Will the rainforests save chocolate?
By Chelsie Vandaveer
February 13, 2002
Send a special someone flowers today!—>Click here.
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killerPlants Tendrils: ~~1~~2~~3~~4~~5~~
Suggested Reading—>Click here.
Gourmet Chocolates—>Click here.
The source of chocolate, Theobroma cacao Linnaeus, are understory trees of the rainforests of tropical America. The cacao are at home in the shade, moisture, leaf litter, and shelter of the surrounding habitat. They are also trees with valuable seeds. It was only logical that trees with valuable seeds be put into mass production.
The Spanish are first credited with the idea of the cacao plantation. Cacao plantations have had problems from the start. The trees were stressed taken from the shade and moisture of the forest. In a monoculture (single species cultivated), the plants were immediately under attack.
Insect pests view a plantation as one giant buffet. Viral and fungal diseases spread rapidly because the open position allows rain and wind currents to spread virions (inert viruses) and spores to neighboring trees. Flower to fruit ratios are poor with less than three percent of the flowers pollinated.
The solution to these problems seemed obvious. Move the plantations to a different continent—Africa. Spray with pesticides and fungicides, clean out leaf litter, and burn viral infected trees. Plant more trees to compensate for low production. Introduce bees to pollinate the flowers. But, cacao flowers do not attract bees. Nor can bees negotiate the complex pouched petals which protect the anthers.
Four hundred years of expensive solutions and cacao plantations are still failing.
The Olmecs, Mayans, and Aztecs did not have monoculture cacao plantations. The cacao need more than just the shelter of the rainforest. Beneficial fungi and bacteria present in the soil aid the trees to resist diseases. Birds and predatory insects keep pests in check. More importantly, tiny midges (Forcipomyia spp.) that pollinate the cacao flowers are harbored by the leaf litter and bromeliads of the rainforest.
The University of Minnesota, Cedar Creek Natural History Area website has a photograph of a species of Forcipomyia. To view the photograph, click on the link:
Click on link to view the photograph
Plants of Hawaii has a photograph of the Theobroma cacao flower and fruit. To view the photograph, click on the link:
Click on link to view the photograph
Series: | 1 | | 2 | 3 |
killerPlants Tendrils: ~~1~~2~~3~~4~~5~~
Suggested Reading:
Who paid the highest price for chocolate? Plants that Changed History - July 31, 2001
Will the rainforests save chocolate? Renfield's Garden - February 13, 2002
What is the Aztec sweet herb? Weird Plants - December 4, 2003
What fine cloth of the Incas is still in demand? Weird Plants - March 28, 2002
How was rubber first used? Plants that Changed History - August 27, 2002
Christopher Columbus: Explorer of the New World
A&E/Biography®
Christopher Columbus wanted to find a new route to Asia, but became the first European to set foot on the New World. Evidence now proves that the Vikings were there long before him, but even in his own time later explorers usurped his glory! BIOGRAPHY® uses period accounts, rare art and artifacts and interviews with world-renowned historians to tell Columbus's often-reinterpreted story.
See how he convinced Ferdinand and Isabella to fund his journey and how he never gave up believing that he had reached Asia. Discover how his fortunes and reputation sank so quickly that by the time of his fourth voyage Spanish officials would not let him anchor in their waters.
Christopher Columbus: Explorer Of The New World DVD Click here.
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