively. However, the Amphimas pterocarpoides was not among the traditional charcoal-producing species. The wood used came from seven different sources. None of the charcoal producers had a plantation of charcoal-producing species. Only 13 % of the producers were willing to plant, 87% of them who were not willing to plant indicated that they would leave charcoal production if the resource got finished. The 120 charcoal producers were made up roughly of 56% males, and 44% females and in which 69.2% of them were farmers.展开更多
根据野外采样和文献查阅,系统整理了可可的地理分布记录,并利用MaxEnt生态位模型和ArcGIS软件对可可的潜在适宜分布范围进行预测。结果表明:北美洲南部、中南美洲北部、非洲西部、亚洲东南部以及太平洋美拉尼西亚群岛地区均是可可的潜...根据野外采样和文献查阅,系统整理了可可的地理分布记录,并利用MaxEnt生态位模型和ArcGIS软件对可可的潜在适宜分布范围进行预测。结果表明:北美洲南部、中南美洲北部、非洲西部、亚洲东南部以及太平洋美拉尼西亚群岛地区均是可可的潜在适宜分布区域。其中,中国海南、台湾南部、云南西双版纳、广东雷州半岛也属于可可的适生范围。经ROC(Receiver operating characteristic)曲线分析法验证,MaxEnt模型的AUC(Area under curve)值为0.977,表明预测结果具有较高的可信度。各环境变量重要性的Jacknife检验表明,极端最低温度、年降雨量、年温度变化范围、最暖季降雨量对可可的潜在分布影响最大。展开更多
文摘This study aims to investigate the abundance of AMF according to soil properties and altitudes in different cacao plantations of Cameroon. Physico-chemical analyses were made on soil samples collected from three agro-ecological zones. Soil samples were also used to evaluate directly the AMF abundance following the various altitudes and after trapping by sorghum plant. The results showed that soil properties, AMF spore abundances and colonization fluctuated significantly at different altitudes. The most represented texture was sandy loam. The bimodal zone presented a homogeneous texture (sandy loam) in all its localities. Cacao soil chemical characteristics showed that, the highest nitrogen rate (0.47%;p 0.05, Scott-Knott test) was recorded at Melong in a monomodal zone while Tonga in the Western highlands displayed the lowest rate (0.13%). Soil P concentration was significantly high in monomodal zones (Mbanga and Melong). Soil pH level indicated that the soil from Tonga in the Western highlands was neutral (pH = 6.67), and soils of other localities under study were acidic with the lowest (4.75) pH level recorded at Melong in a monomodal zone. In soil samples, the highest spore density (1.03 spores/g soil) was observed at Ntui in Bimodal zone, while the lowest spore density (0.26 spores/g soil) was observed at Bafang in the Western highlands. Root colonization showed that the sample from Bokito in a bimodal zone displayed the best frequency of mycorrhization (86.11%) while the sample from Bafang in the Western highlands recorded the lowest (27.11%). The PCA analysis highlighted that available phosphorus, pH and altitude all strongly correlated with AMF root colonization ability and can be used as a predictor of AMF colonization ability in cacao rhizosphere.
文摘Cacao is a tree crop of high economic importance and the subject of several studies aiming the genetic improvement of the species with the incorporation of characteristics that are agronomically important to create superior genotypes. In this context, this study aimed to characterize 22 genotypes of cacao for sexual compatibility, which is a trait that is strongly associated with yield. Additionally, we identify genotypes incompatible with clone TSH-1188 through controlled intercrosses, due to the great importance of this clone in cocoa breeding. Fifteen genotypes were characterized as self-incompatible and other seven as self-compatible, considering the retention index (20%) of self-pollinated flowers. Nine genotypes were characterized for the first time: CCN-16, COCA-3310, COCA-3370/5, EB-1017, IMC-119, IMC-97, LCTEEN-37A, NA-45, and UF-612. Cacao genotypes showed flower retention index ranging from 0.0% to 55.1% after 15 days of self-pollinations. The number of retained flowers varied after self-pollination of cacao genotypes at 1, 5 and 15 days after pollination. CCN-51, Catongo, CCN-10 and P-4B, were the genotypes with minor losses of flowers after 15 days of pollination, while IMC-119 and TSH-516 had 100% of loss of flowers between 1 and 5 days after pollination. Moreover, the flower retention index 15 days after cross-pollination with TSH-1188 ranged from 0.0% to 87.5% among the tested genotypes. The results of cross-pollinations identified two genotypes that are incompatibles, EB-1017 and IMC-119. This result is important for future allelic studies of incompatibility in cacao, because it might indicate that these genotypes share the same self-incompatibility allele(s). We conclude, therefore, that this study enable the characterization of this working collection of cocoa germplasm for sexual compatibility and this information is important for subsequent crosses between cacao genotypes.
文摘Hair coloring is widely used by women and men either to change their natural hair color or to delay the onset of gray hair. Oxidative dyes may damage the hair, since chemical and physical procedures are involved to alter the structure hair and consequently, alterations in its mechanical and of surface properties. One benefit of hair conditioners is to prevent flyaway hair, make the hair “shine”, and protect the hair from further damage. In this research we analyzed the hair protective effect conditioner agents Argania spinosa kernel oil and/or Theobroma grandiflorum seed butter in hair care on Caucasian hair post treatment with hair dye. The hairs were submitted by quantifying protein loss. The samples were classified as: hair untreated (I);hair treated with a commercial oxidative ultra-blond hair dye (II);hair post treatment II and F1: Base hair care formulation (III), hair post treatment II and F2: Base hair care formulation containing 1.0% (w/w) Argania spinosa kernel oil (IV), hair post treatment II and F3: Base hair care formulation containing 1.0% (w/w) Theobroma grandiflorum seed butter (V) and hair post treatment II and F4: Base hair care formulation containing 0.5% (w/w) Argania spinosa kernel oil and 0.5% (w/w) Theobroma grandiflorum seed butter (VI). For the protein loss, the results were: IIA = IIIA > IB = IVB = VB = VIB. Results classified with different letters present statistically significant differents, for α = 5, p ≤ 0.05, n = 6. Based on the results, the incorporation of conditioners agents Argania spinosa kernel oil and/or Theobroma grandiflorum seed butter in base hair care formulation applied in Caucasian hair post treatment with hair dye decreased the damage caused to hair by the coloring process.
文摘Phosphorus (P) is an essential macronutrient for the growth and development of cocoa tree (Theobroma cacao Linn). Most of the soils used for cocoa farming in C?te d’Ivoire are low in phosphorus. But cocoa farmers generally have a widespread reluctance to invest in chemicals fertilizers due to high costs and environmental associated risk. Phosphate Solubilizing Bacteria (PSB) are kwon to play an important role in supply of phosphorous to plants in a sustainable manner in P deficient soils. The aim of this research was to screen the endophytic bacteria of cocoa nurseries able to solubilize tri-calcium phosphate. Seedlings of two varieties of cocoa (P7 and NA32) and seedlings of an all-comer, were grown on eighteen (18) samples soils collected in six producing regions of C?te d’Ivoire. A total of 218 endophytic bacteria were isolated and tested on the Pikovskaya’s agar medium, containing Ca3 (PO4) 2. The colonies with clear zone around the microbial growth were suspected as phosphate solubilizing bacteria. Out of 218 bacteria, 90 (41.28%) showed a clear zone around colonies after 7 days of incubation. The Phosphate Solubilization Index (PSI) ranged from 20% to 200%. Bacterial isolated from the soils of Duékoué locality showed the highest mean index of 137.67%. Five PSB (CEBSP5, CEBSP6, CEBSP7, CEBSP8, and CEBSP9) from Duékoué soils and two PSB (CEBSP12 and CEBSP13) from Soubré soils have a PSI ranged from 150% to 200%. Further study in greenhouse and in field condition will confirm the use of these PSB as biofertilizer to increase the available P content in soils, reduce environmental pollution and promote sustainable agriculture.
文摘Cocoa (Theobroma cacao), in all its presentations, is consumed all over the world and is one of the main drivers of the economic in several countries. The world’s Cocoa tendency is focused on developing special beans. This category is subject to postharvest processes of utmost importance such as the fermentation and dry, which are currently carried out with traditional and poorly effective devices, which need to be improved to obtain a high quality product. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of the pectin lyase enzyme (E.C.4.2.2.10) on the postharvest cocoa process. We evaluated the enzyme dosage (1.0% and 0.5%) in fermentation and its effect on the variables temperature, acidity and drying time by convection at 60°C. The Pectin lyase activity during fermentation does not cause a significant effect on the variables of temperature and acidity;however, the drying process time required to achieve 7.0% moisture was reduced. The enzyme dosage of 1.0% was the best result, the amount of exudate obtained (115 ml) during fermentation and the best degree of fermentation (77% ± 3.8) were increased and further shows a change in porosity facilitating the scale surface and internal moisture diffusion. The drying rate (Nw) expressed in kg<sub>water</sub>/m<sup>2 *</sup> min was determined based on the empirical model of Newton, where the higher speed was obtained during the falling period. In conclusion, enzyme dosage 1% was the best concentration evaluated because weaken grain husk, which allowed an adequate fermentation,and subsequent time drying reduction until 10.8 h.
文摘The effect of agricultural practices on soil organic nitrogen （N） fractions in a cocoa plantation has not been much revealed till now. Despite the fact that soil organic N has been long admitted for its importance to maintain soil fertility. Presented field experiment was conducted in Kaliwining Experimental Station, Indonesian Coffee and Cocoa Research Institute （ICCRI）, Jember, East Java, Indonesia, to investigate the effect of cocoa farm management, namely fertilization, weeding and soil tillage on the content of soil organic N fractions. The design of experiment was arranged in a split-split plot with two levels of weeding as main plots, two levels of soil tillage as subplot and three different fertilizer treatments as sub-sub plot. The analysis of soil N including total N and soil organic N fractions, namely, total hydrolized N, ammonium N, amino sugar N and amino acid N, were performed. The result showed that the effect of fertilization treatment was significant to the content of total N, ammonium N, amino sugar N and amino acid N. No-tillage treatment resulted in total N and amino sugar-N content increasing by 8% and 24%, respectively, over tillage treatment. Slashing treatment caused increase of the total N by 3% from herbicide treatment, whilst decrease of ammonium N and amino sugar N by 7% and 24%, respectively.
文摘Changes in total polyphenols, O-diphenols and anthocyanin concentrations during fermentation and drying of pulp pre-conditioned cocoa （Theobroma cacao） beans were investigated using standard analytical methods. Increasing pod storage, fermentation and drying led to variable reductions in total polyphenols, O-diphenols and anthocyanins content of the beans. The rates of reduction were however more pronounced during fermentation than pod storage and drying. Storage of cocoa pods between 3-7 days with 6 and 7 days of fermentation and drying respectively retained 85%-90% of the total polyphenol and O-diphenols of the cocoa beans. Similarly, anthocyanin content of beans from the 10 days of pod storage decreased by 70% in the sixth day of fermentation. Pod storage decreased the anthocyanin content at all periods of fermentation. These suggest that the post-harvest treatments of pod storage, fermentation and drying all results in variable reductions in polyphenolic content （total polyphenols and O-diphenols） and anthocyanins content of cocoa beans.
基金Special thanks to 1.Paula Januzzi Guedes,a self-employed design professional responsible for creating the figures,and 2.Red Iberomericana de Alimentos Autoctonos Subutilizados(ALSUB-CYTED,118RT0543)This study was partly funded by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnol´ogico(CNPq)-Processes 140812/2019-9,403328/2016-0,and 301496/2019-63.Fundaç˜ao de Amparo`a Pesquisa do Estado de S˜ao Paulo(FAPESP)-Processes 15/50333-1,15/13320-9,17/23657-6,18/11069-5,19/25048-2,and 19/03228-9.
文摘In the last years,colorectal cancer(CRC)has been increasing substantially in developing countries.While the consumption of fat and meat have been linked with increased CRC risk,fruits intake can be protective.In addition,since CRC’s chemotherapy may be accompanied with adverse effects,natural plant products have been postulated as alternative or complementary therapeutic options.Brazilian fruits are rich sources of bioactive compounds,mainly phenolic compounds,with antioxidant,anti-inflammatory,and anticancer benefits,thus,future candidates for CRC management.Therefore,this narrative review aims to present and discuss the potential of native Brazilian fruits(e.g.,açaí,cocoa,jaboticaba,passionfruit)on CRC.Experimental studies performed from 2001 to present were considered.Polyphenol-rich powders and extracts from Brazilian fruits are the most promising products for CRC management.Studies with açaí(Euterpe oleracea)and cocoa(Theobroma cacao)are more numerous and their effects on CRC models in vitro and in vivo are demonstrated with more complexity in terms of molecular mechanisms.The main signaling pathways modulated by the effects of native Brazilian fruits,so far studied on CRC,are associated with:1.apoptosis(B-cell lymphoma 2-and caspase 3-related proteins),2.inflammation(pro-inflammatory interleukins and enzymes),and 3.oxidative stress(antioxidant enzymes).In addition,adhesion molecules and nuclear factor kappa B have been shown to be downregulated,which can interfere positively in several cellular processes,including proliferation,angiogenesis,and migration.The investigation of signaling pathways of great relevance for CRC initiation and progression is still necessary.
文摘Apparent electrical conductivity is an important parameter for describing the spatial vari-ability of physical and chemical attributes of the soil and for the delineation of manage-ment zones.The objective of this work is to outline management zones for the cocoa cultivation based on the spatial variability of the productivity and the apparent electrical conductivity(ECa)of the soil.Data collection was performed in a regular sample grid con-taining 120 points in an area cultivated with cocoa trees,located in the municipality of Ilhe´us,state of Bahia,Brazil.At each sampling point(cocoa tree),soil samples were col-lected to determine chemical attributes.Productivity was measured for one year,counting,monthly,the number of fruits,which were classified into off-season cocoa,harvest and annual production.Measurements of the apparent electrical conductivity of the soil were performed at different times of the year using a portable conductivity meter.The data were analyzed using classical statistics and geostatistics.The management zones were delin-eated using the fuzzy k-means algorithm.The ideal number of class was defined using the fuzziness performance index(FPI)and the entropy of the modified partition(MPE)indexes.The Kappa coefficient was used to validate the management zones,assessing their agreement with the chemical attributes of the soil.The ECa of the soil values pre-sented moderate temporal variation,with maximum amplitude of 19.37 mS m1 and min-imum of 0.82 mS m1 between measurement periods;higher averages of the ECa coincided with the highest levels of water in the soil.The measurements of the ECa of the soil carried out in April and October showed greater correlation with the chemical attributes of the soil,with significant values for 11 and 8 of the 17 attributes evaluated,respectively.The man-agement zones from the ECa measured in April showed:a)reduced number of classes;b)spatial continuity between classes,and;c)agreement from reasonable(kappa between 0.20 and 0.40)to good(kappa>0.41)with most of the
文摘Changes in nib acidity, protein and sugar concentration during roasting of pulp pre-conditioned and fermented cocoa （Theobroma cacao） beans were investigated. A 4 - 4 full factorial design with the principal experimental factors as pod storage （0, 3, 7 and l0 d） and roasting time （0, 15, 30 and 45 min） were used. The roasted samples were evaluated for pH, titratable acidity, protein content and sugars concentrations using standard methods. Increasing pod storage caused consistent increases in pH with concomitant decreases in titratable acidity, whereas increasing roasting time caused only marginal and insignificant changes in pH but significantly decreased the titratable acidity. The protein content decreased significantly （P 〈 0.05） with increasing pod storage and roasting time. Reducing sugars increased marginally with increasing pod storage treatments whiles increasing roasting time significantly （P 〈 0.05） decreased the reducing sugars of the beans for all pod storage. The non-reducing sugar and total sugar content of the beans decreased significantly from 3.493 mg/g to 2.641 mg/g and from 9.284 mg/g to 8.891 mg/g, respectively, for pods stored from 0 to 10 days while roasting time caused slight decreases in non-reducing sugars with a considerable decrease in total sugars. Pod storage up to seven days decreased considerable the nib acidity （non-volatile acids）, non-reducing sugars and total sugars while roasting up to 45 min at 120 ℃ caused dramatic decreases in the nib acidity and reducing sugars with only marginal decreases in non-reducing sugars and total sugars.
文摘Investigations were conducted to establish effects of fermentation and drying on the fermentation index （FI） and cut test of pulp pre-conditioned Ghanaian cocoa beans using a 4 x 3 full factorial experimental design with the principal factors being pod storage （0, 3, 7 and 10 d） and fermentation time （0, 3 and 6 d） to study the changes occurring during the fermentation process. The study also used a 4 x 3 full factorial design with pod storage （0, 3, 7 and 10 d） and drying time （0, 3 and 7 d） being the principal factors investigated to study the changes occurring during the drying process. FI and cut test of the beans were studied during fermentation as well as the drying process. FI of the beans increased significantly with pod storage and fermentation but decreased slightly during drying. FI of the unfermented beans increased slightly from 0.674 for the unstored pods to 0.763 after 10 days of pod storage. The FI of the fermented beans （six days fermentation） also increased from 1.390 for the unstored pods to 1.424 for pods stored for 10 days. It decreased from 1.389 at the start of drying for the unstored pods to 1.105 for pods stored for 10 days at the end of drying （seven days）. FI of all the beans were however, above 1.0 at the end of fermentation and drying for all pod storage treatments. Cut test revealed that storage of pods for 3, 7 and 10 days increased the percentage of brown beans by 66%, 94% and 72%, respectively, by the sixth day of fermentation. Percentage of brown beans decreased to 61%, 76% and 63%, respectively, for pods stored for 3, 7 and 10 d at the end of drying （seven days）. Cocoa pods can be stored for up to 10 days, fermented for six days and dried for seven days with the necessary formation of brown pigments characteristics of well fermented and dried cocoa beans.
文摘Fruitlet abscission （cherelle wilt） is a major factor contributing to lower productivity of cacao plantation in Indonesia. An attempt was made to reduce such cherelle wilt by spraying plant growth retardants （PGRs） on cacao trees at about 10 weeks before flowering session. The treatment was repeated every three weeks. Both the flowering initiation time and the number of flowers on the treated trees were improved significantly. With the most effective composition, flowers were initiated at 24 days after spraying （DAS）, where as the flowering initiation was 11-day later in the controls. At the 35 DAS, the chlorocholine chloride （CCC） 2,000 treatment induced about 20-80 folds more flowers than the controls. Extended observation was made to assess the treatment effect on the fruiting capacity. The treatments were found to improve fruiting ability by increasing the number of fruits set on the trees and shortening the time for fruit setting. At 20 weeks after the first spraying （WAS） there were on average 12.57 fruits per CCC 2,000-treated tree, as opposed to only 4.14 fruits per untreated tree. Analyses of the metabolites content in the flower cushions of the trees indicated that the reproductive growth is significantly correlated with the increased metabolites particularly the reduced sugar. Exogenous addition of sucrose to the PGR treatment gave greater improvement mainly in the fruiting. In conclusion, foliar spray of CCC induces flowering of cacao tress in the field that leads to improve the fruitlets productivity.
文摘We have characterized the number of ovules per ovary (NoOV) in cacao plants originated from crossing the clones CCN 51 and TSH 1188 (segregating progeny) and determined the heritability of this characteristic in order to select plants with higher NoOV in this progeny. The NoOV was calculated as the average of 10 flowers per plant and ranged from 44.8 to 58.6 between the six clones (two parents and four clones belonging to their genealogy). In the progeny (n = 209 plants) the NoOV averaged 54.3 (range 44.1 to 67.8). The NoOV was distributed uniformly among the progeny indicating that this trait is conditioned by polygenes. Its heritability was estimated at 67.7%. The 32 plants with NoOV similar or superior to the genitor CCN 51 (highest amount among clones) were selected for use in the genetic improvement program. We showed that this population is suitable for genetic mapping, molecular marker identification and selection of superior cacao genotypes.
文摘Preliminary research results indicated that the stomata is one important trait that can be used as an indicator of resistance to vascular streak dieback （VSD） disease. The influence of genotype and environment on the stomatal characters is expected to provide information for specificlocations （habitats） suitable for planting cocoa in particular to avoid VSD attack. The research was conducted at KendengLembu, PTPNXII, East Java. Experimental design used a splitplot design testing： location （altitude） and genotype factors. The location factors, distinguished on the basis of the altitude, were labelled highlands and lowlands. The genotype factors consisted of three clones with different levels of resistance to VSD diseases： PA 191 （tolerant）, BL 703 and GC 29 （susceptible）. The cocoa clones observed were top grafted onto locally available rootstock seedling and planted in 2006-2007. The maintenance of the plants was conducted in accordance with the standards of cocoa cultivation in the PTPN XII. Parameters measured were leaf stomata traits at different positions of the leaf （tip, middle and base）. Characters observed were the number of stomata, opening width of stomata, and diameter of the stomata. The results of the research showed that PA 191 in the lowlands had the lowest number, diameter and opening width of stomata. In contrast, GC 29 in the lowlands showed the highest number of stomata PA 191 and BL 703 in the highlands had a number, diameter and openings width of stomata that was relatively low compared with GC 29. However, the characters of the stomata （number, diameter and openings width of stomata） of the three genotypes in the highland showed a smaller value in each case than in the lowlands. The severity level of VSD attack was greater in the lowlands than in the highlands and PA 191 showed the lowest level of VSD attack at both altitudes.
文摘The authors investigated the plant species used for charcoal production and their sources and the willingness of the producers to plant charcoal-making species. Furthermore, the authors indirectly determined the involvement of farmers in charcoal production in Atwima Mponua District of Ghana. A total of 120 producers were interviewed and simple ranking was used for the analysis. Twenty-three plant species were used with the first, second, third and fourth which were Celtis mildbraediL Cylicodiscus gabunensis, Margaritoria discoides and Amphimas pterocarpoides respectively. However, the Amphimas pterocarpoides was not among the traditional charcoal-producing species. The wood used came from seven different sources. None of the charcoal producers had a plantation of charcoal-producing species. Only 13 % of the producers were willing to plant, 87% of them who were not willing to plant indicated that they would leave charcoal production if the resource got finished. The 120 charcoal producers were made up roughly of 56% males, and 44% females and in which 69.2% of them were farmers.
文摘根据野外采样和文献查阅,系统整理了可可的地理分布记录,并利用MaxEnt生态位模型和ArcGIS软件对可可的潜在适宜分布范围进行预测。结果表明:北美洲南部、中南美洲北部、非洲西部、亚洲东南部以及太平洋美拉尼西亚群岛地区均是可可的潜在适宜分布区域。其中,中国海南、台湾南部、云南西双版纳、广东雷州半岛也属于可可的适生范围。经ROC(Receiver operating characteristic)曲线分析法验证,MaxEnt模型的AUC(Area under curve)值为0.977,表明预测结果具有较高的可信度。各环境变量重要性的Jacknife检验表明,极端最低温度、年降雨量、年温度变化范围、最暖季降雨量对可可的潜在分布影响最大。
