Projects

DEVELOPMENT OF HIGH THROUGHPUT TRANSCRIPTOME SEQUENCES General Cooperative Agreement (A)   Accession Number: 418045

GENOMIC CHARACTERIZATION AND MANAGEMENT OF FUNGAL DISEASES OF CACAO Appropriated (D)   Accession Number: 422910

Genetic Diversity Assessment of Cacao and Other Tropical Tree Crop Genetic Resources Appropriated (D)   Accession Number: 424482

COMPARATIVE ANALYSES OF THE DISEASE MECHANISMS UTILIZED BY VARIOUS PATHOGENS OF THEOBROMA CACAO Nonfunded Cooperative Agreement (N)   Accession Number: 419883

DEVELOP SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION SYSTEM FOR TROPICAL TREE CROPS AND ASSESS GERMPLASM TO IMPROVE CACAO SUSTAINABILITY Specific Cooperative Agreement (S)   Accession Number: 423026

ASSESSMENT OF GENETIC DIVERSITY AND BIOCONTROL STRATEGIES IN THE INTERNATIONAL CACAO GENEBANK Specific Cooperative Agreement (S)   Accession Number: 419367

Publications (Clicking on the reprint icon will take you to the publication reprint.)

Genetic diversity and parentage in farmer varieties of cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) from Honduras and Nicaragua as revealed by Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) markers - (Peer Reviewed Journal)

Ji, K., Zhang, D., Motilal, L., Boccara, M., Lachenaud, P., Meinhardt, L.W. 2012. Genetic diversity and parentage in farmer varieties of cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) from Honduras and Nicaragua as revealed by Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) markers. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution. DOI: 10.1007/s10722-012-9847-1.

Theobroma - (Book / Chapter)

Zhang, D., Figueira, A., Motilal, L., Lachenaud, P., Meinhardt, L.W. 2011. Theobroma. In: Kole, C., editor. Wild Crop Relatives: Genomic and Breeding Resources, Plantation and Ornamental Crops. New York, NY: Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg. p. 277-296.

The hemibiotrophic cacao pathogen Moniliophthora perniciosa depends on a mitochondrial alternative oxidase for biotrophic development - (Peer Reviewed Journal)

Thomazella, D.P., Teixeira, P., De Oliveira, H., Saviani, E., Rincones, J., Toni, I., Osvaldo, R., Garcia, O., Meinhardt, L.W., Salgado, I., Pereira, G.A. 2012. The hemibiotrophic cacao pathogen Moniliophthora perniciosa depends on a mitochondrial alternative oxidase for biotrophic development. New Phytologist. 194(4):1025-1034.

The Mitochondrial Genome of Moniliophthora roreri, the frosty pod rot pathogen of cacao - (Peer Reviewed Journal)

Costa, G.G., Cabrera, O., Tiburico, R.A., Medrano, F., Carazzolle, M., Thomazella, D., Schuster, S., Carlson, J.E., Guiltinan, M.J., Bailey, B.A., Mieckowski, P., Pereira, G.A., Meinhardt, L.W. 2012. The Mitochondrial Genome of Moniliophthora roreri, the frosty pod rot pathogen of cacao. Fungal Biology. 116(5):551-562.

Dissecting genetic structure in farmer selections of Theobroma cacao in the Peruvian Amazon: implications for on-farm conservation and rehabilitation - (Peer Reviewed Journal)

Zhang, D., Gardini, E.A., Baligar, V.C., Bailey, B.A., Meinhardt, L.W. 2011. Dissecting genetic structure in farmer selections of Theobroma cacao in the Peruvian Amazon: implications for on-farm conservation and rehabilitation. Tropical Plant Biology. 4:106-116.

Assessing genetic diversity in java fine-flavor cocoa (theobroma cacao l.) Germplasm by simple sequence repeat (ssr) markers - (Peer Reviewed Journal)

Susilo, A., Zhang, D., Motalal, L., Meinhardt, L.W. 2011. Assessing genetic diversity in java fine-flavor cocoa (theobroma cacao l.) Germplasm by simple sequence repeat (ssr) markers. Tropical Agriculture (Trinidad). 55:84-92.

Genetic diversity and spatial structure in cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) germplasm from Bolivia - (Peer Reviewed Journal)

Zhang, D., July, W., Johnson, E., Somarriba, E., Philips-Mora, W., Astorga, C., Mischke, B.S., Meinhardt, L.W. 2011. Genetic diversity and spatial structure in cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) germplasm from Bolivia. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution. DOI: dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10722-011-9680-y.

Microsatellite fingerprinting in the International Cocoa Genebank, Trinidad: Accession and plot homogeneity information for germplasm management - (Peer Reviewed Journal)

Motilal, L., Zhang, D., Pathmanathan, U., Mischke, B.S., Pinney, S.M., Meinhardt, L.W. 2011. Microsatellite fingerprinting in the International Cocoa Genebank, Trinidad: Accession and plot homogeneity information for germplasm management. Plant Genetic Resources. 9:430-438.

AFLP Phylogeny of 36 Erythroxylum species- genetic relationships among Erythroxylum species inferred by AFLP analysis - (Peer Reviewed Journal)

Emche, S.D., Zhang, D., Islam, M.B., Bailey, B.A., Meinhardt, L.W. 2011. AFLP Phylogeny of 36 Erythroxylum species- genetic relationships among Erythroxylum species inferred by AFLP analysis. Tropical Plant Biology. 4(2):126-133.

Comparison of single nucleotide polymorphisms and simple sequence repeats in genotype identification and diversity assessment of cacao germplasm - (Abstract Only)

Zhang, D., Livingstone, D., Irish, B.M., Kuhn, D.N., Schnell II, R.J., Meinhardt, L.W. 2011. Comparison of single nucleotide polymorphisms and simple sequence repeats in genotype identification and diversity assessment of cacao germplasm. Annual International Plant & Animal Genome Conference. 2011.

Genes acquired by horizontal transfer are potentially involved in the evolution of phytopathogenicity in Moniliophthora perniciosa and Moniliophthora roreri, two of the major pathogens of cacao - (Peer Reviewed Journal)

Tiburcio, R.A., Costa, G.G., Carazzolle, M.F., Schuster, S.C., Carlson, J.E., Guiltinan, M.J., Bailey, B.A., Argueso, J.L., Mieckowski, P., Meinhardt, L.W., Pereira, G.A. 2009. Genes acquired by horizontal transfer are potentially involved in the evolution of phytopathogenicity in Moniliophthora perniciosa and Moniliophthora roreri, two of the major pathogens of cacao. Journal of Molecular Evolution. 70:85-97.

The relic Criollo cacao in Belize- genetic diversity and relationship with Trinitario and other cacao clones held in the International Cocoa Genebank, Trinidad - (Peer Reviewed Journal)

Motilal, L., Zhang, D., Umaharan, P., Mischke, B.S., Mooleedhar, V., Meinhardt, L.W. 2010. The relic Criollo cacao in Belize- genetic diversity and relationship with Trinitario and other cacao clones held in the International Cocoa Genebank, Trinidad. Plant Genetic Resources: Characterization and Utilization. Available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S1479262109990232.

Molecular characterization of an earliest cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) collection from Peruvian Amazon using microsatllite DNA markers - (Peer Reviewed Journal)

Zhang, D., Boccara, M., Motilal, L., Mischke, B.S., Johnson, E.S., Butler, D., Bailey, B.A., Meinhardt, L.W. 2009. Molecular characterization of an earliest cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) collection from Peruvian Amazon using microsatllite DNA markers. Tree Genetics and Genomes. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11295-009-0212-2.

A genome survey of Moniliophthora perniciosa gives new insights into Witches’ Broom Disease of cacao - (Peer Reviewed Journal)

Mondego, J.M., Carazolle, M.F., Costa, G., Formighieri, L.P., Parizzi, L.P., Rincones, J., Cotomacci, C., Vidal, R.O., Estrela, R.C., Garcia, O., Castro, L.A., Gramacho, K.P., Goncalves, M.S., Neto-Goes, A., Barbosa, L.V., Guiltinan, M.J., Bailey, B.A., Meinhardt, L.W., Cascardo, J.C., Pereira, G.A. 2008. A genome survey of Moniliophthora perniciosa gives new insights into Witches’ Broom Disease of cacao. Biomed Central (BMC) Genomics. 9:548.

The occurrence and frequency of Witches’ Broom Disease associated with Wild Cacao from the Upper Amazon of Peru - (Abstract Only)

Arevalo, E.G., Marquez, D.K., Samuels, G.J., Zhang, D., Robles, R., Arevalo, J., Barreto, A., Alvardo, C., Baligar, V.C., Meinhardt, L.W. 2008. The occurrence and frequency of Witches’ Broom Disease associated with Wild Cacao from the Upper Amazon of Peru. XX Congress Peruano de Fitopatologia 2008. Meeting Abstract. #58.

COMPARATIVE GENOME ANALYSES OF MONILIOPHTHORA PERNICIOSA AND MONILIOPHTHORA RORERI: TWO CLOSELY RELATED PHYTOPATHOGENIC BASIDIOMYCETES THAT CAUSE DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT DISEASES OF THEOBROMA CACAO - (Abstract Only)

Meinhardt, L.W., Bailey, B.A., Guiltinan, M., Carazzolle, M.F., Lacerda, G., Mondego, J., Formigheri, E., Periera, G.A. 2008. Comparative genome analyses of moniliophthora perniciosa and moniliophthora roreri: two closely related phytopathogenic basidiomycetes that cause distinctly different diseases of theobroma cacao. Mid Atlantic Plant Molecular Biology Society Conference. .

Moniliophthora perniciosa, the causal agent of witches’ broom disease of cacao: What’s new from this old foe? - (Review Article)

Meinhardt, L.W., Rincones, J., Bailey, B.A., Aime, M.C., Griffith, C., Zhang, D., Pereira, G. 2008. Moniliophthora perniciosa, the causal agent of witches’ broom disease of cacao: What’s new from this old foe. Molecular Plant Pathology. 9(5):577-588.

Population Structure and Genetic Diversity of the Trinitario Cacao (Theobroma Cacao L.) from Trinidad and Tobago - (Peer Reviewed Journal)

Johnson, E.S., Bekele, F., Brown, J.S., Song, J.H., Motamayor, J., Zhang, D., Schnell II, R.J., Meinhardt, L.W. 2009. Population Structure and Genetic Diversity of the Trinitario Cacao (Theobroma Cacao L.) from Trinidad and Tobago. Crop Science. 49:564-572.

The phytopathogenic basidiomycete Moniliophthora perniciosa senesces and contains a kalilo-like plasmid stably integrated in its large mitochondrial genome - (Peer Reviewed Journal)

Formighieri, E.F., Tiburcio, R.A., Armas, E.D., Shimo, H.M., Carels, N., Goes-Neto, A., Araujo, M.R., Cotomacci, C., Carazzolle, M.F., Thomazella, D.P., Sardinha-Pinto, N., Rincones, J., Digiampietri, L.A., Carraro, D.M., Azeredo-Espin, A., Reis, S.F., Deckman, A.C., Gramacho, K., Goncalves, M.S., Moura-Neto, J.P., Luciana, V.B., Meinhardt, L.W., Cascardo, J.C., Pereira, G.A. 2008. The phytopathogenic basidiomycete Moniliophthora perniciosa senesces and contains a kalilo-like plasmid stably integrated in its large mitochondrial genome. Mycological Research. http://apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/pdf/10.1094/MPMI-21-7-0891.

Molecular characterization of an International cocoa collection using microsallte markers - (Peer Reviewed Journal)

Zhang, D., Mischke, B.S., Johnson, E.S., Mora, A., Phillips-Mora, W., Meinhardt, L.W. 2008. Molecular characterization of an International cocoa collection using microsallte markers. Tree Genetics & Genomics. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11295-008-0163-z.

Differential gene expression between the biotrophic-like and saprotrophic mycelia of the Witches’ broom pathogen Moniliophthora perniciosa - (Peer Reviewed Journal)

Rincones, J., Scarpari, L.M., Mondego, J.M., Carazzolle, M.F., Formighieri, E.F., Costa, G.G., Barau, J.G., Vilas-Boas, L.A., Sabha, M., Azevedo, R.A., Dias, R., Cascardo, J.M., Meinhardt, L.W., Periera, G.A. 2008. Differential gene expression between the biotrophic-like and saprotrophic mycelia of the Witches’ broom pathogen Moniliophthora perniciosa. Molecular Microbiology. 21:891-908.

Differential gene expression between the biotrophic-like and saprotrophic mycelia of the Witches’ broom pathogen Moniliophthora perniciosa. - (Abstract Only)

Rincones, J., Scarpari, L.M., Mondego, J.M., Formighieri, E.F., Sabha, M., Carazzolle, M.F., Barau, J.G., Meinhardt, L.W., Pereira, G.A. Differential gene expression between the biotrophic-like and saprotrophic mycelia of the Witches’ broom pathogen Moniliophthora perniciosa. Fungal Genetics Conference Proceedings. www.fgsc.net/asil2007/xxivfgcposterabs.htm

ON THE ANCESTRY OF THE ICS CLONES OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO - (Abstract Only)

Johnson, E.S., Bekele, F.L., Zhang, D., Schnell Ii, R.J., Meinhardt, L.W. 2008. On the ancestry of the ics clones of trinidad and tobago. Plant and Animal Genome VX Conference Abstracts.Poster Presentation at the PAG XVI Conference, San Diego, CA. January 12-16, Abstr. P121, p. 149.

Genetic comparison of two related fungal pathogens of Theobroma cacao - (Proceedings)

Meinhardt, L.W., Bailey, B.A., Guiltinan, M., Pereira, G.A. 2007. Genetic comparison of two related fungal pathogens of Theobroma cacao. International Conference on Microbial Genomes.

Genetic diversity and population structure of cacao landraces in Northern and Central coastal Ecuador - (Peer Reviewed Journal)

Zhang, D., Amores, F., Cedeno, A., Hermann, M., Meinhardt, L.W. 2008. Genetic diversity and population structure of cacao landraces in Northern and Central coastal Ecuador. Conservation Genetics. 9(2) 327-337.

Involvement of calcium oxalate degradation during programmed cell death in Theobroma cacao tissues triggered by the hemibiotrophic fungus Moniliophthora perniciosa - (Peer Reviewed Journal)

Ceita, G.D., Macedo, J.N., Santos, T.B., Alemanno, L., Gesteira, A.D., Micheli, F., Mariano, A.C., Gramacho, K.P., Silva, D.D., Meinhardt, L.W., Mazzafera, P., Pereira, G.A., Cascardo, J.D. Involvement of calcium oxalate degradation during programmed cell death in Theobroma cacao tissues triggered by the hemibiotrophic fungus Moniliophthora perniciosa. Plant Science. 173 (2007) 106-117

Characterization of Necrosis and Ethylene inducing Proteins (NEP) in the Basidiomycete Moniliophthora perniciosa, the Causal Agent of Witches’ Broom in Theobroma cacao - (Peer Reviewed Journal)

Garcia, O., Macedo, J., Tiburcio, R., Zaparoli, G., Bittencourt, L.M., Ceita, G., Rincones, J., Micheli, F., Gesteira, A., Mariano, A., Schiavinato, M.A., Medrano, F., Meinhardt, L.W., Pereira, G.A., Cascardo, J.C. 2007. Characterization of Necrosis and Ethylene inducing Proteins (NEP) in the Basidiomycete Moniliophthora perniciosa, the Causal Agent of Witches’ Broom in Theobroma cacao. Mycological Research. 111:443-455.

CONCENTRATION AND UPTAKE OF P,ZN AND FE AS INFLUENCED BY SOIL ACIDITY, AND LEVELS AND FORMS OF N,P AND FE IN CACAO - (Abstract Only)

Baligar, V.C., Fageria, N.K., Machado, R.C., Meinhardt, L.W. 2006. Concentration and uptake of p,zn and fe as influenced by soil acidity, and levels and forms of n,p and fe in cacao. Proceedings of the International Cocoa Producer's Conference. 10.09.06

“Refractario” cocoa – genetic identity and genetic structure assessed using microsallite markers - (Peer Reviewed Journal)

Zhang, D., Boccara, M., Motilal, L., Butler, D.R., Umaharan, P., Mischke, B.S., Meinhardt, L.W. 2006. “Refractario” cocoa – genetic identity and genetic structure assessed using microsallite markers. Conservation Genetics. 9(2):327-337.

GENETIC VARIABILITY AND CHROMOSOME-LENGTH POLYMORPHISMS OF THE WITCHES’ BROOM PATHOGEN CRINIPELLIS PERNICIOSA FROM VARIOUS PLANT HOSTS IN SOUTH AMERICA - (Peer Reviewed Journal)

Rincones, J., Mazotti, G.D., Griffith, G.W., Pomela, A.W., Figueira, A., Queiroz, M.V., Pereira, J.F., Azevedo, R.A., Pereira, G.A., Meinhardt, L.W. 2006. Genetic variability and chromosome-length polymorphisms of the witches’ broom pathogen crinipellis perniciosa from various plant hosts in south america. Mycological Research. 110:821-832.