G × E interactions on yield and quality in Coffea arabica: new F1 hybrids outperform American cultivars

Abstract

Conventional American cultivars of coffee are no longer adapted to global warming. Finding highly productive and stable cultivars in different environments without neglecting quality characteristics has become a priority for breeders. In this study, new Arabica F1 hybrids clones were compared to conventional American varieties in seven contrasting environments, for yield, rust incidence and volume of the canopy. The quality was assessed through size, weight of 100 beans, biochemical analysis (24 aroma precursors and 31 volatiles compounds) and sensory analysis. Conventional varieties were the least productive, producing 50% less than the best hybrid. The AMMI model analysis pointed out five hybrids as the most stable and productive. Two F1 hybrids clones, H1-Centroamericano and H16-Mundo Maya, were superior to the most planted American cultivar in Latin and Central America showing a high yield performance and stability performance. H1-Centroamerica and Starmaya contain more D-limonene than Caturra, while Starmaya contain more 3-methylbutanoic acid than the control. Those two latter volatiles compounds are linked with good cup quality in previous studies. In terms of sensory analysis, Starmaya and H1-Centroamericano scored better than control.

A Transcriptomic Approach to Understanding the Combined Impacts of Supra-Optimal Temperatures and CO2 Revealed Different Responses in the Polyploid Coffea arabica and Its Diploid Progenitor C. canephora

“…Predicted global warming might endanger this crop sustainability in several producing regions [ 76 , 77 ], while increasing the extinction risk for wild coffee species [ 78 ], despite findings that eCO 2 can preserve plant physiological performance and mitigate temperature and drought impacts [ 14 , 38 , 40 ], enhancing crop yield [ 36 ] and bean quality [ 42 ]. Therefore, studies in coffee genotypes that outperform others when exposed to higher temperatures are a priority in coffee breeding programs [ 29 , 37 ] to guarantee the sustainability of the entire chain of value for this tropical agricultural product consumed worldwide.…”

“…Mundo Novo). The experimental conditions were implemented as previously described [ 29 ]. Briefly, plants were grown in 28 L pots in walk-in growth chambers (EHHF 10000, ARALAB, Portugal) during 10 months under controlled environmental conditions of temperature (25/20 °C, day/night), relative humidity (ca.…”

“…A relatively high temperature during blossoming, especially if associated with a prolonged dry season, may cause the abortion of flowers [ 26 ]. Nevertheless, selected cultivars under intensive management conditions have allowed C. arabica plantations to be spread to marginal regions with average temperatures as high as 24–25 °C, with satisfactory yields, such as in the northeast of Brazil [ 28 , 29 ]. Furthermore, some experiments reported that if temperature rises gradually (from 24 °C up to 33–35 °C) and considering a sufficiently long acclimation time, C. arabica plants can increase their photosynthesis up to temperatures around 30 °C, displaying the same efficiency as observed at 24 °C [ 28 ].…”

Elevated Temperatures Impose Transcriptional Constraints and Elicit Intraspecific Differences Between Coffee Genotypes

“…Mean temperatures are projected to increase by 2.6–4.8°C ( IPCC, 2013 ; IPCC, 2014 ), which may have serious repercussions on coffee production. Considering these changing temperatures, select genotypes were identified that outperformed others when exposed to higher annual mean temperatures ( Damatta et al, 2018 ; Marie et al, 2020 ). This suggests there is potentially useful intraspecific variability of thermotolerance in some genotypes and investigation into the molecular mechanisms underlying this variability is warranted ( DaMatta, 2018 ).…”

Quantile regression in genomic selection for oligogenic traits in autogamous plants: A simulation study

“…In Brazil, coffee cultivars that were released and are still in use, e.g., "Mundo Novo", are 240% more productive than introduced varieties [5]. Plant breeding programs, aside from focusing on higher yields, require the improvement of several other traits [6], e.g., the development of plants with a more appropriate architecture for higher plant density and mechanical management, better resistance and tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses, adaptation to and stability in different cultivation environments, and a higher fruit and grain quality [7][8][9][10][11].…”