Morphogenic events during indirect somatic embryogenesis in coffee “Catimor”

Summary The main goal of this research was to identify and describe the morphological and histological events during coffee somatic embryogenesis. Leaf sections of coffee Catimor (Coffea arabica CV. Red Caturra X hybrid of Timor) were cultivated in vitro on solid medium containing 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and benzyladenine. After 4 months, the calli produced were transferred to a medium containing naphthalene acetic acid. During the process of somatic embryogenesis, calli were sampled for histological observation. After four days of culture, the expiant produced a callus in the cut edges, where cell division occurred in the spongy parenchyma and in the perivascular parenchyma. After two months of culture, the first sign of organization within the growing callus was evidenced by the formation of densely stained cell groups appearing physically isolated, surrounded by thick cell walls. Two months later, proembryogenic clumps were formed by groups of dividing cells, unconnected to the callus. These cells were small, relatively isodiametric, with a dense cytoplasm, large nucleus, prominent nucleoli and thick cell walls. Afterwards, embryogenic calli formed somatic embryos going through the typical stages of development: globular, heart, and torpedo shapes. Histological observations revealed that the somatic embryos originated from a single cell, with dense cytoplasm, prominent nucleus and with signs of isolation evidenced by the presence of a thick cell wall.Abbreviations BAP 6-benzyladenine - 2,4-D 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid - NAA naphthalene acetic acid - SEM scanning electron microscopy     

Biotechnological management of coffee pulp — isolation,screening, characterization,selection of caffeine-degrading fungi and natural microflora present in coffee pulp and husk

A total of 272 strains of filamentous fungi were isolated from soil, leaves of coffee plants and coffee cherries collected in coffee-growing areas of Mexico on three semi-synthetic culture media containing coffee extract, coffee extract with sucrose and coffee pulp extract. The isolated strains were purified by conventional techniques and identified by microscopic examination. Strains were selected on the basis of their caffeine-degrading ability in well-defined liquid medium containing caffeine. Most of the isolated microorganisms belong to Aspergillus, Penicillium, Trichoderma, Fusarium, and Humicola genera. Five strains belonging to Aspergillus species and two strains belonging to Penicillium species had the ability to degrade almost 100% of the caffeine in liquid medium. A comparative study on the evaluation of natural microflora present in coffee pulp and coffee husk revealed the presence of a wide variety of microorganisms. The percentage distribution of fungi, bacteria and yeast was almost similar in all the samples, except in coffee husk where the fungal population was slightly higher than in the other two samples. The yeast population was predominant when the coffee pulp was lyophilized immediately after pulping. However, there was a wide diversity in the microbial population with respect to selective media containing functional nutritional groups like cellulose, starch and pectin.     

Bottomless cup,plug‐in drug: A telethnography of coffee

In this paper, I use an anthropological perspective to explore the dimensions of “coffeeworld” as it is depicted on prime time network television programming. I do not examine coffee commercials, but rather the programming context that conditions in part viewers’ perceptions of coffee, which ostensibly delivers a receptive audience to prospective marketers. I explore the cultural significance of coffee in the form of themes emerging from a close viewing of top‐rated programs.     

A survey of homopteran species (Auchenorrhyncha) from coffee shrubs and poró and laurel trees in shaded coffee plantations,in Turrialba,Costa Rica

A survey of homopteran species (Auchenorryncha) was conducted in coffee plantations with no shade (C), and in those with shade of either poró (Erythrina poeppigiana) (CP) or poró plus laurel (Cordia alliodora) (CPL), in Turrialba, Costa Rica. A total of 130 species in ten families were collected, dominated by Cicadellidae (82 species). Species richness was highest in the CP system (88), followed by CPL (74) and C systems (60). Five most common species for all systems were Fusigonalia lativittata, Hebralebra nicaraguensis, Neocoelidia sp., Oliarus sp. and Clastoptera sp. Diversification of the coffee agroecosystem favors some species while limiting others, and have no effect on the majority of species. Thus, only F. lativittata, Neocoelidia sp. and Scaphytopius ca. latidens were well represented in all systems, but were more abundant in coffee shrubs. Additionally, the following were the dominant species in each system: Graphocephala sp. 1 (C), F. lativittata (CP) and H. nicaraguensis (CPL). Four species abundant on laurel trees, including H. nicaraguensis, appeared almost exclusively on these tree species. Species similarity was highest on the CP and CPL systems (51% of the species in common), followed by the C and CP (39%) and the C and CPL systems (38%). These findings show that even disturbed systems can harbor many insect species, so that they deserve attention from conservation advocates and biologists.     

Developments in coffee biotechnology—in vitro plant propagation and crop improvement

Coffee is an important plantation crop grown in about 80 countries across the globe. In recent years, coffee attained lot of attention in the biotechnology research area. Since last three decades, there has been a steady flow of information on coffee biotechnology and now it is entering into the genomic era. Major milestones in coffee biotech research are successful in vitro manipulation and multiplication of coffee, development of gene transfer protocols and generation of transgenic coffee plants with specific traits. The isolation of genes involved in caffeine biosynthetic pathway has opened up new avenues for generating caffeine free transgenic coffee. With the initiation of international coffee genomics initiatives, the genomic research in coffee is expected to reach new dimensions. The IPR issues may play crucial role in sharing of benefits during international collaborations in near future. This review focuses on the basic and applied aspects of coffee biotechnology for newer potentials.     

Caffeinated coffee, decaffeinated coffee, and the phenolic phytochemical chlorogenic acid up-regulate NQO1 expression and prevent H₂O₂-induced apoptosis in primary cortical neurons

Neurodegenerative disorders are strongly associated with oxidative stress, which is induced by reactive oxygen species including hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). Epidemiological studies have suggested that coffee may be neuroprotective, but the molecular mechanisms underlying this effect have not been clarified. In this study, we investigated the protective effects of caffeinated coffee, decaffeinated coffee, and the phenolic phytochemical chlorogenic acid (5-O-caffeoylquinic acid), which is present in both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee, against oxidative neuronal death. H₂O₂-induced apoptotic nuclear condensation in neuronal cells was strongly inhibited by pretreatment with caffeinated coffee, decaffeinated coffee, or chlorogenic acid. Pretreatment with caffeinated coffee, decaffeinated coffee, or chlorogenic acid inhibited the H₂O₂-induced down-regulation of anti-apoptotic proteins Bcl-2 and Bcl-X_L while blocking H₂O₂-induced pro-apoptotic cleavage of caspase-3 and pro-poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase. We also found that caffeinated coffee, decaffeinated coffee, and chlorogenic acid induced the expression of NADPH:quinine oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) in neuronal cells, suggesting that these substances protect neurons from H₂O₂-induced apoptosis by up-regulation of this antioxidant enzyme. The neuroprotective efficacy of caffeinated coffee was similar to that of decaffeinated coffee, indicating that active compounds present in both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee, such as chlorogenic acid, may drive the effects.     

Carbon and water footprint of coffee consumed in Finland—life cycle assessment

The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment - Coffee is one of the most widely grown cash crops globally, but there are few scientific articles on its carbon footprint and water scarcity...     

Transient expression of β-glucuronidase following biolistic delivery of foreign DNA into coffee tissues

Some conditions related to the transient expression of -glucuronidase in biolistically-treated Coffea spp. tissues were investigated, and subsequently used in a promoter study. Bombardments were performed on different types of tissue (leaves, somatic embryos and suspension cultures) of genotypes of C. arabica, C. canephora and Arabusta, using 4 different promoter sequences. Tobacco leaves were used as a comparison. In general, similar large variation and mean values of transient expression were observed between coffee and tobacco leaves. With regard to the coffee tissues effect, transient expression was best detectable and most frequently observed with bombarded leaves of microcuttings. Disturbing endogenous light blue staining was found with control treatments of somatic embryos. For the three coffee species tested, the most effective promoter was the EF1-A1 promoter of Arabidopsis thaliana. Abbreviations BA 6-benzylaminopurine - EDTA ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid - GUS -glucuronidase - HFSE high frequency somatic embryogenesis - IAA indole-3-acetic acid - IBA indole-3-butyric acid - MS Murashige & Skoog (1962) - PVP polyvinylpyrrolidone - R regeneration; rpm, rotations per minute - SAS statistical analytical system - v/v volume per volume - w/v weight per volume - X-gluc 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl--D-glucuronic acid - 2,4-D 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid - 2-iP 2-isopentenyladenine     

Could shading reduce the negative impacts of drought on coffee? A morphophysiological analysis

Based on indirect evidence, it was previously suggested that shading could attenuate the negative impacts of drought on coffee (Coffea arabica), a tropical crop species native to shady environments. A variety (47) of morphological and physiological traits were examined in plants grown in 30-l pots in either full sunlight or 85% shade for 8 months, after which a 4-month water shortage was implemented. Overall, the traits showed weak or negligible responses to the light × water interaction, explaining less than 10% of the total data variation. Only slight variations in biomass allocation were observed in the combined shade and drought treatment. Differences in relative growth rates were mainly associated with physiological and not with morphological adjustments. In high light, drought constrained the photosynthetic rate through stomatal limitations with no sign of apparent photoinhibition; in low light, such constraints were apparently linked to biochemical factors. Sun-grown plants displayed osmotic adjustments, decreased tissue elasticities and improved long-term water use efficiencies, especially under drought. Regardless of the water availability, higher concentrations of lipids, total phenols, total soluble sugars and lignin were found in high light compared to shade conditions, in contrast to the effects on cellulose and hemicellulose concentrations. Proline concentrations increased in water-deprived plants, particularly those grown under full sun. Phenotypic plasticity was much higher in response to the light than to the water supply. Overall, shading did not alleviate the negative impacts of drought on the coffee tree.     

Who has time for Ćejf? Postsocialist migration and slow coffee in neoliberal Chicago

The official end to communism in Eastern Europe marked the onset of major migratory movements. Perhaps the most abrupt of these population shifts was the displacement of more than two million people in Yugoslavia's violent dissolution. Much of the existing literature on refugee migration has focused on victimization and citizenship claims. Alternatively, I draw on ethnographic research among Bosnian refugee-immigrants in Chicago to examine how a group of adult women migrants used one commodity - coffee - to manage and evaluate their displacements. The kind of slow-coffee drinking described here is informed by an ethics of consumption developed under Yugoslav socialism, nostalgias for pre-Yugoslav Islam and pre-Ottoman Bosnia, and exposure to U.S. neoliberalism. Placing consumption at the center of analysis reveals the structural constraints of the postconflict period and brings to light refugees’ active navigations of everyday life and society in their postsocialist present, lived out as refugees in the United States.     

An in vitro effect of coffee on the antigen-specific immune responses of naïve splenocytes

Coffee is a globally consumed beverage with potential health benefits. However, there are few reports about the effects of coffee on immunological functions. We previously reported that in an allergic mouse model, coffee intake prevented allergy development through augmentation of interleukin (IL)-12p40. In order to investigate the anti-allergic activity of coffee, we examined the effect of coffee on antigen (Ag)-specific responses of immune cells in vitro. Coffee treatment suppressed proliferation and IL-2 secretion of mouse splenocytes in the same way as splenocytes from mice administered coffee orally. However, IL-12p40 secretion decreased significantly as a result of in vitro coffee treatment, which was contrary to the results obtained from experiments of mice administered coffee orally. Therefore, modification associated with oral administration might influence the anti-allergic activity of coffee.     

Basis of coffee seed sensitivity to liquid nitrogen exposure: oxidative stress or imbibitional damage?

Two hypotheses, namely the occurrence of post‐thaw oxidative stress or imbibitional damage, were tested to explain the high sensitivity of coffee seeds to liquid nitrogen (LN) exposure. Oxidative stress was studied by measuring primary and secondary products of lipid peroxidation in seeds during the desiccation and rehydration periods. The 4‐hydroxynonenal (4‐HNE) content of seeds remained constant throughout the desiccation step. No significant difference was observed between desiccated seeds and seeds desiccated and exposed to LN for the evolution of their 4‐HNE and hydroperoxide contents during rehydration. In both cases, an increase in 4‐HNE and hydroperoxide contents of seeds was observed during the first hours of culture under germination conditions, followed by a progressive decrease down to values comparable to those observed in desiccated seeds. The hydroperoxide composition of frozen seeds was not significantly different from that of control seeds. The (S)/(R) enantiomeric ratios of 9‐ and 13‐hydroxy‐octadecadienoic acid extracted from rehydrating seeds were chiral, suggesting that they originated from lipoxygenase activity. These results suggest that the high sensitivity of coffee seeds to LN exposure is not directly associated with the occurrence of an oxidative stress during post‐thaw rehydration. The effect on seed viability of different rehydration procedures previously identified to reduce membrane imbibitional injury was studied after desiccation and LN exposure. Desiccation tolerance increased with, by increasing order, seed osmoconditioning, pre‐heating and pre‐humidifying prior to their culture under germination conditions. Among the four combinations of pre‐humidification durations (24 or 48 h) and temperatures (25 or 37°C) tested, pre‐humidification for 24 h at 37°C gave the highest level of desiccation tolerance. This rehydration procedure also dramatically increased seed viability after LN exposure. Seed desiccation sensitivity modelling in combination with the calculation of the decrease in seed water activity during cooling facilitated the explanation of the beneficial effect of controlled rehydration after desiccation and LN exposure. These results support the hypothesis that imbibitional membrane damage is involved in the sensitivity of coffee seeds to LN exposure.     

Spider diversity in epiphytes: Can shade coffee plantations promote the conservation of cloud forest assemblages?

Cloud forests (CF) are disappearing due to anthropogenic causes such as cultivation. A characteristic feature of the CF is that a high proportion of its biomass occurs in the form of epiphytes, which are vital microhabitats to canopy dwelling arthropods. Coffee plantations overlap with CF and replace them. Epiphytes are abundant in shade coffee (SC) plantations and therefore these plants are an appropriate background for comparing the diversity between these systems. Spiders are understudied in canopies, and since they are major predators and their communities are highly sensitive to environmental changes, they can be used to test the similarity between habitats. We conducted a diversity assay of spiders living in epiphytes in cloud forest fragments and SC plantations, to test the hypothesis that SC plantations function as refugia. We manually sampled epiphytes within the canopy of two coffee plantations and two fragments of cloud forest in central Veracruz, Mexico. Our results show that SC plantations account for higher spider abundance and species richness than cloud forest fragments, there is little overlap between the species found in both systems, and the range of distribution and the guild structure of the spider assemblages between both systems is similar. As there were no significant differences between cloud forest fragments and SC plantations in terms of spider species assemblages, species distribution and guild structure the epiphytes from the SC plantations can be consider a refuge for the spider fauna from the surrounding cloud forest fragments. Epiphyte load and tree height are important factors driving the differentiation at community level, between sites and habitats. Bromeliads harbored more spiders than the other types of epiphytes, and since these plants are frequently removed by farmers or extracted for commercial and religious purposes, we suggest that preserving epiphytes in coffee plantations and cloud forest fragments could aid in the conservation of spiders.     

Orchid bees as bio-indicators for organic coffee farms in Costa Rica: does farm size affect their abundance?

The potential of Euglossini bees, especially Euglossa, as biological indicators of organic vs nonorganic coffee farms was studied in Atenas and San Isidro, Alajuela, Costa Rica using 1.8-cineole as lure. Observations were made for three days at each of four farms and complemented with data from a year of observations. Orchid bees were in greater abundance in the organic farms (t-Student test). However, lower abundances suggest that an organic farm may be negatively affected by the proximity of non-organic farms, depending on its size and distance. Orchid bees may be indicators of organic coffee farms.     

Are coffee agroforestry systems suitable for circa situm conservation of indigenous trees? A case study from Central Kenya

Coffee agroforestry systems (CAFS) are often considered to be species-rich, potentially contributing to the conservation of indigenous trees. To investigate the conservation capacity of a Kenyan CAFS, all tree species on 62 smallholder coffee farms (covering 39 ha in total) in the Aberdare Mountains of Central Kenya were recorded. In total, 6,642 trees of 59 species were enumerated, with a mean density of 256 trees per ha and a mean species richness of 11.2 species per farm. Indigenous species represented 63 % of the richness but only 31 % of the abundance. For individual farms, as expected, farm size had a positive correlation with tree species richness, but more interestingly there was a negative correlation with tree density. Cluster analysis based on densities of the 18 most important species (defined by an importance value index) revealed two groups of farms: one cluster represented small farms (mean size = 0.4 ha) with high tree species diversity and individual density, particularly of indigenous trees; the other cluster represented large (mean size = 1 ha) and less diverse farms with low tree densities, particularly regarding indigenous species. Tree individuals were unevenly distributed within farms, being more frequent in living fences (38 % of all individuals), the garden zone (20 %) and in coffee plots (18 %). The relative occurrence of indigenous species was also uneven, being greater in living fences and the garden zone. Most adult trees (83 %) were planted, but only 46 % of seedlings were, revealing the active removal of volunteer seedlings by farmers as trees mature. Surveyed coffee farms harboured 20 % of the 135 tree species of the potential natural vegetation for the region, but only 3.6 % of the on-farm tree individuals belonged to the most valuable types of dominant and forest vegetation. Thus, although a source of significant tree cover and heterogeneity at landscape level, the value of these CAFS as circa situm reservoirs of forest tree species is questionable.     

Mating behavior of the coffee leaf-miner Leucoptera coffeella (Guérin-Mèneville) (Lepidoptera: Lyonetiidae)

Despite the importance of Leucoptera coffeella (Guérin-Mèneville) in coffee production worldwide, there is a lack of information on its reproductive biology. This knowledge will help in mass rearing, as well as support the development of behavioral control techniques for this insect. The purpose of the study was to determine the periodicity of mating and male capture and describe the mating behavior L. coffeella. In laboratory, we observed the periodicity of mating with virgin couples of different ages, zero to five days after emergence. Male activity was studied in a 0.7 ha coffee plantation, cv. Catuaí, where Delta traps were installed at 0.5 m above ground, using either virgin females or rubber septa lured with the synthetic sex pheromone. The sequence of mating behavior was studied by making visual observations and recorded of pairs placed on individual plastic tubes. Mating occurred between 4h and 6h of photophase, when the highest frequencies involved pairs with ages of one and three days after emergence, with peak of mating occurring in 5th hour of photophase. The young or old pairs showed significantly copulation frequency and the peak of matings advance in 1h. The highest male capture occurred at 12p.m. and 13 p.m. by traps with virgin females or traps with synthetic sex pheromone lures, respectively. L. coffeella is one insect with diurnal mating and the mating behavior was not different from what is know for other Lepidoptera species.