The coffee type Coffea stenophylla, which bears black fruit rather than the red fruit typical of the two coffees widely cultivated commercially, is seen in Ivory Coast in this undated photo. E. Couturon, IRD / Handout via REUTERS
In dense tropical forests in Sierra Leone, scientists have discovered a coffee species that has not been seen in the wild for decades – a plant that they say could help secure the future of this valuable commodity hampered by climate change.
The researchers said Monday that the species, called Coffea stenophylla, has greater tolerance for higher temperatures than Arabica coffee, which accounts for 56% of world production, and Robusta coffee, which accounts for 43%. The stenophylla coffee has been shown to have a better flavor, similar to Arabica.
Botanist Aaron Davis, who led the study published in the journal Nature Plants, said stenophylla was farmed in parts of West Africa and exported to Europe until the early 20th century before being abandoned as a crop after the introduction of robusta. .
Many farmers across the world’s coffee cultivation belt are experiencing the negative effects of climate change, which is a serious concern for the multimillion-dollar industry.
Arabica’s taste is considered superior and offers higher prices than robusta, which is mainly used for instant coffee and coffee blends. But Arabica has limited resistance to climate change and research has shown that world production could decline by at least 50% by the middle of the century.
Stenophylla grows at an average annual temperature of 24.9 degrees Celsius (76.8 degrees Fahrenheit) – 1.9 degrees C (3.42 degrees F) higher than robusta coffee and up to 6.8 ° C (12.24 grades F) higher than Arabica coffee, the researchers said.
The rediscovery of stenophylla, Davis said, could help with the ‘future existence’ of a coffee industry that supports the economies of several tropical countries and provides livelihoods for more than 100 million farmers. Although 124 coffees are known, Arabica and robusta make up 99% of consumption.
“The idea is that stenophylla, with the minimum of ease, can be used as a high-value coffee for farmers in warmer climates,” said Davis, head of coffee research at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
“In the long term, stenophylla provides us with an important resource for breeding a new generation of climate-resistant coffee crop plants, as it has an excellent taste and heat tolerance. If the historical reports of resistance to rust and drought to coffee are dry if correct found, it will represent further useful assets for the cultivation of coffee plants, ‘Davis added.
Leaf rust is a fungal disease that has devastated coffee crops in Central and South America.
The study included taste assessments involving 18 coffee tasting experts. Stenophylla has been found to have a complex flavor profile, with natural sweetness, medium-high acidity, fruitiness and good “body” – as it feels in the mouth.
In December 2018, Davis and co-authors of the study, Jeremy Haggar of the University of Greenwich, and coffee development specialist Daniel Sarmu searched for stenophylla in the wild. They initially spotted a single plant in central Sierra Leone. About 140 km away in southeastern Sierra Leone, they found a healthy wild stenophylla population.
“Both places were a dense tropical forest, but stenophylla tends to occur on drier open spaces: ridges, slopes and rocky areas,” Davis said.
Stenophylla has not been seen anywhere in the wild in Sierra Leone and Côte d’Ivoire since 1954, Davis said. A few examples have been presented in research collections on coffee.
Davis said stenophylla is threatened with extinction amid large-scale deforestation in the three countries where it is known in the wild: Sierra Leone, Guinea and Ivory Coast.
Unlike the red and sometimes yellow fruits of Arabica and robusta plants, stenophylla’s fruits are intensely black. The coffee beans are inside the fruit.
“I think we are very optimistic about the future that stenophylla may bring,” said Jeremy Torz, co-founder of the specialty coffee company Union Hand-Roasted Coffee in East London, where part of the trial was held.
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