Progeny selections of coffee cultivar'Mundo Novo'with potential for the specialty coffee market

Coffee is one of the most popular beverages in the world with a global market worth over$USD 100 billion.In Brazil,the Arabica coffee(Coffea arabica)cultivar'Mundo Novo'is one of the most planted cultivars due to its high yield,growth vigor and stability.However,this traditional cultivar is generally not considered a good production source for specialty coffee.Exploring intra-cultivar variation and selecting'Mundo Novo'progenies with superior sensory quality may provide a viable option for coffee producers targeting the rapidly expanding specialty coffee market.The present study analyzed cup quality attributes,agronomic characteristics and genetic identities of 14 genotypes selected from the putative progenies of'Mundo Novo'and assessed their potential as specialty coffee in Brazil.Beverage quality was assessed using chemical and sensory analysis according to the methodology proposed by the Specialty Coffee Association(SCA)in six selected genotypes.High sensory quality,with sensory scores above 80 points was observed which qualified them in the very good and excellent quality categories.Genetic identities of the 14 selections were verified using 96 SNP markers,based on 57 reference cultivars from the coffee collection of EPAMIG(Empresa de Pesquisa Agropecuária de Minas Gerais),Brazil.Multivariant and Bayesian clustering analysis generated consistent results and confirmed that all the 14 selections were progenies of'Mundo Novo'.Among them,the top three genotypes(SGAB 1,SGAB 7 and SGAB 8)were selected as promising genotypes,either for future genetic improvement or for direct use in the production of specialty coffee.

An overview of the endogenous and environmental factors related to the Coffea arabica flowering process

The transition of vegetative meristems to a reproductive state followed by floral development and flowering is a complex process regulated by many regulatory pathways that integrate(epi)genetic and environmental factors to guarantee the reproductive success in angiosperms.In woody and perennial species,such as coffee trees,the extended life cycle reflects adaptive strategies,i.e.,two-year cycle,sequential flowering and bud latency during the winter,that ensure reproductive success in a variable environment.The dynamics of coffee flowering integrate multiple stimuli to induce morpho-physiological changes,especially during the reproductive phase.We discussed diverse stimuli which are directly and indirectly associated with molecular pathways related to the reproductive meristem transition and floral development until anthesis.Here,we propose to redefine some concepts regarding coffee floral development,such as:i)a summary of genes possibly involved in the flowering pathways;ii)a new classification of buds by position in the node(B1-B4)to avoid misunderstandings with the uneven developmental stages;iii)comparative ABC model to Arabidopsis and tomato to allow evolutionary discussions of whorls development in Coffea sp.From this,we expect to collaborate to drive future studies towards coffee breeding and production,for example,improving floral bud activation,controlling the flowering time,anthesis synchronization to produce more homogeneous ripening fruits,reducing abortion or early flower openings,and increasing fruitification.Moreover,we think that the explored relationship between physiological and molecular approaches during the coffee flowering may be extended to understand other tropical perennial species,especially those with asynchronous flowering behavior,and to understand evolutive aspects in Rubiaceae.