''Coffea charrieriana'', also known as Charrier

coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. Seeds of ...

, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

from the ''

Coffea ''Coffea'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. ''Coffea'' species are shrubs or small trees native to tropical and southern Africa and tropical Asia. The seeds of some species, called coffee beans, are used to flavor vario ...

'' genus. It is a

caffeine Caffeine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant of the methylxanthine class. It is mainly used recreationally as a cognitive enhancer, increasing alertness and attentional performance. Caffeine acts by blocking binding of adenosine to ...

-free coffee plant

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...

Central Africa Central Africa is a subregion of the African continent comprising various countries according to different definitions. Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo ...

. It is the first recorded caffeine-free ''Coffea'' in

, and the second to be recorded in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

. The first caffeine-free species was previously discovered in

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi ...

, named ''C. pseudozanguebariae''.Hamon, Perla, Corrinne E. Grover, Aaron P. Davis, Jean-Jacques Rakotomalala, Nathalie E. Raharimalala, Victor A. Albert, and Hosahalli L. Sreenath et al. 2017. "Genotyping-By-Sequencing Provides The First Well-Resolved Phylogeny For Coffee (Coffea) And Insights Into The Evolution Of Caffeine Content In Its Species". Molecular Phylogenetics And Evolution 109: 351-361. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2017.02.009. The International Institute for Species Exploration at Arizona State University and a committee of

taxonomists In biology, taxonomy () is the scientific study of naming, defining ( circumscribing) and classifying groups of biological organisms based on shared characteristics. Organisms are grouped into taxa (singular: taxon) and these groups are given ...

and scientists voted the ''C. charrieriana'' as one of the top 10 species described in 2008.

Taxonomy

''Coffea charrieriana'' is classified under the ''

Rubiaceae The Rubiaceae are a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the coffee, madder, or bedstraw family. It consists of terrestrial trees, shrubs, lianas, or herbs that are recognizable by simple, opposite leaves with interpetiolar stipules a ...

'' family and the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of ''Coffea''. They are currently 120

of ''Coffea'' spread in

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

and

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

, in which two species; '' Coffea arabica'' and ''

Coffea canephora ''Coffea canephora'' ( syn. ''Coffea robusta'', commonly known as ''robusta coffee'') is a species of coffee that has its origins in central and western sub-Saharan Africa. It is a species of flowering plant in the family Rubiaceae. Though wid ...

'' dominate worldwide coffee plant production, making up 99% of produce.

Distribution and habitat

This plant is

to West

in the

Bakossi Forest Reserve The Bakossi Forest Reserve is a reserve within the Bakossi Mountains in Cameroon, home to many rare species of plants, animals and birds. The Forest Reserve in turn contains the Bakossi National Park, created by a decree in early 2008. The park c ...

. It grows in a

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

of wet rainforest on

rocky ''Rocky'' is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the first installment in the ''Rocky'' franchise and stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, and Burge ...

slopes In mathematics, the slope or gradient of a line is a number that describes both the ''direction'' and the ''steepness'' of the line. Slope is often denoted by the letter ''m''; there is no clear answer to the question why the letter ''m'' is used ...

of an

altitude Altitude or height (also sometimes known as depth) is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum and a point or object. The exact definition and reference datum varies according to the context ...

of 160m and a mean

elevation The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § Ver ...

range of 300m. It is highly threatened by

deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. The most concentrated ...

for logging and palm oil production in its vulnerable lowland forest habitat.

History

''Coffea charrieriana'' was discovered in 2008 and the findings were

published Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, news ...

in a paper named “A new caffeine-free coffee from Cameroon” to the Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. The

plant Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclu ...

was named by authors of the paper, Piet Stoffelen and Francois Anthony in honour of Professor A. Charrier who had made significant efforts towards the

industry. His work included leading the coffee breeding research and collection at Institute Research for Development (IRD) for the last 30

years A year or annus is the orbital period of a planetary body, for example, the Earth, moving in its orbit around the Sun. Due to the Earth's axial tilt, the course of a year sees the passing of the seasons, marked by change in weather, the hou ...

of the 20th century. He also held a position at the French Office of Genetic Resources (BRG) from 1988 to 1993. He is currently working as the director of

research Research is " creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness ...

at National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA),focusing on

plant genetics Plant genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity specifically in plants.Hartl D, Jones E (2005) It is generally considered a field of biology and botany, but intersects frequently with many other life sciences and is strongly ...

and breeding. As a result of collaboration from Institute of Research for Development (IRD), Biodiversity International, Paris Museum of Natural History and the French Agricultural Research Centre in 1966–1987,

plants Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclude ...

from

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

, Comoros,

Mascarene Islands The Mascarene Islands (, ) or Mascarenes or Mascarenhas Archipelago is a group of islands in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar consisting of the islands belonging to the Republic of Mauritius as well as the French department of Réunion. Their ...

, Guinea, Ivory Coast,

, Congo,

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi ...

and

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...

were collected. The cuttings from ''C. charrieriana'' were first collected in 1985 from Bakossi Forest Reserve in Cameroon in

along with 70 other ''Coffea''

, many that were already taxonomically identified.Anthony F, Dussert S, Dulloo E. 2007. The coffee genetic resources. In: Engelmann F, Dulloo E, Astorga C, Dussert S, Anthony F, eds. "Complementary strategies for ex situ conservation of Coffea arabica genetic resources. A case study in CATIE, Costa Rica" 'Rome: Bioversity International, Topical Reviews in Agricultural Biodiversity', 12–22. Though the ''C. charrieriana'' was identified to be morphologically different to previously identified ''Coffea'' species, further work was not done until 1997. In 1997 the cuttings were sent to Institute of Research for Development (IRD) in which further study such as

observations Observation is the active acquisition of information from a primary source. In living beings, observation employs the senses. In science, observation can also involve the perception and recording of data via the use of scientific instrument ...

seed coat A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiosperm p ...

, anatomical observations of the leaves and biochemical analysis was undertaken. It wasn't until 2008 that after morphological and genetic studies of this species, was it recognised as a new species of ''Coffea''. Genotyping analysis reveals ''C. charrieriana'' to have diverged from a

common ancestor Common descent is a concept in evolutionary biology applicable when one species is the ancestor of two or more species later in time. All living beings are in fact descendants of a unique ancestor commonly referred to as the last universal comm ...

11.15 million years ago.

Description

''Coffea charrieriana'' can grow up to a range of 5-10m in

height Height is measure of vertical distance, either vertical extent (how "tall" something or someone is) or vertical position (how "high" a point is). For example, "The height of that building is 50 m" or "The height of an airplane in-flight is ab ...

and spreads 5-7m. The

shrubs A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

can grow to 1-1.5m high.,"Coffee Tree (Coffea Charrieriana) - Plants , Candide Gardening". 2020. Candide

/ref> whilst the branchlets are 1-2mm in

diameter In geometry, a diameter of a circle is any straight line segment that passes through the center of the circle and whose endpoints lie on the circle. It can also be defined as the longest chord of the circle. Both definitions are also valid fo ...

. The stipules have tiny hairs at the top and overlap each other and are deltate to

triangular A triangle is a polygon with three edges and three vertices. It is one of the basic shapes in geometry. A triangle with vertices ''A'', ''B'', and ''C'' is denoted \triangle ABC. In Euclidean geometry, any three points, when non- collinea ...

in shape and 2mm long. The ''C. charrieriana'' has small and thin leaves that are

elliptical Elliptical may mean: * having the shape of an ellipse, or more broadly, any oval shape ** in botany, having an elliptic leaf shape ** of aircraft wings, having an elliptical planform * characterised by ellipsis (the omission of words), or by conc ...

in frame. The base of the leaf is slightly wedged in shape whilst the apex of the

leaf A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, ste ...

tapers to a round tip. This tapering point is roughly 7-13mm long. Both the top and bottom of the leaf surface is free of hair and smooth. The leaves petioles are 2mm long. Its leaf blades are 4–8 cm (length) x 2.2 – 3.5 cm (breath) in dimensions and features 3-7 secondary nerve cells per side of the midvein. The tertiary veins are reticulated, having a thread-like structure. The leaf also has domatia structures which are hairless. Anatomically, the leaf structure consists of an upper epidermis (20-30 μm), palisade mesophyll (20-30 μm), spongy mesophyll (45-70 μm), and lower epidermis (10-20 μm). This structure is quite similar to the ones found in other ''Coffea'' species. However comparatively to other ''Coffea'' species, the leaves are thin at 100-130μm thick and contain very few secondary nerves. These properties differ from other ''Coffea'' species specifically found in

, and resemble that of ''P.ebracteolatus'', a wild species found in

. The size of the individual leaf structure components are also much smaller than the average seen in most other ''Coffea'' species. In addition, this abnormally small

characteristic is one of three known in

, along with ''C.anthonyi'' and ''C.kapakata''. There are 1-2

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphology (biology), Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of sperma ...

per stem and each

contains one

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

and two calyculi. The calyculi is divided into upper and lower structures. The lower calyculus has a rim shape with 2 smaller leave lobes. The upper calyculus has two broadly

shaped stipulars and two narrowly shaped

foliar lobes. This plant consists fruits that are

drupes In botany, a drupe (or stone fruit) is an indehiscent fruit in which an outer fleshy part (exocarp, or skin, and mesocarp, or flesh) surrounds a single shell (the ''pit'', ''stone'', or '' pyrena'') of hardened endocarp with a seed (''kernel'') ...

in nature that each contain two pyrenes, with one

seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...

per pyrene. The fruit is connected to a hairless peduncle that is 2mm long. The

red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...

and flesh]

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

is 9-10mm x 7mm in size whilst the coffee seed inside is

elliptic In mathematics, an ellipse is a plane curve surrounding two focal points, such that for all points on the curve, the sum of the two distances to the focal points is a constant. It generalizes a circle, which is the special type of ellipse in ...

in shape and covered in a

made from

parenchymatous Parenchyma () is the bulk of functional substance in an animal organ or structure such as a tumour. In zoology it is the name for the tissue that fills the interior of flatworms. Etymology The term ''parenchyma'' is New Latin from the word � ...

. Comparatively to other ''Coffea'' species, the ''C.charrieriana'' lacks

sclereids Sclereids are a reduced form of sclerenchyma cells with highly thickened, lignified cellular walls that form small bundles of durable layers of tissue in most plants.Evert, Ray F; Eichhorn, Susan E. Esau's Plant Anatomy: Meristems, Cells, and Ti ...

in its

, the absence of

is seen in

of the genus ''Psilanthus'' and other Madagascan species. The seed measures 5mm long x 4mm wide x 3mm thick. Characteristic of a ''Coffea'' species, the seed is rounded, smooth and grooved. The

flowers A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism ...

have no stalk and consists of 5

petals Petals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corolla''. Petals are usually ...

. The white corolla tube is 1mm long while the lobes are 5-8mm long and 2-3mm broad. The flower's

gynoecium Gynoecium (; ) is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl of a flower; it consists of (one or more) ''pistils' ...

is a small disc that sits on the top of the ovary and surrounded by a truncated, smooth calyx limb. The characteristics of the flower closely match those of the ''Coffea'' genus. In the flower, the anthers and

style Style is a manner of doing or presenting things and may refer to: * Architectural style, the features that make a building or structure historically identifiable * Design, the process of creating something * Fashion, a prevailing mode of clothing ...

protrude out, the anthers are also attached to the corolla. The short filament that connects to the zone between the tube, lobes and corolla is not semi-transparent, making it a distinct species from closely related genus ''Psilanthus'' in which this section is generally semi-transparent in colour. The ''C.charrieriana'' also possesses a corolla tube (1mm long), style (10mm long), two lobed stigma (2mm long), anther (3mm long) and anther filament (2mm long). The size of the

corolla tube Petals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corolla''. Petals are usuall ...

, corolla lobes and anthers differ from other known ''Coffea''

from

Biochemistry

Biochemical analysis of the seeds reveals that they are caffeine-free, this caffeine-free biochemical characteristic is generally found in Madagascan ''Coffea'' species. Studies reported 30 out of 47 Madagascan ''Coffea'' species had very little or no traces of

.Hamon, P., Rakotomalala, J., Akaffou, S., Razafinarivo, N., Couturon, E., Guyot, R., Crouzillat, D., Hamon, S. and de Kochko, A., 2015. Caffeine-free Species in the Genus Coffea. Coffee in Health and Disease Prevention, pp.39-44. It is the second caffeine-free species, along with ''C.pseudozanguebariae'' which grows in a

coastal The coast, also known as the coastline or seashore, is defined as the area where land meets the ocean, or as a line that forms the boundary between the land and the coastline. The Earth has around of coastline. Coasts are important zones in ...

dry forest near the

Indian ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by t ...

. It is suggested that the absence of

in the ''Coffea'' species is due to

spliceosome A spliceosome is a large ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex found primarily within the nucleus of eukaryotic cells. The spliceosome is assembled from small nuclear RNAs ( snRNA) and numerous proteins. Small nuclear RNA (snRNA) molecules bind to specif ...

deficiency. Though the plants contain the necessary genes to produce caffeine, due to a malfunction in the protein synthesis pathway as a result of incorrect splicing patterns, caffeine is not produced. Caffeine absence is caused by a monogenic

inheritance Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Officia ...

pattern, with the involvement of one gene and two alleles, the plant containing the recessive

allele An allele (, ; ; modern formation from Greek ἄλλος ''állos'', "other") is a variation of the same sequence of nucleotides at the same place on a long DNA molecule, as described in leading textbooks on genetics and evolution. ::"The chro ...

leads to no caffeine content. On the other hand, it is likely that caffeine production level is controlled by

polygenic A polygene is a member of a group of non- epistatic genes that interact additively to influence a phenotypic trait, thus contributing to multiple-gene inheritance (polygenic inheritance, multigenic inheritance, quantitative inheritance), a type of ...

inheritance and the amount of caffeine produced is a genetic factor. Through further analysis, it was found that instead of accumulation of caffeine, the deficient caffeine synthase gene responsible for caffeine production had instead produced a substance called

theobromine Theobromine, also known as xantheose, is the principal alkaloid of '' Theobroma cacao'' (cacao plant). Theobromine is slightly water-soluble (330 mg/L) with a bitter taste. In industry, theobromine is used as an additive and precursor to ...

in its place. This discovery by scientists led to further understanding about the genetics of caffeine in ''Coffea'' plants, and the ability to hybridize coffee plants with caffeine-free plants to produce a decaf line of seeds with lower caffeine concentrations. It also opened up the option of removing this particular gene in plants containing caffeine to create a caffeine-free plant. Compared to other ''Coffea'', ''C. charrieriana'' along with ''C. canephora'' and ''C. mannii'' has significantly lower

linoleic acid Linoleic acid (LA) is an organic compound with the formula COOH(CH2)7CH=CHCH2CH=CH(CH2)4CH3. Both alkene groups are ''cis''. It is a fatty acid sometimes denoted 18:2 (n-6) or 18:2 ''cis''-9,12. A linoleate is a salt or ester of this acid. ...

percentage. The ''C.charrieriana'' also had the lowest

polyunsaturated In nutrition, biology, and chemistry, fat usually means any ester of fatty acids, or a mixture of such compounds, most commonly those that occur in living beings or in food. The term often refers specifically to triglycerides (triple es ...

fatty acid In chemistry, particularly in biochemistry, a fatty acid is a carboxylic acid with an aliphatic chain, which is either saturated or unsaturated. Most naturally occurring fatty acids have an unbranched chain of an even number of carbon atoms, ...

content (<30%) Dussert, Stéphane, Andréina Laffargue, Alexandre de Kochko, and Thierry Joët. 2008. "Effectiveness Of The Fatty Acid And Sterol Composition Of Seeds For The Chemotaxonomy Of Coffea Subgenus Coffea". Phytochemistry 69 (17): 2950-2960

/ref> and 0.8%

dry matter The dry matter or dry weight is a measurement of the mass of something when completely dried. Analysis of food The dry matter of plant and animal material consists of all its constituents excluding water. The dry matter of food includes carboh ...

basis. As a result, though originating from

, the ''C. charrieriana'' is closer phylogenetically to Madagascan, than African species (Dussert et al. 2008, 2953). By examining ''C. charrieriana's''

components, it forms a separate

gene cluster A gene family is a set of homologous genes within one organism. A gene cluster is a group of two or more genes found within an organism's DNA that encode similar polypeptides, or proteins, which collectively share a generalized function and are ...

to the ''C. anthonyi, C. arabica, C. canephora, C. humilis, C. kapakata, C liberica, C. liberica var liberica'' and ''C. mannii.'' Mees, Corenthin, Florence Souard, Cedric Delporte, Eric Deconinck, Piet Stoffelen, Caroline Stévigny, Jean-Michel Kauffmann, and Kris De Braekeleer. 2018. "Identification Of Coffee Leaves Using FT-NIR Spectroscopy And SIMCA". Talanta 177: 4-11

/ref> ''C. charrieriana'' also has lower caffeoylquinic acids (CQA) than other ''Coffea'' species Rodríguez-Gómez, Rocío, Jérôme Vanheuverzwjin, Florence Souard, Cédric Delporte, Caroline Stevigny, Piet Stoffelen, Kris De Braekeleer, and Jean-Michel Kauffmann. 2018. "Determination Of Three Main Chlorogenic Acids In Water Extracts Of Coffee Leaves By Liquid Chromatography Coupled To An Electrochemical Detector". Antioxidants 7 (10): 143. doi:10.3390/antiox7100143. From analysing the fatty acid content alone, the ''C.charrieriana'' is most closely related to ''C.congensis'' and forms a separate clade from the other 59 ''Coffea''

genotypes The genotype of an organism is its complete set of genetic material. Genotype can also be used to refer to the alleles or variants an individual carries in a particular gene or genetic location. The number of alleles an individual can have in a ...

. Further genetic analysis of long tandem repeat

retrotransposons Retrotransposons (also called Class I transposable elements or transposons via RNA intermediates) are a type of genetic component that copy and paste themselves into different genomic locations ( transposon) by converting RNA back into DNA throug ...

(LTR-RT), more specifically of the lineages SIRE and Del were analysed for the ''C.charrieriana''. LTR-RT are redundant sections of the plant

genome In the fields of molecular biology and genetics, a genome is all the genetic information of an organism. It consists of nucleotide sequences of DNA (or RNA in RNA viruses). The nuclear genome includes protein-coding genes and non-coding g ...

. It was found that whilst other West and Central African ''Coffea'' species contained 4.5-5.1% of SIRE lineage, the ''C.charrieriana'' contained 3.2%. In addition, the ''C.charrieriana'' also had the lowest percentage of Del fraction, at 13.1% compared to 14–16.2% found in other West and Central African species. This suggests that with the observations of SIRE and Del, the ''C.charrieriana'' is genetically distinct to its

geographical Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and ...

counterpart species.Guyot, Romain, Thibaud Darré, Mathilde Dupeyron, Alexandre de Kochko, Serge Hamon, Emmanuel Couturon, and Dominique Crouzillat et al. 2016. "Partial Sequencing Reveals The Transposable Element Composition Of Coffea Genomes And Provides Evidence For Distinct Evolutionary Stories". Molecular Genetics And Genomics 291 (5): 1979-1990. doi:10.1007/s00438-016-1235-7. ''Coffea charrieriana'' also has the largest chloroplast

within the ''Coffea'' genus. When clustering the 52

from ''Coffea'' and ''Psilanthus'', the ''C.charrieriana'', along with another species, the ''P.travancorensis'', were excluded from the clusters due to poor analysis results. Though the ''C.charrieriana'' originates from

, genetic results suggest a placement of the ''C.charrieriana'' between the two

of ''Psilanthus'' and ''Coffea''. It is

genetically Genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.Hartl D, Jones E (2005) It is an important branch in biology because heredity is vital to organisms' evolution. Gregor Mendel, a Moravian Augustinian friar working i ...

similar to West and Central African ''Coffea'' species but shares morphological similarities with ''Psilanthus'', such as its

vegetation Vegetation is an assemblage of plant species and the ground cover they provide. It is a general term, without specific reference to particular taxa, life forms, structure, spatial extent, or any other specific botanical or geographic characte ...

. The difficulty in grouping ''C.charrieriana'' is likely the result of

ancient Ancient history is a time period from the beginning of writing and recorded human history to as far as late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the Sumerian cuneiform script. Ancient history cov ...

hybridisation between the ''C.charrieriana'' and a ''Psilanthus chloroplast'', leading to a mixed genome.Charr, J., Garavito, A., Guyeux, C., Crouzillat, D., Descombes, P., Fournier, C., Ly, S., Raharimalala, E., Rakotomalala, J., Stoffelen, P., Janssens, S., Hamon, P. and Guyot, R., 2020. Complex evolutionary history of coffees revealed by full plastid genomes and 28,800 nuclear SNP analyses, with particular emphasis on Coffea canephora (Robusta coffee). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 151, p.106906.

Alkaloid Alkaloids are a class of basic, naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. This group also includes some related compounds with neutral and even weakly acidic properties. Some synthetic compounds of similar ...

s are found in many plants including

and

tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of ''Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of southwestern China and north ...

but only very little amounts were present in the ''C.charrieriana.'' Preedy, VR (ed.) 2014, Coffee in Health and Disease Prevention, Elsevier Science & Technology, San Diego. Available from: ProQuest Ebook Central. 9 November 2020

Cultivation and use

''Coffea charrieriana'' grows in wet places with plenty of sunshine. During dry periods, the species undergoes floral bud

morphogenesis Morphogenesis (from the Greek ''morphê'' shape and ''genesis'' creation, literally "the generation of form") is the biological process that causes a cell, tissue or organism to develop its shape. It is one of three fundamental aspects of deve ...

but the flowering buds do not emerge until the next

rainfall Rain is water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides water f ...

event. After rain, a

flowering A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism ...

event was seen in 7 days. The time it takes for

of all ''Coffea'' species ranges from 5–13 days, making correct timing of hybridization difficult.Noirot, M., Charrier, A., Stoffelen, P. et al. 2016. Reproductive isolation, gene flow and speciation in the former ''Coffea'' subgenus: a review. Trees 30, 597–608. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-015-1335-8 Similar to other ''Coffea''

, the fleshy

of the ''C. charrieriana'' contains edible beans. These can be prepared by drying, roasting or grinding, generally to make

. As a naturally occurring caffeine-free coffee, it provides an alternative over artificially decaffeinated coffee.Rafferty, John P. 2012. "Charrier Coffee , Plant". Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/plant/Charrier-coffee. With increasing demand for decaffeinated coffee, methods such as plant hybridization between coffee-free species,

biotechnology Biotechnology is the integration of natural sciences and engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms, cells, parts thereof and molecular analogues for products and services. The term ''biotechnology'' was first used ...

interference of

genetics Genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.Hartl D, Jones E (2005) It is an important branch in biology because heredity is vital to organisms' evolution. Gregor Mendel, a Moravian Augustinian friar wor ...

and

chemical A chemical substance is a form of matter having constant chemical composition and characteristic properties. Some references add that chemical substance cannot be separated into its constituent elements by physical separation methods, i.e., w ...

extraction have been used to artificially decrease

content.Silvarolla, M., Mazzafera, P. & Fazuoli, L. 2004. 'A naturally decaffeinated arabica coffee'. Nature 429, 826 https://doi.org/10.1038/429826a Generally, the presence of caffeine acts on the tastebuds, giving caffeinated products a distinct flavour,Poole RL, Tordoff MG. The Taste of Caffeine. J Caffeine Res. 2017;7(2):39-52. doi:10.1089/jcr.2016.0030 so as a caffeine-free species, ''C.charrieriana'' may not be preferable to coffee drinkers who prefer the

taste The gustatory system or sense of taste is the sensory system that is partially responsible for the perception of taste (flavor). Taste is the perception produced or stimulated when a substance in the mouth reacts chemically with taste receptor ...

provided by caffeine. The ''C.charrieriana'' can be used in plant hybridization as the theobromine can be transferable between

breeds A breed is a specific group of domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist several slight ...

, allowing caffeine concentration to be altered when crossed with a species containing caffeine. Seeds from the ''C.charrieriana'' are currently being developed to become the first naturally caffeine-free coffee available on the market, this bean being coined the name ''Decaffito'' by Brazilian developers. Another possible use of ''C.charrieriana'' is extracting 5-caffeoylquinic acids (CQA) from the coffee leaves as for most ''Coffea'' species, including the ''C. charrieriana'', there contains natural antioxidant

compound Compound may refer to: Architecture and built environments * Compound (enclosure), a cluster of buildings having a shared purpose, usually inside a fence or wall ** Compound (fortification), a version of the above fortified with defensive struc ...

s. This natural antioxidant can be used in food and

nutraceuticals A nutraceutical or bioceutical is a pharmaceutical alternative which claims physiological benefits. In the US, "nutraceuticals" are largely unregulated, as they exist in the same category as dietary supplements and food additives by the FDA, und ...

.Loizzo, Monica Rosa, and Rosa Tundis. 2019. "Plant Antioxidant For Application In Food And Nutraceutical Industries". Antioxidants 8 (10): 453. doi:10.3390/antiox8100453. Coffea Diversa Farm in Costa Rica is currently

cultivating Tillage is the agricultural preparation of soil by mechanical agitation of various types, such as digging, stirring, and overturning. Examples of human-powered tilling methods using hand tools include shoveling, picking, mattock work, hoeing, ...

''C. charrieriana.'' Wallengren, Maja. "Costa Rica takes coffee sustainability to a higher level." Tea & Coffee Trade Journal, March 2015, 24+. Gale General OneFile (accessed October 10, 2020). https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A421625205/ITOF?u=usyd&sid=ITOF&xid=70552e99

References

The plant was growing in black slavery houses (14 february 1469) Www.coffe.plant.com During the second sudanese civil war, the charrieriana plant had a great impact on the slave trade market. This was due to the amount of black abolitionists (18th April 1984). www.maduras/a/2-km/.telecom

External links

{{coffee, nocat=1 charreriana Flora of Cameroon Plants described in 2008