| Abstract Detail
Thursday Afternoon Breeding and Variation Medina-Filho, Herculano [1], Maluf, Mirian Perez [1], Bordignon, Rita [1], Guerreiro-Filho, Oliveiro [1], Fazuoli, Luis Carlos [1]. Traditional breeding and modern genomics: complementary tools to exploit biodiversity for the benefit of the coffee agroindustrial chain. DAILY pleasure for millions of people around the world, coffee represents considerable export revenue for many developing nations. Production by smallholders and a diversified agroindustrial chain worldwide attests its social importance. The genetic makeup of the cultivar grown influences all chain segments, from nurseries to consumers. Cultivar improvement relies heavily on genetics, associated disciplines, germplasm conservation and its exploitation. Sixty five percent of coffee traded in the international market is Coffea arabica (2n=44 chromosomes), a segmental allotetraploid 90% self-reproducing highland species from Ethiopia. C. canephora accounts for the remaining 35% of the market. It is a diploid (2n=22) self-incompatible species native to tropical Africa thriving preferentially at lower altitudes in hotter climates. Sturdier and higher yielding it furnishes however a less aromatic beverage. A germplasm collection is maintained by IAC at Campinas, Brazil. Of approximately 100 known diploid, with few exceptions self-incompatible Coffea-Psilanthus species, 19 are represented in this reservoir amongst many F1s and complex intra and interspecific hybrids and derivatives, single gene mutants, chromosomal variants, accessions from centers of origin and diversification, breeding lines, segregant populations and 67 released cultivars. Conservation and exploitation of such broad diversity involve sexual and vegetative reproductions. Cropping efficiency is increasingly challenged by sustainability concerns and specific demands of differentiated and commodity markets. Desirable cultivar attributes encompass uniform ripening, short stature, resistance to major pests, consistent quality and unique cup flavors, variations dispersed in primary and secondary gene pools with variably introgressed C. arabica or C. canephora genomes. Comparative biology links coffee to tomato in Asterid I and is paralleled by several phenotypic variations. The existing coffee diversity and the rich information on Solanaceae coupled with modern genomics constitute an unprecedented opportunity to accelerate breeding and the incorporation of useful traits into cultivars for the ultimate benefit of the entire agroindustrial coffee chain.
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1 - Instituto Agronomico, Centro de Café Alcides Carvalho, Av. Barao de Itapura, 1481, CP 28, Campinas, SP, 13012-970, Brazil
Keywords:
Coffea
Germplasm
Variability
Improvement.
Session: SOL07-2
Location: Ballroom AB/Monona Terrace
Date: Thursday, July 27th, 2006
Time: 2:00 PM
Abstract ID:85 |
