%0 Journal Article
%T Recent Advances in the Genetic Transformation of Coffee
%A M. K. Mishra
%A A. Slater
%J Biotechnology Research International
%D 2012
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2012/580857
%X Coffee is one of the most important plantation crops, grown in about 80 countries across the world. The genus Coffea comprises approximately 100 species of which only two species, that is, Coffea arabica (commonly known as arabica coffee) and Coffea canephora (known as robusta coffee), are commercially cultivated. Genetic improvement of coffee through traditional breeding is slow due to the perennial nature of the plant. Genetic transformation has tremendous potential in developing improved coffee varieties with desired agronomic traits, which are otherwise difficult to achieve through traditional breeding. During the last twenty years, significant progress has been made in coffee biotechnology, particularly in the area of transgenic technology. This paper provides a detailed account of the advances made in the genetic transformation of coffee and their potential applications. 1. Introduction Coffee is one of the most important agricultural commodities, ranking second in international trade after crude oil. The total global production of green coffee is above 134.16 million bags (60£¿kg capacity) with a retail sales value in excess of $22.7 billion during 2010-11 in the world market [1]. Coffee is grown in about 10.2 million hectares land spanning over 80 countries in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world especially in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The economics of many coffee growing countries depends heavily on the earnings from this crop. More than 100 million people in the coffee growing areas worldwide derive their income directly or indirectly from the produce of this crop. Coffee trees belong to the genus Coffea in the family Rubiaceae. The genus Coffea L. comprises more than 100 species [2], of which only two species, that is, C. arabica (arabica coffee) and C. canephora (robusta coffee), are commercially cultivated. Another coffee species, Coffea liberica is also cultivated in a small scale to satisfy local consumption. Almost all the coffee species are diploid ( 2 n = 2 x = 2 2 ) and generally self-incompatible except C. arabica which is a natural allotetraploid ( 2 n = 4 x = 4 4 ) self-fertile species [3]. In the consumer market, C. arabica is preferred for its beverage quality, aromatic characteristics, and low-caffeine content compared to robusta, which is characterized by a stronger bitterness, and higher-caffeine content. Arabica contributes towards 65% of global coffee production [4]. C. arabica is mainly native to the highlands of Southwestern Ethiopia with additional populations in South Sudan (Boma Plateau) and North
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/btri/2012/580857/