East African Breeding Hub Works to Generate Adaptable
Coffee Varieties
July 10 - 2021
Coffee Geography Magazine
The East African Breeding Hub (EABH) was
established in 2018 by World Coffee Research (WCR), participating
countries, and the hub host, the Rwanda Agriculture Board (RAB). The EABH
is expected to generate the next generation of coffee varieties that will be
adapted to various growing conditions in Africa and sustain the industry’s
genetic and breeding pools not only in Rwanda but also across the region.
The (EABH) is part of a network of WCR
regional breeding hubs, which works closely with national research institutes
and private sector partners to accelerate the pace of coffee genetic
improvement. The hubs—which operate virtually—have a collaborative design and
governance among participating partners, and are coordinated locally by a host
institution.
To each hub, WCR contributes the results of
advanced research, including: marker assisted selection capabilities to
accelerate breeding objectives, training for local breeders on advanced
breeding techniques, and improved breeding populations, as well as access to
the Core Collection of 100 genetically diverse C. arabica plants.
In 2020, the EABH focused on the key areas:
breeding material evaluation, introducing molecular approaches and organizing
workshops for the region’s coffee breeders to brainstorm demand-led coffee
breeding and development of breeding strategies.
Variety performance today drives breeding for
the future
Taking measurements of existing varieties in
field trials (called "phenotyping") is a necessary first step for
assessing their value for breeding, to identify lines for making new crosses,
and to identify molecular markers associated with the specific traits that can
be used to accelerate later breeding. In East Africa, WCR has a number of field
trials from which data will be shared with EABH breeders and incorporated into
decision-making for future variety creation. In general, data is collected on
yield, disease susceptibility (especially coffee leaf rust and coffee berry
disease), and drought tolerance.
The Rwanda Agriculture Board hosts candidate
trials of not-yet-commercially released F1 hybrid varieties at three research
stations in Rubona (Huye District), Gahororo (Ngoma District) and Mwito
(Nyamasheke District). The 22 hybrid candidates will mature in 2022.
Also in Rwanda, RAB hosts a collection of 75
accessions of the C. arabica Core Collection, at Robona and Gahororo. Core
Collection plants will reach maturity later in 2021, when yield and harvest
performance data can begin to be collected. Additionally in Rwanda, 28
international varieties are being investigated in multi-environmental testing
at three locations (Rubona, Gahororo, and Nyamasheke) for adaptation,
productivity and quality. Similar trials are in place in Uganda, Kenya, Malawi,
Zambia, and Zimbabwe. From multilocation trial data, adaptation potential
(narrow vs. wide), and stability over the time and locations can be evaluated
and used to inform future breeding choices.
As it stands, seed producers, nurseries,
farmers and supply chain actors do not have the needed tools to identify and
trace varieties as they move from seed gardens to nurseries, from nurseries to
farmer fields, from the field to the port, and from there into roasting drums
around the world. This matters because different varieties do different things.
And if farmers don’t know or can’t trust what they have, they are exposed to
huge risk.
World Coffee Research, in partnership with
the USDA and IRD, are developing a global Arabica and Robusta SNP (single
nucleotide polymorphism) panel (a reference dataset containing enough SNPs
required to estimate genetic diversity and distinguish variety) to be used in
support of two urgent goals: authentication of varieties in foundation seed
programs (seed lot cleanup program), and to support regional, and national
breeding programs to breed more efficiently and effectively, including using
molecular breeding approaches.
In 2020, the EABH facilitated the collection
of leaf DNA samples of key varieties from five countries in East Africa, to aid
nursery/seed lot cleanup and advanced breeding.
Bringing breeders together—with each other
and with roasters
In 2020, EABH hosted multiple reeder’s
workshops, bringing together coffee breeders from 8 different countries in
Africa: Rwanda, Burundi, DR Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, and
Zimbabwe. Due to the Covid19 pandemic, workshops were held virtually, and
focused on sharing overviews of breeding tools, technologies, and opportunities
offered to African coffee breeders through the regional breeding hub and so as
to align breeding objectives with farmers’ needs. Meetings allowed breeders to
articulate priorities for operationalization of the breeding hub and
thematic areas where WCR interventions should be directed.
The SNPs panels and the concept of demand-led
coffee breeding initiated in 2020 is being effectively exploited in 2021 as a
cornerstone towards modernization of national breeding programs in the
participating countries.