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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:8.0pt;line-height:105%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:105%">Join us Tuesday, February 21 for the School of Plant Sciences Seminar. Our speaker, Dr. Jean-Philippe Marelli, will be presenting in Marley 230.
Online attendance will be available on Zoom. Refreshments prior to the start of the presentation will be from 3:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. in the Marley lobby.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:8.0pt;line-height:105%"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:105%">Title:</span></b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:105%"> Pests and pathogens of Theobroma cacao: Protecting the crop today for more
chocolate tomorrow<br>
<b>Speaker:</b> Dr. Jean-Philippe Marelli, Senior Director Integrated Pest Management, Mars Wrigley Confectionery<br>
<b>Day/Time:</b> Tuesday, February 21, 4:00 p.m.<br>
<b>Zoom Link:</b> <span style="color:#FFFF99">-<a href="https://arizona.zoom.us/j/88614287572">https://arizona.zoom.us/j/88614287572</a><br>
</span><b>Password:</b> spls2023<br>
<b>Host: </b>Dr.<b> </b>Judith Brown<span style="color:#FFFF99"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><img border="0" width="1280" height="720" style="width:13.3333in;height:7.5in" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.jpg@01D94221.ECB7E910" alt="Text
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:#333333;background:white">Abstract</span><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:#333333"><br>
<span style="background:white"> </span><br>
<span style="background:white">The increasing demand for cocoa in the world requires the development and implementation of new effective strategies to reduce losses caused by pests and diseases (estimated to be 38% of the crop every year).</span><br>
<span style="background:white">From the basidiomycetes sister species <em><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Moniliophthora pernisiosa</span></em> and <em><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">M. roreri</span></em>, only found in South
America, to the global presence of <em><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Phytophthora</span></em> spp, fungal and oomycete pathogens take most of the crop every year. Viruses, such as Cocoa Swollen Shoot Virus, represent a serious threat in countries
in West Africa as they can kill the tree in less than 3 years and most of the time, entire farms are cut down to prevent further spread. Pests, such as the lepidoptera Cocoa Pod Borer (<em><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Conopomorpha cramerella</span></em>),
are the main cause of the reduction of cocoa production in South-East Asia.</span><br>
<span style="background:white">Through decades of scientific research and partnerships with the private and academic sector, Mars Inc. has developed solutions to ensure a sustainable cocoa supply. We have sequenced both the cocoa and the cocoa pathogen genomes,
which has accelerated our breeding pipelines and we now have better varieties to distribute to farmers. We have also developed diagnostics and monitoring tools to allow for early detection of pathogens and pests and developed smart apps to allow for an efficient
implementation of IPM programs in small and large cocoa farms. But all this can only work if we put the cocoa farmer on the front end of our innovation and ways to do this more efficiently and purposely will be discussed.</span><br>
<span style="background:white"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:#333333;background:white">Bio<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:#333333"><br>
<span style="background:white">Dr. Jean-Philippe Marelli is the Sr Director for Integrated Pest Management at Mars Inc, based in Davis, CA. Jean-Philippe has a distinguished academic career obtaining his undergraduate degree at the Institut National Polytechnique
in Toulouse, France, his M.S. from Wye College (Imperial College) in the U.K. and his Ph.D. in Plant Pathology from Pennsylvania State University in the US. He also holds an international MBA in Project Management from FGV University in Sao Paulo, in partnership
with the University of California, Irvine.</span></span><o:p></o:p></p>
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