Natural mutation of the Bourbon variety

GENETIC DESCRIPTION

Bourbon-Typica Group (Bourbon-related)

HISTORY

Caturra is a natural mutation of the Bourbon variety. It was discovered on a plantation in the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil sometime between 1915 and 1918.

Caturra has a single-gene mutation that causes the plant to grow smaller (called dwarfism). Its name derives from the Guarani word meaning „small.” It is also called „Nanico.” After Caturra’s discovery, selections were made by the Instituto Agronomico (IAC) of Sao Paulo State in Campinas, Brazil, starting in 1937. Breeders were interested in Caturra’s small size, which allows plants to be placed closer together, and its closely spaced secondary branches, which enable it to produce more fruit in the same space.

The selection process for Caturra was called mass selection, meaning that a group of individuals are selected based on their superior performance, seed from these plants is bulked to form a new generation, and then the process is repeated. The variety was never officially released in Brazil, but has become common in Central America.

It was introduced in Guatemala in the 1940s, but widespread commercial adoption didn’t happen for another three decades. From Guatemala, it was introduced to Costa Rica, Honduras, and Panama. Today, it is one of the most economically important coffees in Central America, to the extent that it is often used as a “benchmark” against which new cultivars are tested. In Colombia, Caturra was thought to represent nearly half of the country’s production until a government-sponsored program beginning in 2008 incentivised renovation of over three billion coffee trees with the leaf-rust resistant Castillo variety (which has Caturra parentage).

Caturra led in part to the intensification of coffee cultivation through higher density planting, often in full sun, that took place in the region in the second half of the 20th century.

Caturra is also known for being one of the parents the so-called “Catimor” family of cultivars. Various lines of the coffee-leaf-rust-resistant Timor Hybrid were crossed with Caturra to produce a dwarf plant with rust resistance. Examples of Catimor varieties include: Costa Rica 95, Catisic, Lempira, and IHCAFE 90.

STATURE

Dwarf/Compact

LEAF TIP COLOR

Green

BEAN SIZE

Average

COFFEE LEAF RUST

Susceptible

COFFEE BERRY DISEASE (CBD)

Susceptible

NEMATODES

Susceptible

Source: World Coffee Research

The post Caturra appeared first on Cofmos Coffee Roasters - šviežiai skrudinta kava namams, biurui, verslui.

Catimor was first introduced in Brazil in 1970, but shortly after the plant quickly spread throughout Latin America via experts looking for coffee varieties with high productivity and high yields. At high altitudes and very low altitudes, the plant does not tend to thrive. However, at around 700 to 1,000 meters it is at its optimal.

Established at mid-to lower altitudes, where coffee borer beetle and other diseases and pests were more likely to occur, the results were initially promising. Soon after, however, it became apparent that Catimor can sometimes lack the quality in the cup needed for wider appeal, leaving many farmers growing Catimor in great difficulties. Furthermore, because of the energy expended in producing bumper yields, Catimors have shown a tendency to have a short life span. In Indonesia, for example, the productive life of the average Catimor tree is only 10 years.

Catimor trees are small in size, allowing for more dense plantings, and fruit is quick to ripen, guaranteeing high productivity if well maintained. Its branch is ramified similarly to C. canephora plants and its leaves have a tell-tale reddish brown hue when they are just emerging. One of the main challenges in cultivating Catimor can be the inputs (fertilisation and shade) required to maintain productivity, which need to be monitored very closely and can be costly.

Today Catimor is common throughout Indonesia and Vietnam. In the wake of Central America’s coffee leaf rust crisis, it is also becoming increasingly common at higher altitudes in countries such as Mexico and Peru.

One of the major issues often cited with Catimor is the issue of cup quality. At low altitudes, there tends to be little or no sensory difference between the variety and other C. arabica varieties. Distinction in taste can arise, however, when the plants are planted higher than 1,200 metres above sea level. In such cases, many would express a preference for Caturra, Bourbon and Catuaí. However, we’ve met Catimors that we like very much, indeed – for instance, those from Vietnam and Indonesia. We maintain that well-cared-for and well-processed Catimor can display great characteristics. To quote our friend Steve Leighton at HasBean, “There is no such thing as a bad varietal, just a varietal planted in a bad space.”

Some sub-cultivars:

Catimor T-8667 – is a rather short plant with very big berries and seeds.

Catimor T-5269 – a strong plant that adapts well on growing heights between 600-900m above sea level with rainfall more than 3000mm per annum.

Catimor T-5175 – is a productive and robust plant that doesn’t tolerate very low and very high growing conditions

Source: Mercanta

The post Catimor appeared first on Cofmos Coffee Roasters - šviežiai skrudinta kava namams, biurui, verslui.

(Timor Hybrid 832/1 x Caturra) x Pacamara

GENETIC DESCRIPTION

Introgressed (Catimor)

HISTORY

Anacafe 14 is supposed to have originated from a natural cross between a Catimor variety (Timor Hybrid 832/1 x Caturra) with Pacamara around 1980, in the Department of Chiquimula, Guatemala. It was discovered by farmer Francisco Manchamé. After several cycles of mass selection, in which a group of individual plants are selected based on their superior performance, and then seed from these plants is bulked to form a new generation. and genealogical selection by the National Coffee Association of Guatemala (ANACAFÉ), it was released as a commercial variety in 2014.

In 1981, Mr. Francisco Manchamé, a coffee producer farming in Camotán, Chiquimula, established a small plantation of Catimor near Pacamara trees. Spontaneously, by means of the natural hybridization, a plant with characteristics of high vigorosity, very productive and a large cherry was obtained. After several selection cycles that took more than 30 years, the Anacafé-14 variety was completed, which in addition to the aforementioned characteristics, has resistance to rust, drought tolerance and good cup quality.

The natural crossing that gave rise to this variety occurred in the village of El Tesoro, on the Bellas Flores de Oriente Estate, property of Mr. Francisco Manchamé. When the producer observed the new, outstanding characteristics of the plant in 1984, he began harvesting the best cherries and established a new plot solely composed of the new plants. This first plantation gave rise to the F1 Generation.  

In 2005, during a visit to one of the plots on an estate owned by Mr. Noé Guerra, a technical advisor from Anacafe Region VII (Zacapa and Chiquimula) detected the new plants, which had been shared by Mr. Manchamé, and aware of the genetic potential, initiated a project to technically validate the characteristics of the new trees. After nine years of research consistently found valuable characteristics such as rust resistance, drought tolerance, excellent vegetative vigor and high productivity, the variety was released generally to the public.

The variety Anacafé-14, as it has been called, is quite short, has abundant branches and has fruits that are elliptical in form form and larger in relation to the standard coffee cherry.  Anacafe is currently carrying out adaptability studies in other coffee growing areas in the country.

For more background on the history of the Catimor group of coffees, see T8667.

STATURE

Dwarf/Compact

LEAF TIP COLOR

Green

BEAN SIZE

Very Large

QUALITY POTENTIAL AT HIGH ALTITUDE

Good

YIELD POTENTIAL

High

COFFEE LEAF RUST

Resistant

COFFEE BERRY DISEASE (CBD)

Susceptible

NEMATODES

Susceptible

Source: World Coffee Research / Mercanta

The post Anacafe 14 (Catimor) appeared first on Cofmos Coffee Roasters - šviežiai skrudinta kava namams, biurui, verslui.