black pod rot causes pod losses of up to 30% and kills as many as 10% of the trees annually. Researchers hope to breed disease-resistant trees, and finding the cacao flowering gene promises to ...

Andrew Fister, postdoctoral scholar in plant science, stands among cacao trees in the African country of Ivory Coast. Pods turning yellow and black are infected with black pod disease. Disclaimer ...

As you nibble on a chocolate truffle or bite into a chocolate-dipped strawberry on Valentine’s Day, consider the elongated, ribbed pods of the cacao tree, which made that sweet treat possible.