BOGOTA, Colombia – After 20 years of research seeking to increase the income of coffee producers, the Colombian Coffee Growers Federation´s (FNC) National Coffee Research Center (Cenicafé) released Cenicafé 1.
A new variety characterized by its short-stature, high productivity, high adaptability to Colombia´s different coffee growing regions, and resistance to coffee leaf rust and to the Coffee Berry Disease (CBD).
The release of the new variety was announced by Hernando Duque Orrego, Technical Manager of the FNC, during the second session of the 83rd National Coffee Growers Congress, which is taking place in Bogota under the motto “The Profitability of Coffee Growers: Everybody´s Business”.
With a size and architecture similar to that of the Caturra and Colombia varieties, Cenicafé 1will produce high planting densities (7,000 – 10,000 per hectare), depending on the characteristics of each region.
Higher densities are a key component for achieving higher productivity and profitability.
Cenicafé 1´s broad geographical adaptation, resistance to pests and diseases, high productivity and top quality will enhance the resilience of Colombian coffee growing to climate variability.
The new variety resulted from the rigorous selection of 8 advanced progenies, out of an initial set of 116, from a crossing between Caturra and Timor Hybrid 1343.
As noted by Mr. Duque Orrego, “Cenicafé 1is suitable for all of Colombia´s coffee growing regions.
It enjoys excellent agronomic attributes and excellent quality, and has a greater proportion of supremo beans. Notwithstanding, its essential to adopt optimal agronomic management practices in order for the crop to yield high profitability.”
Cenicafé 1: Description
Height: average height at 24 moths of 140.1 cm, in a range between 138.7 and 141.5 cm. Similar to the height of the Caturra variety.
Production:average production of 17.6 kg of cherry coffee (cc) per tree per cycle of four harvests. Equal to the production obtained with the Castillo General variety.
Physical quality (bean): 84.3% average of supremo coffee, in a range between 83.7% and85.0%. Superior to the average of the Caturra variety (54.1%) and the Castillo variety (79.3%).
Quality (cup): cup quality is described as ´very good´. Cenicafé 1 is classified as a specialty coffee.
Taster notes:according to the taster panel of the Departmental Coffee Growers Committee of Caldas, Cenicafé 1 has notes of cocoa, honey and hazelnut.
Agronomic management of Cenicafé 1
Cenicafé 1requires adequate agromic management practices at its different development stages in order to guarantee the permanence of the production system with a duration of at least 20 years.
Germinator and seedbed: should be planned according to the recommended planting season for the different regions.
Plant density: in production systems with free solar exposure, plant density can reach up to 10,000 plants per hectare for production cycles of 4 to 5 harvests. In agroforestry systems, it can reach up to 5,000 and 7,000 plants per hectare.
Spatial distribution or arrangement: should be oriented in rows through the slope -in triangles or curves-, in order to contribute to soil preservation. In low slopes, the spacial arrangement can be organized in squares or rectangles.
Fertilization: should be programmed based on soil fertility analysis.
Integrated management of pests and diseases: in order to identify and implement the strategies recommended by Cenicafé, producers should monitor and evaluate the levels of pest infestation and incidence of diseases other than coffee leaf rust.
