WCR Catalog - Custom
WCR Catalog - Custom
WCR Catalog - Custom
For most recent version of the data in this catalog, please visit: varieties.worldcoffeeresearch.org
The Arabica + Robusta Varieties Catalog by World Coffee Research are licensed under a Creative
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Coffee’s Recent genetic tests have confirmed that the main seeds taken from Ethiopia to Yemen were related to
the Bourbon and Typica varieties. From Yemen, descendants of Bourbon and Typica spread around the
movement world, forming the basis of most modern arabica coffee cultivation.
around the
globe
By the late 1600s, coffee trees had left Yemen and were growing in India. These seeds gave rise to
coffee plantations in the Mysore region, known as Malabar at that time. Recent genetic fingerprinting
results indicate that both Typica- and Bourbon-like varieties were included in this introduction from
Yemen to India. The Typica branch likely separated from Bourbon when the Dutch sent seeds in 1696
and 1699 from Malabar coast of India to Batavia, today called Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, located
on the populous island of Java. The Dutch had attempted to introduce seeds from Yemen directly to
Batavia in 1690, however, the resulting plants died in 1699 after an earthquake. In other words, the
isolation of the Typica branch and its subsequent movement around the world likely originated when
the seeds came to Indonesia from India, not directly from Yemen, as is often told.
From this Typica group introduced in Indonesia, a single coffee plant was taken in 1706 from Java to
Amsterdam and given a home in the botanical gardens. This single plant gave rise to the Typica variety
(just one variety among many in the Typica genetic group) that colonized the Americas during the 18th
century. In 1714, after the Utrecht peace treaty between the Netherlands and France was signed, the
mayor of Amsterdam offered a coffee plant to King Louis XIV; it was planted in the greenhouse of the
Jardin des Plantes and quickly produced seeds (Chevalier and Dagron, 1928).
From the Netherlands, plants were sent in 1719 on colonial trade routes to Dutch Guiana (now
Suriname) and then on to Cayenne (French Guiana) in 1722, and from there to the northern part of
Brazil in 1727. It reached southern Brazil between 1760 and 1770.
From Paris, plants were sent to to Martinique in the West Indies in 1723. The English introduced the
Typica variety from Martinique to Jamaica in 1730. It reached Santo Domingo in 1735. From Santo
Domingo, seeds were sent to Cuba in 1748. Later on, Costa Rica (1779) and El Salvador (1840) received
seeds from Cuba.
From Brazil, the Typica variety moved to Peru and Paraguay. In the late eighteenth century, cultivation
spread to the Caribbean (Cuba, Puerto Rico, Santo Domingo), Mexico and Colombia, and from there
across Central America (it was grown in El Salvador as early as 1740). Until the 1940s, the majority of
coffee plantations in Central America were planted with Typica. Because this variety is both low
yielding and highly susceptible to major coffee diseases, it has gradually been replaced across much of
the Americas with Bourbon varieties, but is still widely planted in Peru, the Dominican Republic, and
Jamaica.
The Bourbon lineage
Records show that the French attempted to introduce this coffee from Yemen to Bourbon Island (now
La Réunion) three times, in 1708, 1715 and 1718 ; recent genetic studies have confirmed this. Only a
small number of plants from the second introduction and some from the third introduction were
successful. Until the mid-19th century, Bourbon coffee did not leave the island.
French missionaries, known as Spiritans (from the Congregation of the Holy Ghost) played a major role
in the dissemination of Bourbon in Africa. In 1841, the first mission was established in La Reunion. From
there, a mission was established in Zanzibar in 1859.
From Zanzibar, one mission was established in 1862 in Bagamoyo (coastal Tanzania, called Tanganyika
at that time), another at St. Augustine (Kikuyu, Kenya), and another one in 1893 in Bura (Taita Hills,
Kenya). In each of the missions, coffee seeds originating from La Réunion were planted.
The St. Augustine seedlings were used to plant large swaths of the Kenyan highlands, while the
Bagamoyo seedlings were used to establish several plantations in the Kilimanjaro region on Tanzanian
side. As soon as 1930, a Tanzanian research station at Lyamungo near Moshi began a formal coffee
breeding program based on “mass selection” of outstanding mother trees found in the neighboring
plantations planted with Bagamoyo seeds. (Mass selection is also called massal selection and means
that a group of individuals are selected based on their superior performance. Seed from these plants is
bulked to form a new generation, and then the process is repeated). This research station is the
ancestor of today’s Tanzanian Coffee Research Institute (TaCRI) mainresearch station.
The seedlings from Bura were brought to another French Mission in Saint Austin (near Nairobi) in 1899,
and from there seeds were distributed to settlers willing to grow coffee.
These introductions are the origin of what became known as “French Mission” coffee.
Recent DNA fingerprinting has shown that old Indian varieties known as Coorg and Kent are related to
the Bourbon-descended varieties. This indicates that in 1670, the first seeds sent out of Yemen to India
by Baba Budan likely included both the Bourbon and Typica groups (see also Typica below). This may
mean the Typica branch separated from Bourbon when the Dutch brought seeds in 1696 and 1699 from
India (not from Yemen, as is often told).
Bourbon was first introduced to the Americas in 1860 to southern Brazil, near Campinas.
Main types Ethiopian Landrace
of Arabica A landrace is a domesticated, locally adapted, traditional variety of a species of animal or plant that has
developed over time, through adaptation to its natural and cultural environment of agriculture and
coffee pastoralism, and due to isolation from other populations of the species.
In coffee, most landrace varieties originate from the forests of Ethiopia, where C. arabica evolved,
through a process of human-led domestication. They are generally associated with very high cup
quality and lower yields.
A small number of coffee trees taken out of Yemen beginning in the late 17th century form the basis of
most worldwide arabica coffee production today, what we now call the “Bourbon and Typica genetic
groups” (so-called because of the names of the famous Bourbon and Typica varieties which are the
progenitors of this group). From Yemen, seeds were taken to India and then from India to the
Indonesian island of Java by the Dutch, which gave rise to the “Typica” lineage (also called Arabigo or
Indio). Typica plants were taken to conservatories in Europe and then spread across the American
continent along colonial trade routes during the 18th century. Seeds were also introduced from Yemen
to the island of Bourbon, which gave rise to the “Bourbon” lineage. The first Bourbon plants reached
the American continent through Brazil after 1850. Both Typica and Bourbon plants were introduced to
Africa in the 19th century through various routes. For a detailed history of how varieties in the Bourbon
and Typica genetic group came to dominate global coffee production, see History of Bourbon and
Typica.
These varieties are associated with standard or high cup quality, but are susceptible to the major coffee
diseases. Today, coffee production in Latin America is still based to a large extent on cultivars
developed from Typica and Bourbon varieties, contributing to a significant genetic bottleneck for C.
arabica. It Brazil, which accounts for 40% of world production, 97.55% of coffee cultivars are derived
from Typica and Bourbon.
Introgressed (Catimor/Sarchimor)
Introgressed varieties are those that possess some genetic traits from another species—mainly C.
canephora (Robusta), but also sometimes C. liberica. (“Introgressed” means “brought over.”) In the
1920s, a C. arabicaand a C. canephora plant on the island of East Timor sexually reproduced to create a
new coffee now known as the Timor Hybrid. This Arabica variety contains Robusta genetic material
that allowed the plant to resist coffee leaf rust. Coffee experts realized the value of this disease
resistance and began using the Timor Hybrid in experiments to create new varieties that could resist
leaf rust. They selected many different lines of Timor Hybrid, and then crossed them with other
varieties, most commonly the high-yielding dwarf Arabica varieties Caturra and Villa Sarchi. These
crosses (Timor Hybrid x Caturra, and Timor Hybrid x Villa Sarchi) led to the creation of the two main
groups of introgressed Arabica varieties: Catimors and Sarchimors. It’s important to note that, contrary
to common belief, neither Catimors nor Sarchimors are themselves distinct varieties. Instead, they are
groups of many different, distinct varieties with similar parentage.
Other introgressed varieties, like Batian, were created from complex multiple crosses involving the
Timor Hybrid; RAB C15
is the only introgressed Arabica variety in this catalog that was not created using the Timor Hybrid—it
originates from a controlled cross made by Indian breeders between an Arabusta (a different C. arabica
x C. robusta cross) and the Arabica Kent variety. Many introgressed varieties are covered in this catalog.
These varieties have traditionally been associated with lower cup quality than others, but they have
been essential for coffee farmers for whom coffee leaf rust and coffee berry disease are a major threat.
A note about coffee leaf rust resistance
Coffee leaf rust is one of the most important threats to coffee production globally. Coffee rust is a
disease caused by the fungus Hemileia vastatrix that causes defoliation and may result in severe crop
losses.
The emergence in the late 20th century of introgressed arabica varieties that were resistant to coffee
leaf rust provided key protection against crop loss for many coffee producers for nearly three decades.
Starting in the early 21st century, coffee experts in Central America began to notice that some
historically rust-resistant varieties were being infected by rust, notably Lempira in Honduras and Costa
Rica 95 in Costa Rica. Because most of the available introgressed varieties obtained their rust
resistance via a shared parent (the Timor Hybrid), it is believed by most experts that most existing rust-
resistant varieties will no longer be resistant in the near-to-medium term.
Data in the catalog about specific varieties of rust resistance status is based on validated reports by
scientific entities. Unfortunately, because the coffee sector is still in the very early phases of building a
good global system for rust research, tracking rust outbreaks, and following the breakdown of
resistance, it is not always easy to validate when a variety is being affected by rust. In addition, the
impact of rust on a specific variety can be different in different geographies, and depending on the race
of rust (something that is not easy to identify currently). The challenge is made greater because many
farmers don’t know for certain what varieties they have; in such cases, reports of rust impacting a
historically resistant variety have to be carefully checked to ensure that the plants being affected are
indeed the supposed variety.
Even so, significant anecdotal evidence supports the conclusion that the breakdown of rust resistance
is accelerating in many parts of the world, and World Coffee Research is working closely with research
bodies in various countries to understand the impact.
World Coffee Research will update the resistance status of a variety in the following circumstances:
The breeder of the variety has issued an official statement announcing the breakdown of
resistance.
World Coffee Research has validated the appearance of rust on a historically resistant variety
using DNA fingerprinting and consultation with the breeder (if there is one), and local
experts.
Confirmation of the breakdown of resistance in one country does not necessarily mean that resistance
is broken in all countries. Consequently, information will be provided about where resistance
breakdowns have been confirmed.
F1 Hybrid
Hybrids generally are offspring resulting from the crossing of two genetically distinct individuals. For
the purposes of this catalog, “hybrids” refers to F1 hybrids, a new group of varieties created by crossing
genetically distinct Arabica parents and using the first-generation offspring. Many of these relatively
new varieties were created to combine the best characteristics of the two parents, including high cup
quality, high yield, and disease resistance. F1 hybrids are notable because they tend to have
significantly higher production than non-hybrids.
Seeds taken from F1 hybrid plants will not have the same characteristics as the parent plants. This is
called “segregation.” It means that the child plant will not look or behave the same as the parent, with
potential losses of yield, disease resistance, quality, or other agronomic performance traits. The variety
should only be reproduced through clonal propagation. It is therefore important for farmers to know
that F1 hybrid seedlings should be purchased from trusted nurseries.
STATURE
Variables
What is the growth habit of the plant (e.g., is the plant tall or compact)?
Green, Bronze, Green or Bronze, Light Bronze, Dark Bronze, Unknown, Not applicable
BEAN SIZE
How big are the coffee beans? For Arabica reference, Caturra = Average, SL28 = Large, and Maragogipe
= Very Large.
YIELD POTENTIAL
How much fruit will the coffee tree produce? For Arabica reference, Caturra = Good, and SL28 = Good
What is the potential for quality of this variety when grown at higher altitudes?
Very Low, Low, Good, Very Good, Exceptional, Unknown, Not applicable
OPTIMAL ALTITUDE
What is the altitude at which quality and agronomic performance potential is maximized? This
especially takes into account the variety’s expected cup quality and tolerance to coffee leaf rust and
coffee berry disease. Optimal altitude depends on a farm's latitude - farms located close to the equator
will have higher optimal altitudes than those farther north or south of the equator.
First, locate your correct latitude, then find the corresponding optimal altitude.
Low: 1000-1200m
Low-medium: 1000-1600m
Medium: 1200-1600m
Medium-high: >1200m
High: >1600m
Low-Medium-High: >1000m
Low: 700-900m
Low-medium: 700-1300m
Medium: 900-1300m
Medium-high: >900m
High: >1300m
Low-Medium-High: >700m
Low: 400-700m
Low-medium: 400-1000m
Medium: 700-1000m
Medium-high: >700m
High: >1000m
Low-Medium-High: >400m
Coffee rust is a foliar disease of coffee caused by the fungus Hemileia vastatrix that causes defoliation
and may result in severe crop losses. Plant diseases are constantly evolving. Note: A variety that is
resistant to a disease today may not be resistant tomorrow.
Is the plant susceptible to nematodes (specifically the species Meloidogyne spp. and/or Pratylenchus
spp.)? Nematodes are microscopic animals which infect the plant roots and can cause wilting and
death of the plant.
CBD is a coffee disease that affects the fruit. It is caused by the fungus, Colletotrichum kahawe.
Currently, CBD is not present in Central America, but it is a concern that the disease will spread. Note:
Plant diseases are constantly evolving. A variety that is resistant to a disease today may not be resistant
tomorrow.
NUTRITION REQUIREMENT
What level of nutrition (e.g., compost, fertilizer) does this plant require?
RIPENING OF FRUIT
At what time in the harvest season will the tree fruit ripen?
For Arabica reference, Caturra = Average. No Robusta reference.
What is the size of the bean in relation to the fruit? For Arabica reference, Caturra = Average, SL28 =
High.
What spacing should you use for planting this variety? Note: In Central America, trees are typically
pruned to have one main stem. In Africa, it is typical to prune trees for multiple (2-3) stems per tree. So,
while tree planting densities typically are much lower in Africa, each tree is fruiting relatively more
because there are multiple main stems.
GENETIC DESCRIPTION
LINEAGE
What are the parents of this variety (when known) or what is its genetic lineage?
BREEDER
If the variety was created by a breeder, what is the name of the breeder?
ARABICA
Bourbon
One of the most culturally and genetically important C. arabica varieties in the
world, known for excellent quality in the cup at the highest altitudes.
COFFEE LEAF RUST NEMATODE (_MELOIDOGYNE EXIGUA, PRATYLENCHU... COFFEE BERRY DISEASE
Agronomics
Background
BREEDER None
ARABICA
Catimor 129
Catimor
Image 129or 1type unknown
not found
High yielding/Dwarf/Compact variety resistant to coffee leaf rust and coffee
berry disease. Found commonly in Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
COFFEE LEAF RUST NEMATODE (_MELOIDOGYNE EXIGUA, PRATYLENCHU... COFFEE BERRY DISEASE
Agronomics
ADDITIONAL AGRONOMIC INFORMATION Requires careful management to maximize yield without overbearing.
Background
LINEAGE Selection of a Catimor breeding line from Colombia (Caturra x Timor Hybrid 1343)
BREEDER Cenicafe
ARABICA
Caturra
A compact plant with good yielding potential of standard quality in Central
America. Very high susceptibility to coffee leaf rust.
Agronomics
Background
Geisha (Panama)
Panamanian Geisha has exceptionally high quality at high altitudes. The term
"Geisha" is often applied to other coffees that do not share the distinct genetics
of Panamanian Geisha. Geisha is also cultivated widely in Malawi.
COFFEE LEAF RUST NEMATODE (_MELOIDOGYNE EXIGUA, PRATYLENCHU... COFFEE BERRY DISEASE
Agronomics
Background
BREEDER None
ARABICA
Maragogipe
Good to very good cup quality in Central America, but highly susceptible to rust.
Very low yielding, large leaves and large internodes.
COFFEE LEAF RUST NEMATODE (_MELOIDOGYNE EXIGUA, PRATYLENCHU... COFFEE BERRY DISEASE
Agronomics
Due to the low productivity of Maragogipe, Pacamara is considered a better option. Maragogipe beans
ADDITIONAL AGRONOMIC INFORMATION
are especially large, and the plant also has unusually large spacing between internodes and leaf size.
Background
BREEDER None
ARABICA
Typica
One of the most culturally and genetically important C. arabica coffees in the
world, with high quality in Central America. Very high susceptibility to coffee
leaf rust, well-adapted to the coldest conditions.
COFFEE LEAF RUST NEMATODE (_MELOIDOGYNE EXIGUA, PRATYLENCHU... COFFEE BERRY DISEASE
Agronomics
Background
Also called Criollo (Creole), Indio (Indian), Arábigo (Arabica), Plume Hidalgo, Blue Mountain, and
LINEAGE
Sumatra.
BREEDER None
CONTACT
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