Whatever the name given to coffee, it is undoubtedly a significant part of global culture, and coffee made from the "Arabica" variety is the most preferred among beverage lovers. Recently, researchers decoded the genetic code (genome) of Arabica coffee and traced its origins, which were found to be the result of hybridization between two other coffee types approximately 610,000 to one million years ago in the forests of Ethiopia.
The researchers tracked genetic sequences from thirty-nine varieties of Arabica coffee, including one from the eighteenth century, to identify the highest quality genetic sequence known so far, scientifically named "Coffea arabica." Victor Albert, a plant evolutionary biologist at the University of Buffalo in New York, stated, “Arabica coffee is one of the world's premier commodity crops, forming a significant part of the agricultural economies in the countries where it is grown.” Albert is one of the main authors of the study published this week in the scientific journal "Nature Genetics."
The research showed that Arabica coffee cultivation has fluctuated over thousands of years in response to warming and cooling climate conditions. This type was first cultivated in Ethiopia and Yemen before spreading to the rest of the world. Patrick Decomb, a leading genomics expert at Nestlé Research and a lecturer at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, noted, “Coffee and humanity have been closely linked throughout history. In many producing countries, Arabica coffee is more than just a crop; it is part of the culture and traditions.” Decomb is another principal author of the study.
It was found that Arabica coffee has low genetic diversity due to its limited hybridization and small yields. Coffee can be grown in a limited number of local environments where climatic conditions are favorable, and pest threats are low. Decomb mentioned that the research "paves the way for new hybridization methods in coffee, which will ultimately lead to the development of new varieties with better resistance to pests and climate changes and new flavor properties in cups."
The researchers indicated that Arabica coffee "originated" from natural hybridization between two types: Canephora coffee "Coffea canephora" and "Coffea eugenioides." Canephora coffee is commonly known as Robusta, and scientists decoded its genetic code in 2014. Meanwhile, Eugeneides coffee grows at high altitudes in Kenya.
