Coffee breeding XXIV: yield variability of imported coffee, with special reference to the coffee from ethiopia and sudan

After a very thorough quarantine examination, the Plant Introduction Division of U.S. Department of Agriculture sent to Campinas, in 1953, 67 groups of coffee seedlings, developed from seeds obtained in various African coffee regions and from India. Eight out of the 67 groups of seedlings come directly from Etiópia, where they were collected by Sylvain; 10 from Tanganyka and Kenya but of Ethiopian origin; 16 from selected strains of India, 24 from Tanganyika, 10 from Kenya, 3 from Sudan and 1 from Congo. Two experiments to study the yield variability of these groups, were established with these seedlings in Campinas using selected strains of the cultivars 'Mundo Novo', 'Bourbon Amarelo' and 'Bourbon Vermelho', for yield comparison. The groups from Ethiopia reacted very differently to our condition. From these 18 groups, 8 revealed good average plant height and 10 groups showed very poor development. The groups introduced are not well adapted since only 'Harar', 'Amfillo', 'Dalle Mixed' and 'Dilla' presented good vegetative vigor. The 'Ennarea' group was the weakest. All three groups from Sudan have not developed well in Campinas. The analysis of the total weight of cherries produced in the last five years pointed out that among the Ethiopian groups 'Harar', 'Tafari Kela', 'Gimma Tana' 'Amfillo' and 'Dilla & Alghe' are good yielders, white the 'Ennarea', 'Mattu', 'Gimma Gallo Sidamo' and 'Gimma Mbuni', had the lowest yields in the experiments. Besides being a high yielder, the 'Harar' group contains a few late maturing plants which are of interest to our coffee breeding program. The group of Sudan gave very poor yield. Considerable variation was also observed among the selections from Tonganyka and Kenya, a few of them being promising due to the high yield. Most of the Indian selections are very poor yielders. Percentages of flat beans lower than 80 per cent, were found in 9 of the 18 Ethiopian groups, the 'Harar', 'Dalle Mixed' and 'Erithreon Moca' being the only groups with a good percentage of these normal beans. Peaberry type of seeds in proportion higher than 15 per cent were observed in 14 of the 18 Ethiopian groups, while the percentage of the abnormal elephant-beans (shell beans) is higher only in the groups 'Ennarea' and 'Dilla'. The three groups from Sudan gave low flat bean percentages and high amount of peaberry type of seeds. The size of the flat beans is considered good in 5 of the 18 groups, the 'Harar' group having large normal flat seeds. The plants of Ethiopion origin must be submitted to an intensive selection for high percentage of large flat beans, before being used in our coffee breeding program. The Indian groups are the least promising ones, having given very low flat bean percentages. The incidence of plants possessing high number of cherries with empty locules indicated the occurrence of this seed defect in coffee plants from Ethiopia, Tanganyika, Kenya and particularly from India. Differences in the morphological characteristics of the Ethiopian coffee pointed out that at least the 'Harar', 'Gimmo Tana', 'Ennarea', 'Tafari Kela', 'Agoro', and 'Gimma Mbuni', may be considered as new botanical varieties of Coffea arabica. The 'Harar', 'Tafari Kela', 'Amfillo', 'Dilla' and 'Dilla & Alghe' are promising material for breeding purposes. Some of their representatives can be used directly in the development of new progenies or in hybridization with coffee strains, which have been selected in Campinas.