Caracterização genômica e análises filogenéticas de acessos do germoplasma brasileiro de Coffea canephora

Abstract

Coffee, of African origin, is a crucial commodity for the Brazilian economy, with the country accounting for approximately one-third of global production. Among the cultivated species, Coffea arabica and Coffea canephora dominate the market, representing 60% and 40% of production, respectively. With the increasing global demand for coffee, genetic studies of coffee plants aimed at the rapid development of more productive cultivars adapted to emerging climatic conditions are essential. In this context, genomic studies focusing on the characterization of the national germplasm of C. canephora have been conducted to expand knowledge of the genetic diversity of Brazilian cultivars. In a recent study, Embrapa developed the Axiom 26K Chip for C. canephora genotyping, representing an important milestone in this effort. The objective of the present study was to characterize C. canephora clones maintained in the germplasm bank of Universidade Federal de Lavras (UFLA) using the high-throughput Axiom 26K genotyping platform and to perform comparative genetic characterization analyses of these accessions. Phylogenetic analyses were conducted based on available genomic data from accessions representing different diversity groups of C. canephora, as well as from cultivars registered in Brazil’s National Cultivar Registry. All study objectives were successfully achieved, resulting in the genetic characterization of UFLA’s germplasm bank. The findings also enabled the identification of diversity groups predominating in the national genetic background, those that could still be incorporated, and the genetic relationships among them, thereby allowing the immediate application of these results in C. canephora breeding programs.