Theobroma cacao which climates become more extreme in the narrow band of latitudes where cacao is grown (20 degrees north and south of the equator), the commercial company, Mars, Incorporated and the University of California, Berkeley are using CRISPR to adjust DNA for improved hardiness of cacao in hot climates. Theobroma cacao Theobroma cacao, also called the cacao tree and the cocoa tree, is a small ( tall) evergreen tree in the family Malvaceae, native to the deep tropical regions of the Americas. Its seeds, cocoa beans, are used to make cocoa mass, cocoa powder, confectionery, ganache and chocolate. Leaves are alternate,
Theobroma bicolor perniciosa", a fungus which causes "witch's broom disease" on "T. cacao", was reported on a Brazilian specimen of "T. bicolor" in 1999. 8. http://www.deperu.com/abc/frutas/5262/el-macambo 9. @ESholisticnutrition Theobroma bicolor Theobroma bicolor, known commonly as the Mocambo tree, jaguar tree, balamte, or pataxte, among various other common names, is a tree in the genus "Theobroma" (family Malvaceae), which also contains the better-known "Theobroma cacao" (cocoa tree). It is known from Central and South America, including stretches of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. "T. bicolor" is the only species in the "Rhytidocarpus" section of "Theobroma". It was described by