Diversity of coffee trees in the Guineo-Congolese region: the role of climatic refuges and domestication
The species Coffea canephora, which produces Robusta coffee, has substantial genetic diversity, which could almost certainly be better exploited in breeding programmes were it characterized better. A team from CIRAD recently analysed that diversity using microsatellite markers. This was the first truly comprehensive genetic study of the species. It confirmed the existence of diversity groups, analysed the relations between them and determined the genetic structure of the species, particularly the role played by refuge zones during the last glacial maximum and the effect of human intervention on its construction. The results are crucial for the management and use of genetic resource collections.
The species C. canephora is the second cultivated coffee species in volume terms and accounts for almost 37% of worldwide coffee exports. It originated in the forests of tropical Africa, and possesses substantial genetic diversity, split between two main groups: Guinean and Congolese, themselves split into sub-groups.
To characterize that diversity, a team from CIRAD analysed genotypes obtained through surveys and breeding programmes, kept in several collections, using microsatellite markers.
Published: 01/01/2014