Journal Article

F1 Coffee Hybrids: Combining high productivity with genetic resistance to Coffee Berry Borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

author(s)

Góngora, Carmenza E.

regions
  • Colombia
  • Kenya
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full citation

Góngora, C.E.; Arias-Suarez, J.C.; Giraldo-Jaramillo, M.; Medina-Rivera, R.; Escobar, R.; Flórez-Ramos, C.P. (2026) F1 Coffee Hybrids: Combining high productivity with genetic resistance to Coffee Berry Borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). Horticulturae 12(6): 704. ISSN: 2311-7524

To identify Coffea arabica genotypes with enhanced resistance to the coffee berry borer (CBB), Hypothenemus hampei, two wild accessions (C306 and C534) and their derived hybrids were evaluated. Four F1 genotypes—H1 (CU1842 × C306), H2 (CX2385 × C534), H3 (CX2385 × C306), and H4 (CX2848 × C534)—were generated and subsequently mass-propagated in vitro via somatic embryogenesis. In the original F1 hybrids, laboratory bioassays using artificial coffee diets showed that while CBB mortality in susceptible controls (Var. Caturra and maternal lines) did not exceed 15%, paternal lines induced 31–49%, and hybrids H1 and H3 reached 26%. Population suppression was further quantified in infested parchment coffee, where these hybrids exhibited intermediate CBB numbers between parents. Subsequent field evaluations in Caldas, Colombia, confirmed that H1 and H3 maintained CBB populations up to 43% lower than maternal lines (p < 0.05). To verify the stability of the resistance trait after clonal multiplication, a five-year field study was conducted in Risaralda, Colombia, using in vitro-propagated clones. These regenerated hybrids (H1, H2, and H3) demonstrated stable phenotypic expression, achieving up to a 70% reduction in CBB populations in the field compared to commercial varieties. Specifically, H1 and H3 clones induced significantly higher insect mortality (up to 47%) and superior population suppression. Furthermore, by manifesting hybrid vigor, cumulative production was significantly higher in all four hybrids than in commercial controls, with H3, H1, and H4 exhibiting the highest yields. Based on the dual criteria of useful heterosis for yield and stable pest resistance, these results identify the most promising hybrid combinations which integrate elite agronomic traits with stable resistance, providing a strategic genetic resource for sustainable coffee production under climatic change conditions.