Reaction of Coffee Hybrids for major Coffee diseases in south western Ethiopia.

Abstract

In Ethiopia, pure-line selection and intra-specific hybridization are commonly used of coffee breeding principles. Since the start  of hybridization program  several sets of hybridization experiments to study combining ability and inheritance of characters and develop improved hybrid varieties were conducted. Based on the on-station and verification evaluation data; three hybrids; namely, Aba-buna Melko CH2 and Gawe were released in 1998 and in 2002. Mean yield of the hybrids ranged from 24-26 q/ha on research station and about 13-20 q/ha in farmers field. To exploit the yield advantage of coffee hybrids a total of 15 hybrid coffees and two standard checks (Ababuna and Dessu at Melko and Ababuna and Geisha at Tepi) were planted at Jimma and Tepi in 2008 in RCB designs using three replications. Major coffee disease data were collected for three years for Coffee berry disease (CBD )and two years for coffee leaf rust (CLR). There was significant difference   among hybrid coffee varieties in CBD at Melko  CLR infection at Melko and Tepi. Released coffee varieties used for  the crosses were  found susceptible to the most economically important disease known as coffee wilt disease under laboratory condition. Based on overall assessment Coffee hybrids H5 (TepiHC5) , H7 (Melko-Ibsitu)  and H8 (EIAR 50/CH) with CBD severity value which ranges 1.3-7 and CLR severity value of  1.1-8.4  % was approved to be used by the user for low and mid altitude coffee growing of areas of south west Ethiopia..

Keywords: Southwest Ethiopia coffee hybrid, Coffee berry disease,Coffee leaf rust, Coffee wilt disease.

DOI: 10.7176/JBAH/16-2-02

Publication date: July 31^st 2026