Genetic diversity among commercial arabica coffee (Coffea arabica L.) varieties in Ethiopia using simple sequence repeat markers

Abstract

Ethiopia is the center of origin and genetic diversity of arabica coffee. Forty-two commercial arabica coffee varieties were developed by Jimma Agricultural Research Center (JARC) of Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) and released for production under diverse agro-ecologies of the country. Information on the level of genetic diversity among these varieties is scarce. Out of the 42 varieties, the genetic diversity of 40 widely cultivated commercial varieties was assessed using 14 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. These markers revealed polymorphism among the varieties. High average number of polymorphic alleles (7.5) and polymorphic information content (PIC = 80%) per locus were detected among the varieties. The genetic similarity among varieties using the Jaccard's similarity coefficient ranged from 0.14 to 0.78, with a mean of 0.38. The range of genetic similarity coefficient values in 92% of the possible pair-wise combinations varied from 0.14 to 0.50, indicating the presence of distant genetic relatedness among the varieties. Unweighted pair group method using arithmetic mean (UPGMA) clustering showed six major clusters and three singletons. Coffee varieties, belonging to the same geographic origin, were distributed across clusters. This study represents the first evidence of the presence of a high level of genetic diversity in Ethiopian commercial arabica coffee varieties. Divergent varieties with complementing traits could be crossed to develop productive hybrid coffee varieties.

Whole-genome resequencing of Coffea arabica L. (Rubiaceae) genotypes identify SNP and unravels distinct groups showing a strong geographical pattern

“…Further, Silvestrini et al [ 62 ] reported that even if coffee accessions had originated in the same localities, there was a possibility of separating genetically by the domestication process due to human selection activity. The finding also supports earlier reports that suggested southwest Ethiopia as the center of origin and diversity of C. arabica L. [ 8 , 12 , 17 , 63 ].…”

“…Coffea arabica L. is the only coffee species cultivated and exported from Ethiopia [ 12 ]. It is the major foreign exchange earner contributing to a quarter of the country’s export earnings [ 13 ] and serves as a means of livelihood and employment for an estimated 15 million people [ 12 – 14 ].…”

“…Coffea arabica L. is the only coffee species cultivated and exported from Ethiopia [ 12 ]. It is the major foreign exchange earner contributing to a quarter of the country’s export earnings [ 13 ] and serves as a means of livelihood and employment for an estimated 15 million people [ 12 – 14 ]. The agro-ecology under which coffee grows varies significantly, and the crop is mainly produced in four distinct production systems in Ethiopia; i.e., garden, semi-forest, forest and plantation.…”

Validating South Sudan as a Center of Origin for Coffea arabica: Implications for Conservation and Coffee Crop Improvement

“…Former studies (Anthony et al, 2002;da Silva et al, 2019;Benti et al, 2020) had proven the efficiency of SSR markers to study the genetic diversity of Arabica. In our study, we confirm that the reduced set of SSR markers established by Pruvot-Woehl et al (2020) are efficient to describe a new genetic group in Yemen (Montagnon et al, 2021) is again efficient to describe a new genetic group in this species: the South Sudan group.…”

Genetic Diversity of Coffea arabica L.: A Genomic Approach

“…arabica is mainly native to the highlands of southwestern Ethiopia, South Sudan (Boma plateau), and north Kenya (Mount Marsabi). C. arabica cultivars grown all around the world are derived from either 'Typica' or 'Bourbon' genetic base [17]. Studies report wide agronomic diversity of Arabica coffee accessions collected in these regions of Ethiopia regarding leaf size, height, biotic and abiotic stresses tolerance and yield [18,19].…”