Brazilian scientists start to map coffee genome
Date: 25-Feb-02
Country: BRAZIL
"The first stage involves mapping genetic sequences and will involve 20 people and take one year," Mirian Eira of the government's Brasilia-based Agricultural Research Organization (Embrapa), told Reuters.
Embrapa and the Sao Paulo State Research Support Fund (Fapesp) are coordinating the research, that is focused initially on the arabica variety, which accounts for 70 percent of Brazilian coffee output. Robusta, known locally as conillon, genetic sequences will be mapped later.
The research could also result in cost savings of between 50 percent to 100 percent on herbicides, pesticides and other crop chemicals, as well as raise productivity by 30 percent to 50 percent, Embrapa said in a statement.
The first phase will cost two million reais ($825,00), excluding researcher costs, and is being funded by the national coffee development fund (Funcafe) and Embrapa.
Eira said that the second stage of the project involves functional analysis of the genetic sequences and could take two years or more.
"It depends on how much data mining we have to do," Eira said, adding that it was impossible at this stage to predict when frost-drought-disease-or other resistant varieties could be bred.
The 200,000 genetic sequences will be stored at the Sao Paulo State University of Campinas (Unicamp) and at Embrapa.
Public and private institutions as well as project members will have access to the genetic data bank.
Brazilian researchers have already genetically mapped sugar cane as well as Xillela fastidiosa, a bacterium that attacks orange trees.
Research is also underway into mapping the witches' broom fungus that blighted production in Bahia state, Brazil's main cocoa producing region.
