PHENOTYPING OF VASCULAR STREAK DIEBACK DISEASE (VSD) RESISTANT COCOA HYBRIDS AND ENDORSEMENT OF RESISTANT GENE IN AUSPICIOUS GENOTYPE BY EMPLOYING MOLECULAR MARKER SYSTEMS

J.S. MINIMOL¹*, B. SUMA², P.A. JAYASREE³, P.G. CHITHIRA⁴, R. SUNIL⁵, M. DEEPU⁶, M.R. MIDHUNA⁷*
¹Cocoa Research Centre, Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Kerala Agricultural University, Vellanikkara, Thrissur, 680 656, Kerala, India
²Cocoa Research Centre, Department of Plantation Crops and Spices, Kerala Agricultural University, Vellanikkara, Thrissur, 680 656, Kerala, India
³Cocoa Research Centre, Kerala Agricultural University, Vellanikkara, Thrissur, 680656, Kerala, India.
⁴Cocoa Research Centre, Kerala Agricultural University, Vellanikkara, Thrissur, 680656, Kerala, India.
⁵Cocoa Research Centre, Kerala Agricultural University, Vellanikkara, Thrissur, 680656, Kerala, India.
⁶Centre for Plant Biotechnology and Molecular Biology, Kerala Agricultural University, Vellanikkara, Thrissur, 680 656, Kerala, India
⁷
* Corresponding Author : Centre for Plant Biotechnology and Molecular Biolo

Received : 04-04-2018     Accepted : 12-04-2018     Published : 30-04-2018
Volume : 10     Issue : 4       Pages : 1126 - 1131
Int J Microbiol Res 10.4 (2018):1126-1131
DOI : http://dx.doi.org/10.9735/0975-5276.10.4.1126-1131

Keywords : Ceratobasidium theobromae, resistance breeding, Theobroma cacao L., VSD, hybrid
Conflict of Interest : None declared
Acknowledgements/Funding : Author thankful to Mondelez International for their thirty years of support for cocoa research in Kerala Agricultural University and Hi Tech Seed Testing Laboratory, Department of Olericulture, Kerala Agricultural University for providing molecular analysis facility
Author Contribution : All author equally contributed

Cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) is native to humid tropical region of Central America and considered as important agro forestry tree species. Vascular streak dieback (VSD), a devastating disease with distinct symptoms of dieback, is one of the major threats for cocoa cultivation. The confounding part of this disease is that chemicals have little effect on disease control. The most tenable and economic technique to tackle this disease is by evolving resistant materials. When this disease began to assume unmanageable magnitudes in India, Kerala Agricultural University had initiated VSD resistant breeding since 1995. Initially, 566 hybrids which expressed tolerance in the nursery for two years were field established. After fifteen years of field screening, 46 hybrids which manifested field resistance were selected for further study. Examination on self-incompatibility position exhibited that majority of them (37) were self incompatible. When yield contributing characters were accessed VSD I 31.8 was found to be superior and out rated the checks, most popular varieties available. Disease resistance was further confirmed by budding and molecular markers.VSD I 31.8 (CCRP 15) can be consider as a novel hybrid released in the world with VSD resistance and considerable yield

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