Upper Amazon Forastero cacao Theobroma cacao L 2: An overview of Parinari clones from a breeder’s perspective 16

Cocoa provides a source of income for 2 million farmers in developing countries. Accelerated progress in cocoa breeding is required to meet the farmers’ needs for high yielding, disease-resistant genotypes. The Parinari (PA) accession group has featured prominently in breeding programmes globally because several of its accessions possess desirable traits including tolerance to Black Pod disease. In this overview, the results of evaluation studies at the International Cocoa Genebank, Trinidad along with an account of the use of PA accessions in several breeding programmes are presented to highlight those of potential value to cacao breeders.