Decryption of the coffee genome has begun

11/01/2010 - Article

Boosting coffee production and quality is the main task set for the CIRAD and IRD teams working with the Génoscope to decrypt the coffee genome. New very high-throughput sequencing techniques should enable them to do this within two years.

A start has recently been made on sequencing the coffee genome, under a joint project involving CIRAD, the IRD and the Génoscope. The aim is to decrypt the 700 million base pairs (Mb) in the genome, as has already been done for rice (425 Mb), grapevine (480 Mb) and, more recently, sorghum (730 Mb). Results are expected within two years, in view of the developments in very high-throughput sequencing techniques and the numerous genetic data already available for coffee (partial sequence banks, genetic maps, molecular markers, etc).

Coffee growing: a development issue for 125 million people

Coffee growing is a vital source of income for more than 125 million people in many countries in Latin America, Asia and Africa. Some 70% of coffee plantings are in the hands of smallholders.
For CIRAD and the IRD, coffee varietal improvement is thus a major objective. The aim is to provide producers with coffee varieties that are better suited to environmental constraints and growing conditions (shade, altitude, drought, etc) and higher-yielding and more disease-resistant, and produce better quality coffee.

Robusta first, then Arabica

The species whose genome is to be sequenced is Coffea canephora , better known as Robusta. It was chosen for its diploid genome, ie it only has two sets of chromosomes, hence is less complex than C. arabica , which has four. Moreover, the C. canephora genome will be taken from a homozygous plant, ie one with two identical sets of chromosomes, which will greatly simplify the study. The results generated will facilitate the subsequent sequencing of C. arabica , of which C. canephora is one of the two ancestors.

Professionals and consumers will benefit

The C. canephora sequence will be a valuable tool for identifying and locating genes that serve to provide characters of agricultural interest, such as drought- or disease-resistance. Genetic markers will be developed to select coffee varieties with such characters. Using those varieties, coffee smallholders will be able to improve yields while cutting their pesticide use. This should eventually allow quality, sustainable, more economical coffee growing. Lastly, characterizing the genes involved in aromatic characters will also benefit consumers, providing more subtle aromas and new flavours in the two billion cups of coffee drunk daily.

The project has financial support from the Agence nationale de la recherche (Coffee Genome project and COFFEASEQ). It is part of the international coffee genome sequencing project being coordinated by the International Coffee Genome Network (ICGN). It is this network that will make the results available to the scientific community.