Tag: cacao

Alumni Spotlight: Breeding Climate-Resilient Cacao for Mars

by Eva Sailly
October 15, 2025

Dr. Ashley DuVal, an alumna of UF/IFAS with a Ph.D. in Horticultural Sciences, has built a career devoted to ensuring that chocolate has a sustainable future. Now a Senior Scientist and cacao breeder with Mars Wrigley, Dr. DuVal works ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Crops, Forests, Horticulture, Professional Development, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research, UF/IFAS Teaching, Work & Life
Tags: Agroforestry, Alumni, Alumni-feature, Cacao, Climate Resilience, Food Science, Horticultural Sciences, Mars, Plant Breeding, Sustainable Food Systems, Teaching

Investigadores de UF/IFAS trabajan para prevenir una enfermedad que pone en riesgo su chocolate favorito

by Luz Bahder
February 13, 2025

Creado por Megan Winslow, especialista en relaciones públicas de UF/IFAS. Mientras saborea un bombón o una fresa bañada en chocolate este día de San Valentín, piense en el fruto alargado y acanalado del árbol del cacao, el cual hace ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Crops, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Agricultores, Bombones De Chocolate, Cacao, CATIE, Centro Agronómico Tropical De Investigación Y Enseñanza, Chocolate, Chocolates, Costa Rica, Crecimiento Blanco Y Esponjoso, Destructor De Plantas, Dia De Los Enamorados, Dulces, Erica Goss, Español, Fitopatologia, Fruto Del Cacao, Genetica, Genética Tanto De Plantas Y Patógenos, Genoma, Ina Schlathoelter, Investigacion, Jeremy Brawner, Mariana Herrera Corzo, Mars, Materiales Vegetales, Mazorcas De Cacao, Modelo De Prediccion, Patogenos, Phytophthora, Phytophthora Megakarya, Podrición Negra Del Cacao, Productors, San Valentin, Spanish, Susceptibilidad Al Patógeno, Theobroma Cacao, UF-IFAS

UF/IFAS researchers work to prevent a disease threatening your favorite chocolate

by Megan Winslow
February 10, 2025

As you nibble on a chocolate truffle or bite into a chocolate-dipped strawberry on Valentine’s Day, consider the elongated, ribbed pods of the cacao tree, which made that sweet treat possible. A group of UF/IFAS plant pathologists has partnered ... READ MORE

Category: Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Africa, Black Bottom Rot, Black Pod Rot, Cacao, CATIE, Chocolate, Costa Rica, Disease, Erica Goss, Farming, IFAS, Inoculate, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Jeremy Brawner, Lab, Lesion, Mariana Herrera Corzo, Mars, Megan Winslow, Phytophthora, Phytophthora Megakarya, Plant Pathology, Plant Pathology Department, Research, Tropical Agricultural Research And Higher Education Center, UF, UF-IFAS, University Of Florida, Valentine's Day

Have some Yum and Fun at the Science of Chocolate Fair

by cfmiller
February 6, 2018

Science is sweet! During Saturday's Science of Chocolate Fair , visitors will learn the science behind how chocolate is made, its potential health benefits, as well as its chemical properties. This year's featured activities include liquid nitrogen ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Events, Fruits & Vegetables
Tags: Cacao, Chocolate, Cocoa

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