The History of  Vanilla in Puerto Rico: Diversity, Rise, Fall, and Future Prospects

Puerto Rico was once an important center for Vanilla production and research. This chapter reviews wild Vanilla in Puerto Rico, the history of its cultivation and abandonment, and prospects for renewing the industry. Flowering is often inconsistent on wild Vanilla plants in Puerto Rico. Melipona bees, ants and hummingbirds are reported to visit Vanilla flowers in other areas, but reports of successful pollination are scarce. A combination of root rot diseases, high labor costs and a general abandonment of agriculture in favor of industrialization led to the decline and fall of the crop. The chapter discusses each of these factors with emphasis on diseases. The decline of Vanilla in Puerto Rico was part of a general decline in agriculture. Experiments on Vanilla cultivation were mentioned every year in the reports of the Federal Experiment Station until the early 1950s.