Micro grafting of cocoa (Theobroma cacao) native to El Salvador

Abstract

The cocoa farming (Theobroma cacao L.) is currently a sustainable alternative in El Salvador that seeks to compete in the international markets, thanks to its genetic quality and chocolate industry, fine and aroma. However, in order to achieve this objective, it is necessary to continue investigating the behavior of the crop. In order to obtain a desired chocolate production, it is necessary to star from the variety or accession of cocoa that is being farmed. Traditionally, the reproduction of this crop is done sexually (by seed); however, this generates an undefined genetic behavior that produces an alteration in the chocolate quality. Asexual reproduction techniques, such as micro grafting, are a solution to guarantee genetic quality and the establishment of nurseries in a short period. Two methods were tasted for micro grafting, in vitro and in the field; in vitro micro grafting, apical and axillary
cocoa buds were introduced in a Murashige and Skoog culture medium, 1992 (MS) with macro-salts in half, 30 g/L sucrose, 0.3mg/L kinetin. In the micro grafting in the field, seeds of stranger Amazonian cacao were germinated in order to obtain master plants and rootstocks, and orthotropic shoots of different accessions of high yield cocoa were collected, to graft them in the germinated seedlings. The most effective method to perform micro grafting
was in the field, because the in vitro method failed in the phase of disinfection and introduction of explants into
the culture medium.