Strategies for Robusta Coffee (Coffea canephora) Improvement as a New Crop in Colombia
Robusta coffee is mostly grown in Africa and Asia and parts of tropical America, but not yet in Colombia. The crop has potential in lowland areas of this traditional Arabica coffee producer. Compared to Arabicas grown in highland areas, the Robustas have more drought and heat tolerance. However,...
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| Format: | article |
| Language: | Inglés |
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Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute - MDPI
2025
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/12/10/1576 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12324/41154 https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12101576 |
| Summary: | Robusta coffee is mostly grown in Africa and Asia and parts of tropical America, but
not yet in Colombia. The crop has potential in lowland areas of this traditional Arabica coffee
producer. Compared to Arabicas grown in highland areas, the Robustas have more drought and heat
tolerance. However, they differ in flavor and have higher caffeine levels. With natural resistance
to some of the major pests and diseases of other coffees, such as rust and berry borers, they thrive
under harsh conditions. The genetic improvement of Robusta coffee requires the understanding of
its genetic resources and a good breeding strategy. This review discusses the traits of interest and
selection criteria for breeding and recommends methods of varietal development for Robusta in
Colombia. Most of the traits of importance in breeding are quantitative and of low or intermediate
heritability. Robusta is an outcrossing species and can suffer from inbreeding depression, so mass
and recurrent selection are used, followed by the clonal propagation of best plants. Colombia has
limited germplasm only from the Congolese group, so the SG1/Conilon and SG2 genotypes should
be introduced with quarantine. Issues to address include the timing of flowering, asynchronous fruit
maturation, chemical composition and sensory quality, as well as bean size. Variability for abiotic
stress tolerance exists in Robusta genotypes and needs further study. New methods of breeding
include hybrid development and recurrent selection. Having adapted varieties of Robusta coffee
should promote production in Colombia, as it has in regions of Brazil, and would complement
Arabica coffee for this traditional and major producer. |
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