Architectural singularities in wild Coffea species: integrated morphological perspectives for climate-resilient coffee cultivation
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Global coffee production faces increasing threats from climate change, including rising temperatures, prolonged droughts, and the spread of diseases. Wild coffee species, notably those growing in seasonally highly arid environments in Madagascar, represent a critical genetic resource to address these challenges. Understanding adaptive traits allowing these species to establish into arid environments is essential to guide breeding strategies for creating resilient coffee varieties. We identified structural strategies likely to explain drought tolerance in wild Malagasy Coffea species. We used architectural analysis to describe three Baracoffea species, C. ambongensis, C. bissetiae, and C. boinensis, and compare them to known cultivated. Structural and functional traits were measured across developmental stages. Our results suggest that, in addition to rhythmic growth and terminal flowering on shoots, Baracoffea species possess unique architectural characteristics including a complex architectural unit made of four different stem types, reflecting a high level of functional specialisation. Species-specific developmental strategies reflect different pathways into edifying plant architecture, mainly depending on primary and secondary growth trade-offs. These findings highlight the architectural diversity of Baracoffea, identify potentially important drivers of ecological adaptation through development pathways, and therefore highlight the potential of this group of species for breeding climate-resilient coffee varieties.
Source: Figshare
Language: English
Topic: Coffee research and impacts
Subfield: Pharmacology (medical)
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
SDGs: Zero hunger, Climate action
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7137337448