An international multilocation trial reveals genotype-by-environment interactions in Arabica coffee across climate gradients
Abstract
Climate change makes the future of Arabica coffee ( Coffea arabica L.) uncertain, a crop supporting Coffee is produced on approximately 12.5 million farms worldwide, predominantly family-run smallholdings. Identifying varieties that combine high productivity with disease resistance across diverse environments is critical for climate adaptation, yet global empirical evidence remains limited. We leveraged a dataset from an international multi-environment trial evaluating 32 varieties for yield and coffee leaf rust severity across a total of 30 sites in 17 countries. Genotype-by-environment interactions were analyzed using factor analytic mixed-effects models, and latent environmental factors were linked to climatic gradients through partial least squares regression. Yield stability was associated with thermal gradients, distinguishing varietal adaptation between cooler environments with high diurnal temperature variation and warmer, thermally stable conditions. In contrast, rust severity and its interactions were associated with joint gradients of temperature, precipitation, humidity, and thermal variability. Among the evaluated genotypes, the F1 hybrids H1 Centroamericano and EC16, followed by the introgressed line Parainema, showed the strongest combined performance for yield and rust resistance, although with distinct climatic preferences and trade-offs in yield stability. Overall, introgressed varieties consistently outperformed pure Arabica varieties, which exhibited lower yields and greater rust susceptibility. These findings provide a robust empirical basis for climate-informed variety deployment and breeding strategies in Arabica coffee.
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BibTeX
@article{gautron2026international,
title = {{An international multilocation trial reveals genotype-by-environment interactions in Arabica coffee across climate gradients}},
author = {Romain Gautron and Jorge C. Berny Mier y Teran and Luis Fernando Delgado Muñoz and Santos Barrera Lemus and Eric Rahn and Fabio A. Castro Llanos and Christian Bunn and Salvador A. Gezan and Solène Pruvot-Woehl and Catherine Maina and Jane Jerono Cheserek and Jonny Alonso Castillo and Rosalío López Morgado and Edgardo Alpízar and Julio Alvarado and Josué Arevalo and Brahim Banda and Dorian Baudry and Mélanie Bordeaux and Elly Castro and Jeena Devasia and Elijah K. Gichuru and James Mwita Gimase and Chemutai Job Alunga and Nathan Aliel Kachiguma and Divya Kallingapuram Das and Jean-Baptiste Kayigamba and Tobias Kretzschmar and Suresh Kumar and Simon Martin Mvuyekure and Benit Mate and Hans Alexander Méndez Mendoza and Albertino Meza and Yonis Morales and Beatriz Moreno López and Paul Mulemangabo and Never Mwatsiya and Nayani Suryprakash Rao and Miftahur Rizqi Akbar and Ariana Karina Román Ruíz and Timothy Schilling and Godfrey Sseremba and Samson Tarusenga and Piet van Asten and Ari Wibowo and Tania Humphrey},
journal = {Scientific Reports},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1038/s41598-026-73765-4},
url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-73765-4},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - An international multilocation trial reveals genotype-by-environment interactions in Arabica coffee across climate gradients
AU - Romain Gautron
AU - Jorge C. Berny Mier y Teran
AU - Luis Fernando Delgado Muñoz
AU - Santos Barrera Lemus
AU - Eric Rahn
AU - Fabio A. Castro Llanos
AU - Christian Bunn
AU - Salvador A. Gezan
AU - Solène Pruvot-Woehl
AU - Catherine Maina
AU - Jane Jerono Cheserek
AU - Jonny Alonso Castillo
AU - Rosalío López Morgado
AU - Edgardo Alpízar
AU - Julio Alvarado
AU - Josué Arevalo
AU - Brahim Banda
AU - Dorian Baudry
AU - Mélanie Bordeaux
AU - Elly Castro
AU - Jeena Devasia
AU - Elijah K. Gichuru
AU - James Mwita Gimase
AU - Chemutai Job Alunga
AU - Nathan Aliel Kachiguma
AU - Divya Kallingapuram Das
AU - Jean-Baptiste Kayigamba
AU - Tobias Kretzschmar
AU - Suresh Kumar
AU - Simon Martin Mvuyekure
AU - Benit Mate
AU - Hans Alexander Méndez Mendoza
AU - Albertino Meza
AU - Yonis Morales
AU - Beatriz Moreno López
AU - Paul Mulemangabo
AU - Never Mwatsiya
AU - Nayani Suryprakash Rao
AU - Miftahur Rizqi Akbar
AU - Ariana Karina Román Ruíz
AU - Timothy Schilling
AU - Godfrey Sseremba
AU - Samson Tarusenga
AU - Piet van Asten
AU - Ari Wibowo
AU - Tania Humphrey
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/02
JO - Scientific Reports
DO - 10.1038/s41598-026-73765-4
UR - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-73765-4
AB - Climate change makes the future of Arabica coffee ( Coffea arabica L.) uncertain, a crop supporting Coffee is produced on approximately 12.5 million farms worldwide, predominantly family-run smallholdings. Identifying varieties that combine high productivity with disease resistance across diverse environments is critical for climate adaptation, yet global empirical evidence remains limited. We leveraged a dataset from an international multi-environment trial evaluating 32 varieties for yield and coffee leaf rust severity across a total of 30 sites in 17 countries. Genotype-by-environment interactions were analyzed using factor analytic mixed-effects models, and latent environmental factors were linked to climatic gradients through partial least squares regression. Yield stability was associated with thermal gradients, distinguishing varietal adaptation between cooler environments with high diurnal temperature variation and warmer, thermally stable conditions. In contrast, rust severity and its interactions were associated with joint gradients of temperature, precipitation, humidity, and thermal variability. Among the evaluated genotypes, the F1 hybrids H1 Centroamericano and EC16, followed by the introgressed line Parainema, showed the strongest combined performance for yield and rust resistance, although with distinct climatic preferences and trade-offs in yield stability. Overall, introgressed varieties consistently outperformed pure Arabica varieties, which exhibited lower yields and greater rust susceptibility. These findings provide a robust empirical basis for climate-informed variety deployment and breeding strategies in Arabica coffee.
SN - 2045-2322
ER -