There are many roles in agriculture. Hear how one researcher found her path to working on saving chocolate. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. USDA researcher Doctor Alina Puig is working on the early detection of diseases in cacao, from which chocolate is made. She explains how she got into such a unique agricultural role. “I started working …
Protect Chocolate Supply by Not Transporting Plants
Following rules about plant transportation can help the world’s chocolate supply. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. There are rules in place about not transporting soil and plants from one country to another, and USDA researcher Dr. Alina Puig says those are important to follow. She is studying diseases in the cacao plant, which provides the main ingredient …
Research into Diseases that Threaten Chocolate
As the saying goes, not all heroes wear capes. Meet the researcher protecting the world’s chocolate supply. Chocolate is made from cacao beans, and research shows that up to 40 percent of the world’s cacao beans are lost to cacao plant diseases. Researcher Doctor Alina Puig says black pod rot causes the most losses in cacao, primarily because it’s found in …