Cocoa@Reading Webinar

21st June 2022

The cocoa research group at the University of Reading has gained an international reputation for cocoa research since the early 1980s.

Webinar Programme

  • Welcome Remarks – Paul Hadley

Session 1
The impact of climate change on cocoa production

  • Climate change program overview – Fiona Lahive
  • CO2 & temperature effects on cocoa –  Julián Mateus-Rodriguez
  • Climate & land surface modelling in cocoa – Emily Black
  • Lipidome & metabolome of cocoa beans – Andreas Dunkel
  • Q&A

Session 2
Present and future management of cocoa cultivation Part I

  • The future of Cocoa cultivation: Lessons learned from farming systems in cocoa – Philippe Bastide (invited speaker)
  • The International Cocoa Quarantine Centre at Reading (ICQC,R) – Andrew Daymond
  • Badnaviruses in cocoa: Distinguishing free viruses from sequences integrated into the genome – Jim Dunwell
  • The International Cocoa Germplasm Database (ICGD) – Chris Turnbull
  • Q&A

Session 2
Present and future management of cocoa cultivation Part II

  • GCRF cocoa soils project – Lumbani Mwafulirwa
  • Molecular aspects of cadmium accumulation in cacao – Jim Dunwell
  • Vascular & brain impact of cocoa flavanol intake – Jeremey Spencer
  • Q&A
  • Wrap-up