El taller ‘Cacao libre de cadmio’, organizado por el CIAT, CIRAD, y la AFD, se lleva a cabo del 12 al 14 de marzo en la sede del CIAT en Palmira,y tiene como objetivo integrar un consorcio de actores y disciplinas claves de la región, así como elaborar un proyecto de investigación aplicada que dé respuesta a este problema que afecta a los cacaoteros de Colombia, Perú y Ecuador. http://ow.ly/J43p30iU0UZ

1. Cacao and Cadmium Research at Penn State
Siela Maximova
Countries: USA, Colombia and Peru
Penn State team: Cacao and Chocolate Research Network (CCRN)
• CCRN membership includes more than 30 graduate students,
post-docs and faculty
• Research topics: history, health benefits, production, plant
genetics, propagation, soils, flavor and quality, sensory,
manufacturing, agricultural extension, gender and technology
transfer
Cacao libre de Cadmio
Taller regional Colombia – Ecuador - Perú
Cali, marzo 12-14, 2018

2. Cacao libre de Cadmio
Taller regional Colombia – Ecuador - Perú
Cali, marzo 12-14, 2018
Current Cacao/Cd Projects at Penn State
1. Soil amendments as a combined tool to facilitate maintaining low
plant-root zone soil Cd
2. Development of a rapid-response site assessment protocol for
ranking site sustainability for cacao farming
3. Cd source identification in soil and fertilizers in Peru
4. Biology of cadmium accumulation in Theobroma cacao
5. Cacao for Peace: Geographical Information System Mapping for
Optimized Cacao Production in Colombia

3. Cd hyperaccumulators and soil amendments as a
combined tool to facilitate maintaining low plant-root
zone soil Cd.
Research center: Penn State Soil Characterization Laboratory
Country: USA & Colombia
People and Institutions: Jhony Bolanos (M.S. student), Dr. Patrick Drohan
(advisor), Dr. Siela Maximova, Dr. Mark Guiltinan, & Dr. John Spargo.
Partners: Cacao for Peace, USDA-FAS
Funding: Cacao for Peace (USAID, USDA-FAS) , USA Fulbright Student Program
& The Pennsylvania State University
Cacao libre de Cadmio
Taller regional Colombia – Ecuador - Perú
Cali, marzo 12-14, 2018
Project 1:

4. Cacao libre de Cadmio
Taller regional Colombia – Ecuador - Perú
Cali, marzo 12-14, 2018
• Assess the use of Cd hyperaccumulator plants species (non-edible) to
act as “early warning sign” in high Cd soils.
• Investigate the use of these species as a potential remediation
mechanism for Cd cocoa farms.
• Best phytoextractor species from Objective 1, will be treated with
lime to assess a dual effect of hyperaccumulation and pH adjustment
to decrease Cd uptake.
Project 1: Research goals
Cd hyperaccumulators and soil amendments as a
combined tool to facilitate maintaining low plant-
root zone soil Cd.

5. Development of a rapid-response site assessment protocol
for ranking site sustainability for cacao farming
• Evaluate heavy metal risk
• Evaluate long-term sustainability of commodity production
• Evaluate existing, and evolving, soil health
Project 2: Research goals

6. Research center: Universidad Nacional de Ingenieria (UNI) & Penn State Soil
Characterization Laboratory
Country: Peru & USA
People and Institutions: Otilia Acha de la Cruz, Dr. Patrick Drohan, Dr. Rosario Rojas,
Dr. Siela Maximova, Dr. Mark Guiltinan, & Dr. John Spargo.
Partners: Universidad Nacional de Ingenieria (UNI), Pontificia Universidad Católica del
Perú (PUCP), Centro de Innovación de cacao (CIC), Penn State University
Funding: Universidad Nacional de Ingenieria (UNI), Pontificia Universidad Católica del
Perú (PUCP), Penn State University, CIC
Cacao libre de Cadmio
Taller regional Colombia – Ecuador - Perú
Cali, marzo 12-14, 2018
Project 3:
Evaluation of cadmium in cocoa beans, soils, and
phosphate fertilizers in Piura - Peru

7. Cacao libre de Cadmio
Taller regional Colombia – Ecuador - Perú
Cali, marzo 12-14, 2018
• Evaluation of Cd level content in cacao beans and soils across
selected farms in Piura.
• Identify the source of the Cd (natural background versus agricultural
amendments).
• Phosphate fertilizers will be collected from cacao growers from Piura
and the range of Cd levels will be determined.
• A preliminary map of natural Cd in soils, in the vicinity of Piura, will be
generated at a scale of 1:15,000 – 1: 24,000.
• Graduate student/faculty exchange between UNI, CIC and Penn State.
Project 3: Research goals
Evaluation of cadmium in cocoa beans, soils, and
phosphate fertilizers in Piura - Peru

8. Research center: Penn State
Country: Peru & USA
People and Institutions: Francisco Menéndez Burns, PhD candidate; Dr. Path
Umaharan, Dr. Mark Guiltinan, Dr. Siela Maximova
Partners: Penn State, Centro de Innovación de cacao (CIC), Cocoa Research Centre, The
University of the West Indies
Funding: Penn State and CIC
Cacao libre de Cadmio
Taller regional Colombia – Ecuador - Perú
Cali, marzo 12-14, 2018
Project 4:
Biology of cadmium accumulation in Theobroma cacao

9. Cacao libre de Cadmio
Taller regional Colombia – Ecuador - Perú
Cali, marzo 12-14, 2018
• To identify genes involved in Cd uptake, transport and accumulation
in cacao.
• To gain evidence for the function of the candidate genes in cacao Cd
metabolism.
• To explore the genetic diversity of the Cd metabolism genes.
Project 4: Research goals
Biology of cadmium accumulation in Theobroma cacao

10. Cacao libre de Cadmio
Taller regional Colombia – Ecuador - Perú
Cali, marzo 12-14, 2018
• Gene Discovery: Define a set of Cd candidate genes in cacao using
phylogenetic analysis with model crops and known Cd metabolism
genes
• Genetic Variation: Sequence the candidate Cd genes from a wide
diversity of cacao germplasm indigenous to different regions of Peru.
• Novel Cd Detection Methods: Develop a method for high-throughput
testing of Cd uptake, transport and accumulation in cacao, useful for
functional genomics testing and screening of cacao genotypes.
• Functional Genomics:
• Transgenic complementation in Arabidopsis mutants.
• Transient and stable transgenic overexpression in cacao tissues;
• Candidate Cd genes expression in different tissues in response to treatment with
Cd in different cacao genotypes.
Project 4: Methodology
Biology of cadmium accumulation in Theobroma cacao

11. More then 50 years of Research at Penn State
on All Aspects of Cacao and Chocolate
Thank you!