Selecting progenies of coffee variety “Mundo Novo” with potential for the specialty coffee market

Authors: FERRAZ, GARBRIELA - Federal University Of Lavras; LOPEZ, MARLON - Federal University Of Lavras; Zhang, Dapeng; RODRIGUES-CARVALHO, GLADYSTON - Federal University Of Lavras; Meinhardt, Lyndel; CHALFUN-JUNIOR, ANTONIO - Federal University Of Lavras

Submitted to: Beverage Plant Research
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/13/2022
Publication Date: 1/6/2023
Citation: Ferraz, G., Lopez, M.E., Zhang, D., Rodrigues-Carvalho, G., Meinhardt, L.W., Chalfun-Junior, A. 2023. Selecting progenies of coffee variety “Mundo Novo” with potential for the specialty coffee market. Beverage Plant Research. 3(1):1-11. https://doi.org/10.48130/BPR-2023-0001.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.48130/BPR-2023-0001

Interpretive Summary: Coffee is one of the most popular beverages in the world with a global market value of over $ 100 billion. Mundo Novo is one of the most planted Arabica coffee varieties in Brazil because of its high yield, robustness, growth vigor and stability. However, this variety was selected in the 1940s when the demand for varieties was focused on high productivity. Today, with the rapid market expansion of specialty coffee, Mundo Novo is not considered as a suitable variety for production of specialty coffee. The present study explored intra-varietal variation and selected Mundo Novo progenies with superior sensory quality through the evaluation of cup quality, biochemical compositions, agronomic traits and genetic identities. The result led to the selection of top three breeding lines (SGAB 1, SGAB 7 and SGAB 8) that are qualified as specialty coffee. These lines can be used as parents for future genetic improvement or for direct use in production of specialty coffee in Brazil. This study demonstrates a good example of selecting dual high-yield, higher-cup quality genotypes from existing traditional varieties, using the approach of combining field experiment, cup tasting, chemical analysis, and SNP marker-based molecular characterization. This information will be used by coffee breeders to improve coffee genetic resources and producers.

Technical Abstract: Coffee is one of the most popular beverages in the world with a global market value of over $ 100 billion. In Brazil, Mundo Novo is one of the most planted varieties of Arabica coffee due to its high yield, growth vigor and robust adaptability. However, this traditional variety is generally not considered as a good source for production of specialty coffee. Exploring intra-varietal variation and selecting ‘Mundo Novo’ progenies with superior sensory quality provides an alternative approach to develop new genotypes suitable for the expanding specialty coffee market. The present study analyzed cup quality, biochemical compositions, agronomic traits and genetic identities of 14 promising genotypes selected from the putative progenies of “Mundo Novo” and assessed their potential for production of specialty coffee in Brazil. High sensory quality, with scores above 80 points, was observed in six selected progenies. Genetic identities of the 14 selections were verified using SNP markers, based on 59 reference varieties from the coffee collection maintained in EPAMIG (Empresa de Pesquisa Agropecuária de Minas Gerais), Brazil. Multivariant and Bayesian clustering analysis 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 lines for future genetic improvement or for direct use in production of specialty coffee.