Luiz Carlos Fazuoli

Plant biochemistry: A naturally decaffeinated arabica coffee

The adverse side effects of caffeine have increased the market for decaffeinated coffee to about 10% of coffee consumption worldwide (http://www.ncausa.org), despite the loss of key flavour compounds in the industrial decaffeinating process. We have discovered a naturally decaffeinated Coffea arabica plant from Ethiopia, a species normally recognized for the high quality of its beans. It should be possible to transfer this trait to commercial varieties of arabica coffee plants by intraspecific hybridization — a process likely to be simpler than an interspecific hybridization strategy, which could require more than 30 years of breeding to fix the decaffeinated trait and would probably result in an inferior cup of coffee.

Divergência genética entre progênies de café robusta

Estudou-se a divergencia genetica de 21 progenies de meios-irmaos - 19 do grupo Congoles e duas do grupo Guineano - de introducoes do germoplasma de cafe robusta (Coffea canephora) do IAC. O estudo baseou-se em analises multivariadas de 14 caracteristicas morfo-agronomicas, com o proposito de selecionar as progenies mais divergentes, visando a definicao de populacao-base para posterior selecao e producao de hibridos. Avaliou-se tambem a importância das caracteristicas discriminantes para analises de divergencia, visando ao descarte das variaveis, segundo suas contribuicoes relativas. O experimento foi plantado e desenvolvido em campo experimental localizado no Polo Regional do Nordeste Paulista, Mococa (SP), em blocos casualizados, com 21 tratamentos e 24 repeticoes. O agrupamento dos genotipos foi realizado com base nos metodos de Tocher e UPGMA. A matriz de dissimilaridade genetica foi obtida por meio da distância generalizada de Mahalanobis, que serviu de base para a formacao dos grupos. Os metodos empregados foram eficientes em detectar ampla variabilidade genetica entre as progenies avaliadas. Varios grupos dissimilares foram identificados. As progenies IAC 2262, IAC 2290, IAC 2286, IAC 2292 e IAC 2291 sao indicadas para compor programas de intercruzamentos, por terem sido consideradas as mais promissoras na obtencao de populacoes segregantes ou hibridos heteroticos. As caracteristicas que menos contribuiram para a divergencia genetica foram, hierarquicamente: diâmetro da copa antes da poda, altura da planta antes da poda e area foliar.

ESTIMATIVAS DE PARÂMETROS GENÉTICOS E PREDIÇÃO DE VALORES GENOTÍPICOS NO MELHORAMENTO DO CAFEEIRO PELO PROCEDIMENTO REML/BLUP

Objetivou-se aplicar o metodo REML/BLUP em programas de melhoramento genetico do cafeeiro, utilizando-o na estimacao de parâmetros geneticos e predicao de valores genotipicos para a especie Coffea arabica. O experimento foi instalado em julho de 1998 pela Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), em Selviria (MS). As 12 cultivares selecionadas pelo Instituto Agronomico (IAC), Campinas (SP), foram avaliadas no delineamento em blocos ao acaso com quatro repeticoes e dez plantas por parcela. Os resultados revelaram baixa variabilidade genetica entre as cultivares para os caracteres altura da planta, diâmetro do caule e numero de ramos plagiotropicos, avaliados aos 26 meses. Apenas as cultivares Catuai Amarelo, Icatu Vermelho e Catuai Vermelho apresentaram valores genotipicos preditos para o diâmetro do caule superiores a media geral desse carater. A acuracia na avaliacao dos valores genotipicos das cultivares para o carater diâmetro do caule equivaleu, em media, a 76%. A adocao de uma experimentacao com duas plantas por parcela e 20 repeticoes podera elevar a 90% a acuracia seletiva para o carater diâmetro do caule. O metodo de modelos mistos (REML/BLUP) mostrou-se adequado a estimacao de parâmetros geneticos e predicao de valores genotipicos no melhoramento do cafeeiro, podendo ser empregado rotineiramente.

Exigência térmica do café arábica cv. Mundo Novo no subperíodo florescimento-colheita

Base temperature and heat requirement, using degree-days were evaluated for coffee cv. Mundo Novo. The sum of reference (ETo) and actual (ETr) evapotranspiration were also determined for the flowering-harvest phenological stage, using coffee phenological data for the growing season from 1971 to 2004. A correction factor was proposed for the degree-days sum related to available water on the first eighty days during the beginning of flowering. The obtained values of base temperature and degree-days requirements were, respectively, 10.2oC and 2887 degree-days and 10.5oC and 2761 degree-days when evaluated with and without adjustement for water deficit. The mean value for ETo sum was 761 mm, and for ETr, 689 mm. When considered the sum of ETr during the development of the berries (first 80 days after flowering) was considered the mean values were 721 mm. The correction factor for water deficit improved the determination of base temperature and heat sum for the flowering-harvest stage for Mundo Novo coffee plants.

Melhoramento do cafeeiro: XL-estudos de progênies e híbridos de café catuaí

Progenies of the cultivars Catuai Vermelho and Catuai Amarelo of Coffea arabica and populations derived from crosses between selected trees of these and plants of other cultivars, were evaluated in relation to plant characteristics and average yield of ripe fruits. After analysis of 64 Catuai progenies, only two revealed to be heterozygous for the Caturra allele (Ctct); among these, 19 were homozygous for red exocarp (XcXc),. 42 for yellow exocarp (xcxc) and three heterozygous (Xcxc) for this characteristic. Concerning the occurrence of empty locules, 17 progenies were heterozygous and 47 homozygous, without this abnormality. Catuai plants reached an average tree height of 190 cm and an average tree diameter of 189 cm after nine years in the field, while the Mundo Novo cultivar reached an average height and diameter of 238 and 211 cm, respectively. The Catuai Vermelho (progenies H 2077-2-5-46, and H 2077-2-28), and the Catuai Amarelo (progenies H 2077-2-5-32, H 2077-2-5-5, H 2077-2-12-64, H 2077-2-5-66, and H 2077-2-5-39) were the most productive and revealed homozygous for the caturra alleles. In four of the backcross populations of Catuai x Mundo Novo and in two F2 populations of hybrids between these cultivars, promising coffee trees were selected to be further used in the breeding program. A few promising plants were also detected in the F2 of the hybrid Mundo Novo x Sao Bernardo. These latter selections nave also a small height and it is expected to be used at higher field densities.

Macronutrients in leaves and fruits of dwarf arabica coffee cultivars

Macronutrient mobilization from leaves to fruits in dwarf arabica coffee cultivars was studied, through serial leaf and fruit samplings. The experiment was set in 1994 in a Rhodic Hapludox soil at Campinas, State of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Third leaf from the apex of reproductive branches with fruits was collected for macronutrient determinations in December 2002, February and May 2003. Ripe fruits were sun drayed being grain and husks milled separately for analysis. Except for calcium it was observed a decrease in the leaf macronutrient concentrations during the growing season fruit. Concentration of all macronutrients in the leaves was slightly higher for high yielding cultivars as compared to the medium yielding cultivars, except for Ca displaying higher concentrations in high yielding cultivars. Except for Ca concentrations in husks there was no difference in the concentration of macronutrients in husks and grains of the cultivars, despite their great difference in grain yield. There was an inverse relation ship between yield and relative mobilization index. Grain dry weight of higher yielding cultivars was produced with relatively less remobilization of N, P and K from the leaves.

Caracterização de cultivares de Coffea arabica mediante utilização de descritores mínimos

Cerca de 70% do cafe produzido e comercializado mundialmente e oriundo de Coffea arabica. A especie apresenta base genetica estreita sendo as cultivares bastante aparentadas e originarias em sua maioria das tradicionais cultivares Tipica e Bourbon. Este trabalho foi desenvolvido com o objetivo de identificar a eficiencia de descritores minimos na caracterizacao de cultivares de cafeeiros e como diferenciadores entre cultivares a serem submetidas ao processo de protecao de cultivares no Brasil. Foram avaliadas trinta e oito caracteristicas botânicas ou tecnologicas das plantas, folhas, flores, frutos, sementes, assim como tres caracteristicas agronomicas. Utilizaram-se vinte e nove cultivares de cafeeiros selecionadas pelo Instituto Agronomico, sendo avaliadas trinta plantas de cada cultivar. Os resultados evidenciaram que apenas com a utilizacao das caracteristicas porte, cor do fruto, resistencia ao agente da ferrugem, Hemileia vastatrix e ciclo de maturacao e possivel obter uma discriminacao eficiente dos diferentes grupos de cultivares avaliadas. A cor das folhas jovens e o diâmetro da copa revelaram-se importantes descritores na discriminacao de cultivares do grupo Mundo Novo. Nao foi possivel, porem, identificar descritores eficientes na discriminacao das cultivares dos grupos Catuai Vermelho, Catuai Amarelo e Icatu Vermelho.

Diversidade química de cafeeiros na espécie Coffea canephora

The objective of this work was to characterize six C. canephora varieties from the Coffee Germoplasma Collection of Instituto Agronomico, in Campinas, Brazil. For this a chemical characterization of forthy seven examples was performed. Soluble solids, lipids, trigonelline, chlorogenic acids and caffeine contents were evaluated on seeds. The results demonstrated the occurrance of great variation among and within the analyzed materials, with values ranging from 24,53% to 30,68% for soluble solids; 6,61% to 12,27% for lipids; 0,73% to 1,59% for trigonelline; 3,30% to 6,30% for chlorogenic acids and 1,94% to 3,29% for caffeine. These results indicate the possibility of selection of superior plants for the improvement of the specie.

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.

Resistência de plantas de coffea arabica, coffea canephora e híbridos interespecíficos à cercosporiose

In the present study plants of Coffea arabica, C. canephora, and interespecific hybrids were evaluated on their response to brown eye spot (Cercospora coffeicola), an important disease of the coffee crop. Two experiments were carried out in 2003 in Campinas, SP, with seedlings of C. arabica cultivars Mundo Novo IAC 388-17-1, Mundo Novo IAC 376-4, Bourbon Amarelo, Bourbon Vermelho, Obata IAC 1669-20, Catuai Vermelho IAC 144, Catuai Amarelo IAC 62, Icatu Precoce IAC 3282, Icatu Vermelho IAC 4045, Ouro Verde IAC H5010-5, Tupi IAC 1669-33, of C. canephora, Robusta IAC 1653-7 and Apoata IAC 2258, as well as two interspecific hybrids Piata IAC 387 and Hibrido de Timor IAC 1559-13. The seedlings were inoculated with a conidial suspension containing a mixture of five isolates of C. coffeicola collected in different regions of Sao Paulo State. The most susceptible materials were Robusta IAC 1653-7, Apoata IAC 2258, Hibrido de Timor IAC 1559-13, Bourbon Vermelho, and Bourbon Amarelo, with levels of incidence that varied from 81.6 to 63.1% in the first experiment, and from 70 to 93.3% in the second, and severity (graded scale 1-6) from 2.92 and 3.42 in the first experiment to 2.79 and 3.64 in the second. The most resistant materials were Piata IAC 387, Ouro Verde IAC H5010-5 and Tupi IAC 1669-33, with incidence between 28.4 and 35.5 % in the first experiment and between 21.1 and 55.6%, in the second, and severity that varied from 1.44 to 1.73 in the first experiment to 1.28 to 1.88 in the second.