5-CQA and Mangiferin, Two Leaf Biomarkers of Adaptation to Full Sun or Shade Conditions in Coffea arabica L.

Abstract

Phenolic compounds are involved in plant response to environmental conditions and are highly present in leaves of Coffea arabica L., originally an understory shrub. To increase knowledge of C. arabica leaf phenolic compounds and their patterns in adaptation to light intensity, mature leaves of Ethiopian wild accessions, American pure lines and their relative F1 hybrids were sampled in full sun or under 50% shade field plots in Mexico and at two contrasting elevations in Nicaragua and Colombia. Twenty-one phenolic compounds were identified by LC-DAD-MS2 and sixteen were quantified by HPLC-DAD. Four of them appeared to be involved in C. arabica response to light intensity. They were consistently more accumulated in full sun, presenting a stable ratio of leaf content in the sun vs. shade for all the studied genotypes: 1.6 for 5-CQA, F-dihex and mangiferin and 2.8 for rutin. Moreover, 5-CQA and mangiferin contents, in full sun and shade, allowed for differentiating the two genetic groups of Ethiopian wild accessions (higher contents) vs. cultivated American pure lines. They appear, therefore, to be potential biomarkers of adaptation of C. arabica to light intensity for breeding programs. We hypothesize that low 5-CQA and mangiferin leaf contents should be searched for adaptation to full-sun cropping systems and high contents used for agroforestry systems.

Prospects of Coffee Leaf against SARS-CoV-2 Infection

“…And, the virtual calculation results of molecular docking showed that CGA binds stably to Gln325 and Gln42/Asp38 in ACE2, respectively, and blocks the binding of S-protein to ACE2 [55]. Compared with the previous report [56], our LC-HRMS analysis of coffee leaf (Coffea Arabica) had a similar pattern. Further, we found four major compounds in the coffee leaf (Coffea Arabica), such as caffeine, CGA, quinic acid, and mangiferin.…”

Alternative plant protection strategies for tomorrow's coffee

“…Its genetic origins lie in the understorey afromontane forests of Ethiopia and South Sudan (Sylvain, 1955), which have equipped the C . arabica genome with an inherent shade tolerance (Duangsodsri et al, 2019). By leveraging the ecological functions of trees and other noncrop plants, AFS can rebalance the environment of the coffee plantation and help minimize both biotic and abiotic stressors (Beer et al, 1997).…”

Shaded-Coffee: A Nature-Based Strategy for Coffee Production Under Climate Change? A Review

“…Molecular indicators and/or predictors, which can characterize shade-adapted coffee genotypes, are currently being identified. For example, it has been demonstrated that a high content of specific secondary metabolites such as chlorogenic acid 5-CQA and xanthone mangiferin indicates an adaptability to shade in coffee plants (Duangsodsri et al, 2020). Moreover, 5-CQA and mangiferin leaf contents, in full sun and shade, allowed for differentiating the genetic groups of Ethiopian wild accessions (higher contents) vs. cultivated American pure lines.…”