Friday, November 21, 2014

Genetics Might Help Grow the Perfect Cup of Coffee

           Coffee is the second most traded commodity on the planet, only being trumped by oil. There are myriad strains of coffee from different parts of the world. African coffees are renowned for being bright and vibrant, whereas Latin American strains are known for their delicate and intricate flavor. The science behind these strains is the science of genetics and how different breeding methods and crosses yield certain coffee types. Recent research has shown that these coffee attributes are significantly affected by gene expression between coffee grown at different altitudes.


         The modern coffee plant is under siege across the world. A fungus colloquially known as "rust" is killing coffee trees in droves in Central America, and coffee crops in Brazil are suffering from intense drought conditions. Therefore, the genetic understanding of coffee crops are essential to take steps forward in solving this unprecedented global problem.
         Farmers at Good Land Organics situated in Santa Barbara, California, are working in conjunction with researchers at the University of California to figured out a genetic solution to maximize immunity and crop yield simultaneously. Juan Medrano, at UC Davis, is specifically studying the effects of altitude on gene expression as a potential solution to the coffee epidemic.
         Regardless of possible solutions, what is agreed upon amongst scientists that the sakes are extremely high. London's Royal Botanical Gardens estimates that two thirds of coffee growing regions in Africa could be destroyed by 2080, and wild Arabica, the best selling coffee species, could be extinct by 2020. The future of coffee hinges on the genetic analysis of the beloved crops.

Main Article: http://www.geneticliteracyproject.org/2014/11/18/genetics-might-help-grow-the-perfect-cup-of-coffee/

Related Information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffea_arabica

1 comment:

  1. Neat article; coffee is definitely something relevant to college students! It seems that coffee crops are now on the list of GMO products. Also, I found it interesting that variation in growing altitude affects the coffee's taste.

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