2 days ago
Three Arabica coffee varieties ready for multi-location trial
Mysuru: On the occasion of the 100th-year celebration of the Central Coffee Research Institute, Chikkamagaluru, scheduled for Oct 2025, three Arabica varieties, namely S 5085, S 5086, and S 5059, are set to be released for multi- location trial (MLT), and the S 4595 variety is to be released for planters' use.
All these four varieties were developed at the institute.
According to M Senthil Kumar, director of research, CCRI, Coffee Board, these are the F1 hybrid varieties.
F1 hybrids refer to first-generation offspring resulting from a cross between two genetically distinct parent varieties.
The S 4595 variety, known for its tolerance to the stem borer, is now available for use by planters. The white stem borer (Xylotrechus quadripes) represents a major pest that impacts Coffea Arabica (Arabica coffee) in Karnataka, where around 70% of the nation's coffee is cultivated.
This pest constitutes a significant risk to coffee plantations, especially in the coffee belt of the state, which includes Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru, and Hassan, owing to its damaging lifecycle and the favourable agro-climatic conditions present in Karnataka.
S 5059, which is an improved HDT-Catuai line with enhanced rust tolerance and yield; S 5085, which is an improved Chandragiri line with enhanced rust tolerance and yield, and S 5086, which is another improved Chandragiri line with enhanced rust tolerance and yield, are ready for the MLT.
These varieties are already planted in arabica growing areas of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka as part of the MLT.
The CCRI invited names for these new varieties. The CCRI is looking forward to authentic names reflecting Indian coffee quality, tradition and innovation, regional (showcasing place and culture), simple and short, which are easy to say and recollecting 100 years of CCRI. June 30 is the last date for the nominations.
