Long-Running Study Inspects Arabica Varietals with Higher Yields and Resistance to Leaf Rust – CoffeeTalk

A new study backed by World Coffee Research (WCR) and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) tested and compared different arabica coffee varieties for yield and disease resistance in different climate conditions. The study is a significant step forward in the International Multilocation Variety Trial (IMLVT), launched in 2015 to identify ways to meet the challenges of climate change for coffee production.

The analysis was based on data collected from 32 arabica varieties grown in 30 sites in 17 countries (2015-2023). The researchers found that newer arabica varieties generally yielded more and were more resistant to coffee leaf rust than traditional pure-arabica varieties. The highest F1 hybrid yields among the evaluated varieties were with H1 Centroamericano and EC16 (Mundo Maya) and exhibited good disease resistance. However, their performance was variable according to the environmental conditions, with EC16 performing well at cooler temperatures with high temperature variation and H1 Centroamericano performing well at warmer temperatures with low temperature variation.

Other introgressed arabica varieties such as IPR103, Col5, and S4808 were mentioned for their high yields and overall consistent performance in several climates, benefiting from disease-resistance traits acquired from other coffee species, e.g., robusta. These conventional pure-arabica varieties produced less and were more prone to coffee leaf rust, especially in warmer, wetter conditions, where the disease was more common.

These results can help in making informed decisions on which varieties of coffee to choose in a climate change scenario. In partnership with CIAT, WCR has developed the CafeClima platform that combines IMLVT data and climate projections to help identify which varieties are suitable for current and future coffee-growing conditions. The study emphasizes the importance of testing high-yielding varieties in local environmental and management conditions prior to making general planting recommendations.

The study gives a good glimpse of the potential of these arabica varieties but does not measure cup quality. The high production costs and complexity of F1 hybrids are still a consideration for farmers interested in adopting these newer varieties.

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