HYBRID EVENT: You can participate in person at London, UK or Virtually from your home or work.

5th Edition of Euro-Global Conference on Biotechnology and Bioengineering

September 18-20 | Hybrid Event

September 18-20, 2025 | London, UK
ECBB 2023

Coffee mutagenesis for leaf rust resistance

Fabian Echeverria Beirute, Speaker at Biotechnology Conference
Instituto Tecnologico de Costa Rica, Costa Rica
Title: Coffee mutagenesis for leaf rust resistance

Abstract:

Coffee leaf rust (CLR) caused by Hemileia vastatrix is a major disease for coffee-producing countries. Breeding for resistant varieties is the main strategy for controlling CLR, however, the rapid spread of this disease around the globe and ongoing CLR races, are limiting cultivar´s resistance durability. This study reports the CLR resistance performance under controlled conditions, of new candidate mutants obtained by EMS mutagenesis. Variable response of CLR tolerance was exhibited by an originally susceptible variety. Three M1 plants showed similar tolerance compared to resistant varieties under controlled inoculation conditions, while tolerant-susceptible levels were shown by the general population. Further genomic information will show potential mutant sections which may confer tolerance or susceptibility

Audience Take Away Notes :

  • New coffee mutants can have different tolerance to CLR
  • Breeding alternatives can be explored to solve old problems
  • More biotechnologies should be incorporated to understand better such tolerance

Biography:

Fabian studied Biotechnology Engineering at TEC were graduated in 2006. While been the Coordinator of the Breeding Program at ICAFE, he completed his MS in the UCR in 2012. He later joined World Coffee Research and the Texas A&M University to conduct his PhD project in coffee quality, physiology and transcriptomics. He graduated in 2018 and joined TEC. His now days the Coordinator of a Center for Research and Development for Sustainable Agriculture, professor of Plant Breeding and Biotechnology. He is contributing in over 7 research projects nationally and internationally and been part of over 44 research thesis

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