Unraveling the genetic diversity of coffee processing traits in Coffea canephora

ABSTRACT: With advancements in coffee cultivation, several traits may be considered in selection of plants, which must exhibit a set of favorable characteristics. The outturn index, defined as the relationship between the mass of mature fruit and processed beans, emerges as a key factor influencing productivity. This study characterized the outturn over two harvests of 57 clones marketed in the public domain and 10 registered cultivars. The analysis considers the effects of genotypes, measurements, and genetic progress achieved through plant selection. According to the maturation cycle of each clone, washed samples of cherry coffee were collected considering a completely randomized factorial design for characterization of the effects of genotypes, years, and the genotype × years (GY) interaction. The drying, peeling, and the outturn index were individually assessed. Despite the significant effects of the GY interaction, genotypes demonstrated minimal alterations in their ranking across measurements. Clones with higher outturn, including LB30, BRS1216, LB12, N7, LB10, LB20, BRS3220, and AS5, exhibited an average outturn of 25.51%, reflecting a gain of 12.17%. Conversely, clones with lower outturn, such as BG180, GJ30, GJ20, AS7, AS10, P42, N1, and P60, had an average of 19.15%, indicating a reduction of 14.02% compared to the general mean. Analyzing the distribution of the outturn values, 19.4%, 62.7%, and 17.9% of genotypes were classified as high, medium, and low outturn, respectively, providing valuable insights for optimal cultivation strategies.