00:00Israeli research faced an unexpected challenge when their cocoa plant project,
00:04aimed at combating a global shortage, was disrupted by the war in Gaza.
00:08After the October 7 attack by Hamas, their research facility in southern Israel was left
00:12without power or water for months, leading to the death of most of their experiments.
00:16Yet 18 cocoa seedlings survived to find the odds of drought and severe cold.
00:22Tali Yelani, a researcher at the Volcani Institute, was surprised to find that these plants,
00:27which were not intended to be tested for drought resistance, showed remarkable resilience.
00:31Ellen Graber, a senior scientist, noted that these superheroes could lead to new
00:36cocoa strains capable of thriving in expanded regions. The team now plans to clone and further
00:42test these resilient plants for other qualities, potentially revolutionizing cocoa cultivation.
00:48The idea is to develop a very strong rootstock that can then be used as a rootstock for growing
00:59wherever it needs to be grown, not just in Israel, but as a rootstock that is drought-resistant,
01:08cold-resistant, and resistant to soil fungal pathogens. So that's our goal,
01:16not just for Israeli agriculture, but for agriculture, for farming cocoa wherever.
