Cacao

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

7 Scopus citations

Abstract

Theobroma cacao L. (cacao) is a small under-story tree endemic to the lowland rainforests of the Amazon basin (Wood and Lass 1985; Bartley 2005). Cacao was domesticated in pre-Columbian times by the Olmec and Maya civilizations, the latter of which used the seeds (‘cocoa beans’) to produce beverages for royalty and religious ceremonies, and as currency (Coe and Coe 1996; Motamayor et al. 2002; Emch 2003). Today, cacao is grown throughout the humid tropics, often in agroforestry-ecosystems with other fruit and commodity crops.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationBiotechnology in Agriculture and Forestry
PublisherSpringer International Publishing
Pages497-518
Number of pages22
DOIs
StatePublished - 2007

Publication series

NameBiotechnology in Agriculture and Forestry
Volume60
ISSN (Print)0934-943X

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Biotechnology
  • Forestry
  • Agronomy and Crop Science

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