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Post by Sebastian on Oct 9, 2016 14:58:01 GMT -5
Remember that work done by Penn state (and any large research institution) will strive for patentability and IP protection. www.cacaogenomedb.org is a partnership between Mars and IBM (it's grown a bit since it was first set up) with the intention of making all the genetic information freely available (in fact a stipution of it is that if you use the info, you CAN'T attempt to profit from it by protecting it). www.koko.gov.my/lkmbm/index.cfm you can also look to benefit from the local cocoa boards in your region (here, specifically, is malaysias). They do have a biotech program in place. If you've got existing trees you can work with them to obtain grafting material or new seed stock. Personally, i'd focus more on the post harvest elements, and securing stable trade partners for you to work with. I don't know what a 'small farm' means to you, but to me it suggests that you'er going to compete on the grounds of fine flavor, and partnering with your customers to that end will likely be a critical element of your success.
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Post by ning1 on Oct 19, 2016 2:18:09 GMT -5
Sebastian Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I am in contact with the local cocoa board. Every few years, they publish a manual with information on typically 5 clones that are recommended to farmers, these clones are also available upon request from them. Info in the manual includes yield, resistance, compatibility, pod size, weight, bean count per pod, weight, pod color, shape, plant morphology etc, and they are neatly presented for comparison. However, there is no indication of flavor profile, or the quantity or ratio of the components that contribute to flavor. I'm at the stage where we are re-grafting and replanting trees on a plot of about 10 acres, so we are at the unusual time of being able to determine at the start the dna that gets propagated. This is said without diminishing the importance of post-harvesting. It is just that at this time we can determine what gets planted.
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