Graduate Student Studies Cacao Pollination in Belize
The summer of 2022 was different for one entomology and plant pathology graduate student. Holly Brabazon, a doctoral student pursuing a concentration in bioinformatics, genomics, and molecular interactions, found herself over 2,500 miles away from Knoxville, TN, researching the pollination of Theobroma cacao, or the cocoa plant, in Belize. Cacao is mainly pollinated by biting midges, flies that are around the size of a pin head. Despite being a main pollinator of cacao, the midges often do a poor job pollinating cacao trees. “Successful cacao pollination is problematic in many regions. Only around 10%-20% of the flowers produced by a cacao tree are successfully pollinated” stated DeWayne Shoemaker, department head and professor in the Department of Entomology and