Cultivation

Coffee, originally from Ethiopia, is cultivated today mostly in tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. In 2005, Brazil, the leader in coffee production, harvested 2.18 million tonnes of coffee, which represents almost a third of global production. Coffee is grown on more than ten million hectares world wide. Losses are due primarily to pests and weeds.

There are numerous types of coffee.

The following are commercially important:

• Robusta (Coffea canephora), a hardy variety from central Africa that grows well in a tropical climate

• Arabica (Coffea arabica), a more delicate variety from higher regions

Utilisation

Coffee is used to prepare the beverage of the same name. The roasted and ground beans are steeped in water. The main importers of coffee are the USA followed by Germany, France and Italy. The highest per-capita consumption of coffee is found in Finland and Sweden.

Gene technology: aims in research and development

Agronomic traits

Weed management

• herbicide tolerance

Resistance to pests

• insect resistance

Adaptation to factors of climate and location

• resistance to drought and cold

Quality traits

Modified composition of contents

• The reduction of caffeine content by the suppression of the gene that is responsible for the formation of caffeine (antisense orientation) or through the transfer of a gene from a bacterium that breaks down caffeine

Plant development

• delay of ripening through the reduction of ethylene production by the coffee plant

• yield enhancement

Field trials with GM coffee