From crop to cup: A new genetic map in Italy could make your morning coffee more climate resilient

Published 2024년 2월 17일

Tridge summary

A new genetic map of the arabica coffee plant, Coffea arabica, has been developed by researchers, as published in Nature Communications. The study reveals the genetic factors contributing to the diversity of arabica coffee varieties and shows similarities with other crops like potatoes and wheat. This could lead to the development of new coffee flavors and more resilient varieties, potentially ushering in a new era for both coffee farmers and consumers. The findings could enable the use of DNA-based techniques to improve coffee varieties and create more resilient hybrids between wild and cultivated species, particularly crucial as coffee crops face significant threats from climate change.

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Original content

A new genetic map of the arabica coffee plant, Coffea arabica, could help breeders develop to more climate-proof brews.Coffee is the second most consumed beverage on Earth with over 2 billion cups being enjoyed every day. It's also a valuable commodity and in 2023 the global market was worth over USD$93 billion (£74 billion).With their superior smooth taste and many fine varieties, arabica coffee beans make up around 60%-70% of global coffee production. Coffee cultivation also directly supports the livelihoods of 25 million family farmers with another 100 million people involved in coffee processing and retailing.But coffee crops are also threatened by climate change in many parts of the world and we need to use breeding to help the crops adapt to new conditions as well as growing them in areas that are less susceptible to factors such as drought.Published in Nature Communications, this study could help produce coffee varieties with higher yields and more resilience to climate ...

Source: Phys