the tree of coffee

Coffee is a genus of flowering plants of the Rubiaceae family.

Introduction about coffee tree

Coffee species are shrubs or small trees native to tropical Africa and southern and tropical Asia. The seeds of some species, called coffee beans, are used to flavor a variety of beverages and products. The fruits, like the seeds, are rich in caffeine and have a distinctive taste. The plant is considered one of the most valuable and traded products in the world and is an important export commodity for many countries, including Central and South America, the Caribbean and Africa. The coffee trade depends mainly on two of the more than 120 varieties, Coffea arabica (commonly known as "Arabica"), which accounts for 60-80% of the world's coffee production, and Coffea canephora (known as an unnamed "Robusta" "), which accounts for about 20-40%. Both types of coffee are vulnerable to landscape changes caused by climate change, which are likely to lead to reductions in production in some important growing areas .

Development and use

Coffee species are shrubs or small trees native to tropical Africa and southern and tropical Asia.

There are more than 120 types of coffee grown from seeds. The two most popular types are Arabica coffee (known as “Arabica”), which accounts for 60-80% of the world’s coffee production, and Coffea canephora (known as Robusta). Which represents about 20-40%. Arabica coffee is characterized by its sweet taste, while Canephora coffee contains a greater amount of caffeine. Arabica coffee originated in the highlands of Ethiopia and the Boma Plateau in Sudan and is the result of a cross between Coffea canephora and Coffea eugenioides. The trees bear edible red or purple fruits called Epigenus berries or indeterminate drupes. The fruit is called a “coffee cherry” and contains two seeds called “coffee beans.” Despite these conditions, coffee is neither a true cherry (the fruit of a certain species of the genus Prunus) nor a true bean (the seed of a plant in the Fabaceae family). 5-10% of coffee products contain only one bean. Called berries, they are smaller and rounder than a regular coffee bean. When grown in the tropics, coffee is usually a shrub or small tree that grows to a height of between 3-3.5 meters (9.8-11.5 ft). Most cultivated coffees grow well at high altitudes, but cannot tolerate freezing temperatures. The Arabica coffee tree bears fruit after three to five years, on average 50 to 60 years, although it can reach 100 years. The white flowers are very fragrant. The fruits take about nine months to mature.

Environmental sciences

Coffee species are shrubs or small trees native to tropical Africa and southern and tropical Asia.

Caffeine in coffee beans is a toxic substance that protects plant seeds against herbivores as a natural plant defense. Caffeine also attracts pollinators, especially bees, by creating an odor that signals the bees to return to the plant's flowers. Not all types of caffeine contain caffeine, and early types contain little or no caffeine. Caffeine evolved independently in several lineages of Coffea in Africa, probably in response to severe malnutrition in the wetlands of west-central Africa. Caffeine also evolved independently in the more distant genera Theobroma (cacao) and Camellia (tea). This suggests that caffeine production was an adaptive feature in the evolution of coffee and plants. The fruits and leaves also contain caffeine, which can be used to make coffee cherry tea and non-coffee tea. The fruit is also used in many brands of soft drinks and prepackaged tea. Several pests affect coffee production, including the coffee beetle (Hypothenemus hampei) and the coffee leaf miner (Leucoptera caffeina). Coffee meal is used for larval plants. Some species of Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths), Dalcera abrasa, turnip moths and some members of the genus Endoclita such as E. damor and E. malabaricus.

Research

Coffee species are shrubs or small trees native to tropical Africa and southern and tropical Asia.

New coffee varieties are still being discovered in the 2000s. In 2008 and 2009, Q, a researcher at the Royal Botanic Gardens, named seven from the mountains of northern Madagascar, including C. albicans.

Coffee species are shrubs or small trees native to tropical Africa and southern and tropical Asia.

In 2008, two new species were discovered in Cameroon. Coffea Ceriariana, which is decaffeinated, and Coffea Anthony. By interbreeding new varieties with other popular coffees, two new traits can be introduced into cultivated coffee plants: decaffeinated beans and self-pollination.

In 2011, Cofia absorbed twenty species of the former genus Cylanthus due to morphological and genetic similarities between the two genera. Historically, the two have been considered separate species due to differences in corolla tube length and stamen arrangement. Slanthus with long corolla tube and anthers. However, these features were not present in all species of the respective genera, so the two lineages were very similar in both morphology and genetic makeup. This transition expands Cofia from 104 to 124 species and extends its native distribution into tropical Asia and Australia.

In 2014, the coffee genome was published, revealing more than 25,000 genes. It turns out that coffee plants produce caffeine using genes different from those found in tea, cacao and other similar plants.

Coffee species are shrubs or small trees native to tropical Africa and southern and tropical Asia.

In 2017, a robust and almost completely resolved phylogeny of the entire genus was published. The results of this study, in addition to resolving the relationships of Coffia species, suggest Africa or Asia as a possible ancestral origin for Coffia and point to several independent radiations in Africa, Asia, and the islands of the western Indian Ocean. are

In 2020, DNA fingerprinting or genetic identification techniques for plant material have proven to be quite effective. For this study, the scientists used DNA extraction and SSR marker analysis. These techniques or similar strategies can lead to many improvements in coffee production, such as better information for farmers about the pest and disease susceptibility of their coffee plants, professional coffee bean systems, and transparency and traceability of green, unroasted consumer coffee.