Caracterización morfológica del cacao Nacional Boliviano, Alto Beni, Bolivia

Abstract

Usando 52 características cuantitativas y 30 cualitativas de flores, mazorcas, semillas y hojas, se estudiaron 73 genotipos de cacao Nacional Boliviano en nueve fincas de cuatro localidades del Alto Beni, Bolivia. Estas mismas características se midieron en cinco clones internacionales representativos del complejo Forastero-Trinitario. Se encontró una amplia variación entre subgrupos en 20 de las características cuantitativas evaluadas. Aunque se estudiaron genotipos en cuatro diferentes localidades, se detectaron solamente dos subgrupos, sugiriendo que las plantaciones de cacao Nacional Boliviano que existen hoy día en el Alto Beni provienen de pocas plantas y que hubo un amplio intercambio de semillas de cacao Nacional Boliviano entre localidades. Using 52 quantitative and 30 qualitative characteristics of cacao flowers, pods, seeds and leaves, 73 genotypes of Nacional Boliviano cacao were studied in nine farms in four localities of Alto Beni, Bolivia. The same characteristics were measured on five international clones that represented the Forastero-Trinitario complex. There was a wide variation between these subgroups in 20 of the quantitative characteristics that were evaluated. Although genotypes from four different localities in Alto Beni were studied, the fact that only two subgroups were detected suggested that the actual Nacional Boliviano cacao plantations in Alto Beni were derived from a few trees and that there has been an ample interchange of Nacional Boliviano cacao seed between localities.