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Use of Plant Variety Protection to add value in Trinidad and Tobago

Path Umaharan,Director, Cocoa Research Centre

COCOA RESEARCH CENTRETHE UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES

The Caribbean Belize – archipelago of islands – Guyana, Suriname

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Caribbean - Challenges

- 92% of the population live in Small Island States- Small and declining per capita arable land area - Poor competitiveness ▫ Small farms - lack of economies of scale▫ High cost of land and labour

▫ High disease pressure (tropics)- Unadapted varieties

= mainly uncharacterised landraces = or poorly adapted imported material

- Food security concern

On the other hand the Caribbean region is rich in genetic diversity – forms a bridge between the meso-American and South American centres of diversity

Maize CocoaQuinoa TobaccoPotato CottonSweet potato VanillaCassava

Beans BrazilnutTomato PeanutsPumpkin CashewSquashesPeppers Anthurium

HeliconiasPapaya BromeliadsPineapple OrchidsPassionCustard appleAvocado

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Important genebanks in the Americas

International genebanksCIMMYT - MexicoCIAT - ColombiaCIP - PeruICGT - Trinidad and TobagoCATIE - Costa Rica

National genebanksUSDA-GRIN – USA

SIDS - Developmental imperatives

1. Prioritize -Comparative advantage, linkage to economic development2. Overcoming Challenges –Convert genetic resources into knowledge

products– Breeding (IP)4. Branding and niche marketing (IP)5. Climbing up the value chain (IP)6. Innovation obsessed knowledge industry (IP)

- Multi-disciplinary – production, value addition, market and business innovation

- Technology transfer facilities- Pilots to inspire private sector – investor confidence

7. Triple helix approach- Stakeholder involved and private sector led- Policy framework to support innovation, industry development

8. Build a business clusters around the sector – multiplier effect (IP)

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Building an innovative cocoa industry using the genetic resources

Trinidad and Tobago

Comparative Advantage

Oldest Cocoa Research Centre

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Story of two countriesWitches’ broom disease

Suriname - 1895 Trinidad - 1928

Expeditions into Amazonia in search of resistance

In situ genetic resources Late F.J. Pound

Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture – research into resistance in 1930

F.J. Pound went on expeditions into Peru and Ecuador in the1930s

Selected ICS varieties 1-100

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Breeding programme started in the 1940’s in the Department of Agriculture

W.E. FreemanContinued over 60 years in the public sector (Ministry of Agriculture) that has led to four generations of varieties

TSH varieties• Combine resistance to Witches

broom with good yields.• Saved the Brazilian cocoa

industry when it was hit by the same disease in the early 1990s’

UWI Innovations- Cocoa Research Centre

Supply end constraints1. Improving productivity

- genetics – heterosis plus self-compatibility- molecular markers – hasten breeding

- simultaneous flowering & pollination hives- disease and pest losses reduction- Agronomy: Agroforestry to orchard transition

2. Increase acreage- Investor Confidence – pilots/ business models- Land tenure issues/ Access roads- Credit

3. Organize farmer groups to capitalize on scale

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InnovationsDemand end innovations1. Direct marketing opportunities (Small holder innovations)2. Value addition – intermediary or full3. Product differentiation

Nutraceuticals , Pulp juices, Cocoa based beverages/ cuisines, CosmeticsNovelty confectionary products

3. Brandinggeographical indication, flavour signature profiles, certification marks,

trade marks.3. Attract international innovative cocoa industries into the

cluster

Yield improvement1. Improving productivity

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Ceiling Potential Better farmers Av. yield

Yie

ld (

t /

ha

)

Ceiling Molecular (32x)Breeding, OrchardPollination

Potential yield

Actual yield

Yield gap12 x

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CONSERVATION

RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT

Innovation centreInspire, showcase innovations, provide training and develop investor confidence to support the private sector growth and prosperity

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Triple helix modelGalvanize the University research capacity and engage the public and private sector towards jointly building a model that can drive development.

Energising the value chainBuilding a value chain model that inspires stakeholders to act in unison as a business cluster ensuring all links of the value chain are profitable.

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International Fine Cocoa Innovation Centre (EU/ACP)

Innovations and technology toolkitsConverting Science into innovations (EU/ACP)

1. Model Cocoa Orchard to showcase innovations(Lindt and Sprungli)- Improving the genetic architecture of the orchard

PVP and deployment of varieties- Orchard designs to suit different stakeholder needs- Innovations in tree architectural management,- Soil and fertility management toolkit – IP- Pollinator hives innovations - IP- Innovations in disease management - IP- Climate smart cocoa management toolkit - IP- Cadmium mitigation toolkit -IP- Small scale mechanisation of production -IP- Farmer clusters and Geographical indications toolkit

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Innovations and technology toolkits

2. Processing Innovation Centre - Innovations in postharvest processing to create novel products

- Process optimisation and monitoring toolkit- Optimising fermentation of genetic groups to elicit

flavour potential- Modifying fermentation using microflora starter kits- Other modification to modify product- Small scale fermentation and microfermentation systems

Innovations and technology toolkits

3 a Geographical indications based branding toolkitBuilding the layers to create a flexible branding system- History, storylines, social sustainability- Environmental sustainability- Genetic layer – DNA fingerprinting toolkit- Flavour map – sensory toolkit- Processing management innovations- Flavour sensory profiling – quality certification- Traceability – NIRS based traceability

b. Varietal branding toolkit– developing genetic group specific fermentation and drying systems to elicit flavour potentials.

c. Estate origin branding

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Innovations in value addition4. Flexible manufacturing facility

- Modify product through changing the roasting, conching, particle size manipulation methodologies or equipment.

5. Novel product development technologies- Nutraceuticals and health products- Beverages, Pulp based products- Chocolate and bonbons - Cuisine innovations

7. Incubators and start-up support

8. Innovations in marketing and developing new markets.

Buildingandinformationsystemtosupportdevelopment

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Inspire

• Showcase innovations along value chain –pilots & business models

• Develop tech toolkits

Train

• Apprenticeship training• Short-term training, master classes

Incubate

• Technology incubation – product development• Business incubation

Start-up support

• Branding and IP• Niche marketing support• Start-up support and support services

Disseminate

• Disseminate successful models

Modern farms, Innovative branded products, Niche markets, Business cluster

The Case of Anthurium

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Experiences with Anthurium

Bacterial blight

Bacterial Leaf Spot

Variable vaselife

Nematodes

Lack of novel colours

Resistance to bacterial blightHistogram for time to death vs. number of cultivars for each time interval

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

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Time to death (weeks)

No.

of

cult

ivar

s

Systemic

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

5.05 7.05 9.05 11.05 13.05 15.05 17.05 19.05

Category TLS (days)

No.

of

cult

ivar

s

Foliar

15

Resistance to bacterial leaf spot

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

0.9

1

0 20 40 60 80 100Proportion of dead leaves

Sev

erity

inde

x

Safari

PresidentLambada

GloriaTropical

PistacheSonate

Mirjam

Acropolis

FantasiaHonduras

LP15

LPBLP40

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Months

Cu

mu

lativ

e n

o. i

nfe

cte

d le

av

es

Pistache

Fantasia

Sonate

Lambada

President

Acropolis

New varieties of anthuriumKairi Blooms Ltd / UWI Participatory breeding resulted in new varieties that combine

- high yield - disease resistance - quality

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Anthocyanin Biosynthetic Pathway

F3’H

ANS3GT

DFR

dihydroquercetin

leucocyanidin

dihydrokaempferol

CHI

CHS

malonyl-Co-A + 4-coumaroyl-o A

naringenin chalcone

naringenin (flavonone)

F3H

DFRdihydrokaempferol

leucopelargonidinANS3GT

F3’5’H

DFR

dihydroquercetin

leucodelphinidinANS3GT

Aureusidin

4’CGT

AS

SIDS - Developmental imperatives

1. Comparative advantage, linkage to economic development2. Triple helix approach

- Stakeholder involved and private sector led- Policy framework to support innovation, industry development

3. Overcoming Challenges4. Branding and potential for niche marketing5. Climbing up the value chain6. Innovation obsessed industry – Creativity implemented

- Multi-disciplinary – production, value addition, market and business innovation- Technology transfer facilities

- Pilots7. Building a knowledge industry8. Potential for building business clusters – multiplier effect in creating

employment

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