Alcides Carvalho

Breeding for low seed caffeine content of coffee (Coffea L.) by interspecific hybridization

SummarySeeds from open-pollinated flowers collected from hybrids of several Coffea species were analysed for caffeine content. The caffeine content was not always intermediary to that of the parents; higher and lower values were found. Diploid F1 hybrids between accessions of C. eugenioides and C. salvatrix showed the lowest seed caffeine content. Seeds of the tetraploid hybrids C. arabica × C. salvatrix or C. arabica × C. eugenioides hybrids presented low caffeine content. The possibility of breeding coffee to reduce the caffeine content in the seeds by interspecific hybridization of C. arabica with other Coffea species is discussed.

Melhoramento do cafeeiro: IV - Café Mundo Novo

In the course of the coffee breeding project carried out at the Instituto Agronomico, outstanding progenies have been derived from mother plants selected by either of the two following methods; a) before selection, individual yield is recorded for a number of years begining with the first crop, and b) selection of mother plants is made on the basis of vegetative vigor and the crop they have at the time of selection, regardless of their previous yields. Yield data and other observations presented in this paper refer to a group of progenies derived from plants selected according to the second method. With open pollinated seeds collected the from best plants found in 1943 in a private coffee plantation at Urupes County, (formerly Mundo Novo) State of Sao Paulo several progenies were planted at the Experiment Stations of Campinas, Pindorama, Jau and Mococa, with different types of soils. The original coffee plantation of Urupes had been formed with seeds collected in Mineiros do Tiete County, in a farm nearby the place where the so called Sumatra coffee (Coffea arabica var. typica) was first planted after it was privately imported from the island of Sumatra at the end of the last century. This is probably the reason why the Mundo Novo coffee, as it is called nowadays, was formerly named Sumatra de Mundo Novo. From observations on the morphological type of Mundo Novo coffee plants, it was noted that most plants in all progenies and also in private plantations are morphologically similar to the bourbon variety, while a few plants are similar to the typica variety. Artificial crosses between the highest yielding Mundo Novo plants from progenies grown in Campinas and the murta variety (ttNana) grave indication that these plants are of the bourbon type (ttNaNa) and not of the typica type (TTNaNa), as it is the case of the ordinary Sumatra coffee. It has been assumed, therefore, that the Mundo Novo coffee probably originated from a primitive natural cross between the imported Sumatra coffee and the bourbon variety, already existent in the State of Sao Paulo when the Sumatra coffee was introduced. The progenies of Mundo Novo coffee here studied present a majority of vigorous and productive plants and a few weak individuals with very low productivity. Total yield per plant and per progeny were analized and discussed, for the period from 1946 to 1951. It is apparent that some progenies behave equally well in all locations and that high yield variability between plants is found in all Experiment Stations. The Mundo Novo coffee does not differ from other varieties in the percentages of the commercial seed types, namely, the normal flat beans, the peaberry type, and those resulting from the simultaneous development of two or more ovules in the same fruit locule. It was found, however, that a large percentage of Mundo Novo plants regularly produce an abnormal quantity of fruits with one or two empty locules. This constitutes a defect of the Mundo Novo coffee, which probably can be overcome by selection. It seems that this defect, which is not correlated with yield, is detenruned by genetic factors. Progenies are found where the number of plants showing unusual amounts of empty fruit locules is very low, other plants being normal is this respect. The most promising Mundo Novo plants from several progenies have already been artificially self-pollinated, and the seeds thus obtained were used to plant foundation seed plots. Within a few years seeds of selected Mundo Novo coffee plants will be available to farmers in the State of Sao Paulo.

Melhoramento do cafeeiro: VII - Ocorrência de lojas vazias em frutos de café "mundo novo"

Este trabalho descreve a estrutura do fruto e o metodo utilizado na determinacao da frequencia de lojas vazias dos frutos do cafeeiro, nas quais nao se encontram sementes. Este metodo consiste em colher, de cada planta, uma amostra ao acaso de 100 frutos maduros, que sao cortados transversalmente, anotando-se em folhas apropriadas o numero de sementes dos tipos chato, moca e concha, as que ocorrem em numero de tres por fruto e o numero de lojas vazias, desprovidas de sementes. Esta ultima anomalia parece resultar da paralizacao do desenvolvimento do endosperma, o que provavelmente se da quando esse tecido deveria comecar a preencher a cavidade ja bem desenvolvida do fruto. Quando isto ocorre, a loja do fruto continua a se desenvolver normalmente, porem sem formacao de semente normal. Em geral, apenas um resto de tecido se encontra dentro das lojas vazias. Pequena porcao de endosperma e as vezes encontrada, contendo ou nao um pequeno embriao. Desde 1950 vem se examinando amostras de frutos maduros do cafe Mundo Novo (Coffea arabica L. var. bourbon (B. Rodr.) Choussy), colhidas em todas as plantas de progenies plantadas nas Estacoes Experimentais de Campinas, Pindorama, Mococa e Jau, a fim de se determinar a frequencia de lojas vazias para cada uma dessas plantas. Em algumas progenies examinadas, oriundas de sementes de polinizacao nao controlada, quasi todas as plantas produzem apenas pequenas quantidades de frutos com lojas desprovidas de sementes em amostras de 100 frutos, independentemente da regiao onde se acham plantadas. Outras progenies apresentam plantas que produzem frutos com baixa quantidade de lojas sem sementes e plantas nas quais essa quantidade e maior. A relacao entre esses tipos de plantas e relativamente constante para as mesmas progenies em regioes diferentes. A quantidade de frutos com lojas desprovidas de sementes, em amostras de 100 frutos, para uma dada planta, permanece aproximadamente a mesma de ano para ano, e aparentemente nao mostra correlacao com a producao total de frutos maduros, vigor, ou tipo da planta. Entre 1096 cafeeiros estudados em 4 localidades, observou-se que 456 (43%) apresentavam alta quantidade de frutos com lojas vazias. Se essa amostra for considerada representativa das plantacoes comuns de cafe Mundo Novo, onde nao houve selecao visando eliminar esse defeito, pode-se supor que 39 a 45% de tais plantas apresentam quantidade elevada de frutos com lojas desprovidas de sementes. Verificou-se que para fins de selecao do cafe Mundo Novo, pode-se contar o numero de frutos que flutuam em agua, em amostras de 100 frutos, a fim de se ter ideia a respeito da quantidade de frutos com lojas desprovidas de sementes que esses cafeeiros apresentam. Esses resultados sao comparaveis aos obtidos quando se cortam transversalmente os frutos e se efetua a determinacao direta das lojas sem sementes. As observacoes realizadas indicam que a tendencia de produzir frutos com lojas vazias e um caracteristico hereditario. Embora estejam em andamento as investigacoes para determinar o modo de heranca desse, caracteristico, recomenda-se que se leve em conta a baixa incidencia desse defeito nas plantas matrizes a serem selecionadas.

Melhoramento do cafeeiro: XXXVII - Observações sobre a resistência do cafeeiro ao bicho-mineiro

A survey on the level of resistance of coffee species and cultivars to the leaf miner (Perileucoptera coffeella) was carried out under field conditions. It was observed that the diploid coffee species namely C. eugenioides, C. dewevrei, C. racemosa, C. liberica, and C. kapakata present a high level of resistance, while C. stenophylla is almost immune to the insect. C. canephora and C. congensis are susceptible. Within the species C. arabica only the mokka variety showed some degree of resistance. No relation was noticed between resistance to the leaf miner and the leaf blade thickness, in the diploid, tetraploid and octoploid forms of C. arabica and diploid and tetraploid C. canephora. The leaf blade size also does not influence the leaf miner attack. Observations on the attacked leaves of some interespecific F1 hybrids between diploid coffee species indicated the dominant nature of the resistance. Suggestions are presented for the transfer of the resistance alleles to the economic susceptible C. canephora and C. arabica species.

Melhoramento do cafeeiro: XI - Análise da produção de progênies e híbridos de bourbon vermelho

During the initial years of a breeding project carried out in Campinas, coffee progenies and hybrids were usually planted in rows of twenty plants each. Progenies were not replicated in the same location but usually they were studied at three to five experiment stations. Although this method did not allow for statistical analysis of individual yields and other plant and seed characteristics, it proved to be sufficiently accurate to select several outstanding progenies and exceptional individual coffee plants. Individual yields of 856 plants belonging to forty-three of such groups of twenty plants each were studied in order to evaluate the effect of an early elimination of progenies which started yielding below the general mean. The 43 groups were derived from 25 Bourbon plants, 24 groups being selfed progenies and 19 F1 hybrids between a few of those trees. In a previous paper it was shown that these progenies and hybrids did not differ in yielding ability, thus allowing treatment as a single population of Bourbon plants. Individual harvests of each plant from this population were recorded during the first six years of yields (1939-44). A preliminary selection was done in 1944. The five progenies and five hybrids which had the highest mean yields were selected as groups of twenty plants and continued under observation for an additional period of eight years. Besides these 200 coffee trees, 139 others were also selected for their high individual yields during the first six years of crop, and their records were also kept for another period of eight years, ending in 1952. The remaining trees were not recorded after the preliminary selection. Average yields per plant were calculated for the 43 groups, accumulating the crops of the first 2, 4 and 6 years, and distributed, for each period, in classes centered at the general mean plus or minus integer multiples of the corresponding standard error. In the distribution for the first two years of crop (1939-40), 10 groups were in class x-1s, two in x-2s and one group in x-3s. After four additional harvests seven groups remained in the lowest classes and four reached the mean class. This relative stability in ranking after successive years of crops suggests that little was gained by keeping records for the whoie group of 43 pro genies and hybrids. Had the lowest group been discarded after the first two crops, only two lines would have been lost for the preliminary selection in the sixth crop. When comparison is made between the distribution of progenies and hybrids according to their mean yields after the first two crops, and the array of six-years total individual yields of the 856 plants, it may be seen that the most productive plants belong, as a rule, to progenies and hybrids which occupy the upper classes in the distribution of the average yields of the 43 groups. This is an indication that early elimination of the lowest yielding groups would not affect selection among the best individual coffee trees. The comparison made between the distribution of the total individual yields of 339 plants recorded to the 14th consecutive crop, and the array of the average yields for the first two crops of the progenies and hybrids to which those plants belong, show that elimination of 13 groups with the lowest yields in the period of 1939-40 would sacrifice 89 out of 339 coffee trees selected in 1944. Only 20 of these 89 plants, however, yielded above the average of the selected population of 339 trees. Considering a more restricted group of plants, namely, the 200 individual trees that belong to the five progenies and five hybrids selected in 1944 for their high average yield in the first six years of crops, it may be observed that among the 40 plants of the progenies with the highest average yields, 22 ranked above the mean of the 200 plants, after 14 years of production. Among the 40 plants of the two groups with the lowest yields, however, only eight could reach a position above the mean. These informations indicate that in trials involving large number of progenies it is possible to restrict observation on the most promising groups, discarding those which start yielding far below the mean. This elimination of low yielding progenies could be made after two or four consecutive yields, even if it considered that definite selection of individual coffee plants must wait until twelve or more years have elapsed, when the trees attain full development. When coffee progeny trials are planted in randomized blocks or in lattices such an elimination would not introduce difficulties in future statistical analysis. It is pointed out that similar procedures could be adopted in selection programs of other perennial crops.

Café Icatu como fonte de resistência a colletotrichum coffeanum

Linhagens e progenies do cultivar icatu, selecionadas em Campinas, foram testadas na Coffee Research Station, Ruiru, Quenia, a fim de avaliar o grau de resistencia ao ataque de Colletotrichum coffeanum, agente responsavel pela molestia mais conhecida por CBD. Os dados de infeccao obtidos para 11 linhagens e sete progenies foram comparados com os dos cultivares testemunhas Rume Sudan, resistente, e SL 28, suscetivel. Considerando apenas a frequencia de resistentes, com grau 1 de infeccao, destacaram-se a progenie H 4782-10 M e a linhagem LCH 3851-4 T. As populacoes com graus de 1 a 4 de resistencia ocorreram em menor escala do que no Rume Sudan, porem salientou-se a progenie H 4782-10 M, com elevada resistencia. As maiores porcentagens de plantas suscetiveis foram verificadas nas linhagens LCH 3849-7 M e LCH 4782-13 T, as quais se aproximam da linhagem suscetivel SL 28. Os dados preliminares indicam que o germoplasma icatu, como o hibrido de timor, oferece perspectivas de constituir razoavel fonte de resistencia genetica ao agente da CBD.

SHOOT AND ROOT EVALUATIONS ON SEEDLINGS FROM Coffea GENOTYPES

Roots and shoots from seedlings of 29 coffee genotypes were studied to better characterize the entries from the Coffea germplasm bank of the Instituto Agronomico (IAC), Campinas, State of Sao Paulo, Brasil. The varieties were seeded in a randomized complete block design with 6 replications and 10 plants per plot. The characters evaluated were: plant (PL), shoot (SL) and root (RL) length; total plant (PDM), shoot (SDM), root (RDM) and lateral root (LRDM) dry matter. A lateral root index (LRI) and shoot root dry matter (SRDM = SDM/RDM) and length ratios; (SRL = SL/RL) were calculated. The dwarf varieties (Catuai, Icatu-caturra, Vila Sarchi, San Ramon, Vila Lobos, Sao Bernardo) presented higher LRDM and lower SDM than the normal size varieties such as Mundo Novo, Bourbon Vermelho, Arabica, Amarelo de Botucatu, Glaucia, etc. The varieties Macrodiscus, Icatu-caturra, Bourbon Amarelo, Vila Lobos and C. congensis showed higher root development related to shoot. The Arabica coffee standard variety showed intermediary root and shoot development. Genotypes of high yield background were higher in SL and SDM, while the dwarf types had only lower SL than the normal ones, but higher RL and dry matters. Seedlings from genotypes of known higher field drought tolerance had lower SL and RL, but higher RDM. Significant phenotypic and genotypic correlation coefficients were obtained, such the genotypes for PL and PDM (r = 0.64; P = 0.01), SL and SDM (r = 0.40; P = 0.05), SDM and LRDM (r = 0.52; P = 0.05), RDM and LRI (r = 0.68; P = 0.01), LRI and SRDM (r = 0.85; P = 0.01) and LRI and LRDM (r = 0.84; P = 0.01). High genotypic correlations suggest that selection directed to one character will directly affect the other. Conversely, low or non-significant correlations suggest independence of association, an indication that it would be possible to select two characteristics to diverse directions. Selection could be done towards different goals to change root and shoot measures (length and dry matter) because they were genotypically independent. However, care should be taken in controlling the environmental effects, because of significant positive phenotypic correlations.

Melhoramento do cafeeiro: X - Seleção visando eliminar o defeito "lojas vazias do fruto" no café Mundo Novo

As progenies de cafe Mundo Novo em estudo na Secao de Genetica, desde 1943, se tem revelado altamente produtivas e vigorosas, porem apresentam numerosas plantas com rendimento desfavoravel devido a alta incidencia de lojas do fruto desprovidas de sementes. Estudos detalhados sobre a constituicao dessas progenies, com relacao a esse defeito, foram iniciados em 1950 verificando-se, nessa ocasiao, que algumas eram constituidas apenas de plantas normais, enquanto outras se apresentavam formadas de cafeeiros normais e plantas com o defeito de alta quantidade de lojas sem sementes. A selecao foi dirigida a fim de eliminar, da populacao Mundo Novo, esse grave defeito. Resolveu-se multiplicar apenas os cafeeiros mais produtivos das melhores progenies e que nao apresentassem o defeito de alta quantidade de lojas vazias, pois seria de esperar que suas progenies fossem constituidas de plantas normais, a julgar pelos dados entao obtidos nos descendentes do cafeeiro bourbon n.° 44, que tambem apresentava o mesmo defeito. Os resultados da amostragem realizada na primeira plantacao de cafe Mundo Novo formada com essas sementes selecionadas, e discutidos no presente trabalho, dao indicacoes de que a selecao foi bastante eficiente, reduzindo a incidencia de plantas com o defeito, de 50% na populacao original para cerca de 2 a 7% nesta nova plantacao. Em vista destes resultados as sementes ai colhidas em 1953 foram aproveitadas para sdstribuicao aos lavradores de Sao Paulo, pela Divisao de Fomento Agricola, a fim de ie formarem 148 plantacoes modelo dessa nova variedade comercial. - As comparacoes feitas, entre as producoes de cafe beneficiado, calculadas a partir do rendimento para os cafeeiros de mais alta producao de cereja, indicam que se deve primeiramente concentrar a selecao em plantas produtivas e sem elevada quantidade de lojas sem sementes, tal como ja vem sendo feito desde 1950.

Genética de Coffea: XXI. Hereditariedade dos característicos de Coffea arabica L. var. laurina (Smeathman) DC

Coffea arabica var. laurina has been regarded by several authors as being originally from the Reunion Islands, or from Arabia, according to others.. In Brazil, it has been known for many years under the name of Smyrna coffee. Laurina plants have a conical shape and are shorter than those of the typica variety of Coffea arabica. Their branching habit is denser and the internodes shorter than those of the last named variety. The leaves are elliptical, and the fruits and seeds are slightly pointed at the base. The laurina characteristics are controlled by the action of a single pair of recessives genes, lr lr. The wild type allele is completely dominant over Ir, and the F2 generation and backcrosses segregate into normal and laurina individuals. Appropriate tests have shown that laurina, as well as the bourbon variety, possesses the tt alleles. The Ir gene does not show any apparent interaction with t. When new introductions of laurina plants were crossed with plants known to be lr lr, only laurina phenotypes were found in the offspring. Only one plant has been obtained from the interspecific cross between laurina and Coffea canephora. Its leaves are intermediate in size, but the plant size and the color of the young leaves resemble the canephora parent. Although the coffee produced by laurina gives excellent cup quality, this variety has very limited economic value because its yields are much lower than that of selected strains of bourbon.

AVALIAÇÃO DAS CULTIVARES MUNDO NOVO, BOURBON AMARELO E BOURBON VERMELHO DE COFFEA ARABICA L. EM CAMPINAS, SP (1)

Coffea arabica L. cv. Mundo Novo is the most outstanding coffee cultivars studied at the Instituto Agronomico, Campinas, State of Sao Paulo. Besides its rusticity, this cultivar has showed high yield capacity in all Brazilian coffee growing areas. In order to further diversify the Mundo Novo genetic background, new selection of mother trees was undertaken, in 1952, in six sites where former selections were made in Urupes, SP. Four groups of coffee progenies were planted to be compared at the Central Experimental Station, in Campinas, SP: 92 new selections (S1), 12 progenies of selected Mundo Novo (S2), 6 selected progenies of Bourbon Amarelo and 7 progenies of Bourbon Vermelho cultivars of C. arabica. The 117 progenies were planted in a randomized block design, with one-plant plots and 21 replications. Yield data were collected from individual plants during 33 consecutive annual harvests, from 1955 to 1987. Prior to the 1985 harvest, observations were made on the shape of plants, vegetative vigor (IAV index, 1 to 10 points varying from the worst to the best, respectively), fruit ripening (1 point for early, 3 for medium and 5 for late ripening, respectively), seed characteristics, such as flat beans, peaberry and elephant beans, and seed size. Significative differences were found in the yield inside and between progenies groups - Mundo Novo S1, Mundo Novo S2, Bourbon Amarelo and Bourbon Vermelho. The average yield of Mundo Novo S1 was 6% superior to the of Mundo Novo S2, and both groups of Mundo Novo S1 and S2 were more productive than Bourbon Amarelo (39 and 30%) and the progenies of Bourbon Vermelho (112 and 99%), respectively. Among the 30 highest Mundo Novo yield progenies, 4 belong to S2 and 26 to S1, Mundo Novo progenies, indicating the efficiency of the selection of S1 progenies. The highest yield Mundo Novo progenies have medium maturation. However individual plants in the progenies were classified as early, medium or late maturing plants. The Mundo Novo progeny CP447 gave larger number of plants with early fruit ripening and CP502 gave the highest number of late plants. All the best Mundo Novo progenies presented normal flat, peaberry and elephant beans seed percentages and seed size. The progeny CP474 gave several plants with larger seeds. The highest yield S2 Mundo Novo progenies such as P388-17, MP376-4 and the S1 CP502, CP515, CP474, CP447, CP501, CP543, CP475, CP464 and CP441 have already been multiplied in seed plots and are being extensively planted in all coffee regions of Brazil.