The study demonstrates that, when large numbers of varieties of coffee are preserved at the same time, cryopreservation can be competitive with traditional field preservation of coffee varieties.
Coffee cannot be conserved as seeds through drying and storing, and as a result is generally conserved by growing it in the open, which creates numerous risks, including from pests and diseases.
December 2011: Noting the importance of genetic diversity of coffee to provide resistance to pests and diseases, as well as the challenges of conserving coffee seeds, Bioversity International is experimenting with options for conserving genetic resources at temperatures of -196 degrees celsius with liquid nitrogen. The cryopreservation study was performed at the Centro Agronomico Tropical de Investigacion y Ensenanza (CATIE), in Bolivia, one of the world’s largest field collections of coffee.
Coffee cannot be conserved as seeds through drying and storing, and as a result is generally conserved by growing it in the open, which creates numerous risks. In the study, 63 coffee varieties were compared, with the results showing that cryopreservation is not more cost-effective than field collection for such a small selection of varieties. However, with a collection of 2000 varieties, costs of preservation would be less through cryopreservation. In addition, cryopreservation requires much less space than traditional field collection. The study calls for a continued consideration of cryopreservation options.
Bioversity International is a member of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). [Publication: Impact Assessment Brief Number 6: Is cryopreservation a viable method for long-term conservation of coffee biodiversity?]