rationally and may depend upon long instituted practices and traditions. Countries
of Arabica naturals use strip harvesting, whereas countries of washed coffee used
selective hand picking. During last three decades, large wheel- or tractor-driven
harvesters have been used for strip harvesting with a potential damage to plant. The
self-propelled harvesters also have inbuilt winnowing system to simultaneously
pick the cherries from ground and removing the dust, dirt, leave, sticks, sand, and
other foreign material. However, growers must be vigilant to cope with drawbacks
of mechanical and strip harvesting, e.g., capability of separation of immature or
damaged cherries from fresh, mature, and fully ripen cherries.
3
Future Prospective
Coffee quality is a multidimensional and complex trait and, collectively, all agriculture factors significantly influence in shaping both the physical and final cup quality
attributes of coffee. However, despite intensive research during past decades in this
vast area, there are still some gaps or bottlenecks that need to be fill or address.
Substantial research work still needs to be carried out in establishment of detailed
relationship of altitude, latitude, and steepness of slope not only with all final good
cup quality attributes and volatile and nonvolatile biochemical components of coffee
but also with other agriculture factors which are allegedly being dictated by these
geographical topographies. Metabolite profiling or fingerprinting of coffee varieties
with respect to varying geographical topographies would be highly appreciable in
selecting the right kind of variety for specific regions. Diversifying the limited
genetic pool of coffee Arabica will also help to develop the coffee varieties with
desirable organoleptic traits. Climate change is major threat to specifically existing
coffee Arabica cultivars. Any transgenic coffee program to make coffee Arabica
cope with climate changes without compromising the physical and cup quality
attributes could be an initiative. However, any such coffee gene transgenic technology should be devoid of antibiotic marker genes. Elucidation of metabolic pathways
of both key volatile and nonvolatile coffee components in relation with altitude,
latitude, and coffee fruit maturation stages can also be future research topic. However, this perspective research should also focus on identifying the role of enzymes
and genes in different maturation stages and geographical localities. Moreover, the
great deal of “omics study” approach is inevitable in concluding (i) the storage
studies of coffee seeds under various storage strategies, (ii) getting insight into
symbiotic relationship of coffee plant with VAMF, and (iii) coffee fruit development
and berry maturation investigation under various environmental factors (e.g., under
or high fertilization, mulching, integrated fertilization system, drought or raining or
irrigation, sun and agro-ecosystems, frost, IPDs). A mathematical model study
program also needs to statistically measure and unlock the relation of sun and
shade ecosystems with physical and biochemical attributes of coffee. The short
time ecological controls of coffee IPDs can be replaced by research and development
of multiple ecological control mechanisms, developing new best practices, new best
shade systems, bio-pesticides, cheap biological control methods, etc.
690
A. Hameed et al.
of Arabica naturals use strip harvesting, whereas countries of washed coffee used
selective hand picking. During last three decades, large wheel- or tractor-driven
harvesters have been used for strip harvesting with a potential damage to plant. The
self-propelled harvesters also have inbuilt winnowing system to simultaneously
pick the cherries from ground and removing the dust, dirt, leave, sticks, sand, and
other foreign material. However, growers must be vigilant to cope with drawbacks
of mechanical and strip harvesting, e.g., capability of separation of immature or
damaged cherries from fresh, mature, and fully ripen cherries.
3
Future Prospective
Coffee quality is a multidimensional and complex trait and, collectively, all agriculture factors significantly influence in shaping both the physical and final cup quality
attributes of coffee. However, despite intensive research during past decades in this
vast area, there are still some gaps or bottlenecks that need to be fill or address.
Substantial research work still needs to be carried out in establishment of detailed
relationship of altitude, latitude, and steepness of slope not only with all final good
cup quality attributes and volatile and nonvolatile biochemical components of coffee
but also with other agriculture factors which are allegedly being dictated by these
geographical topographies. Metabolite profiling or fingerprinting of coffee varieties
with respect to varying geographical topographies would be highly appreciable in
selecting the right kind of variety for specific regions. Diversifying the limited
genetic pool of coffee Arabica will also help to develop the coffee varieties with
desirable organoleptic traits. Climate change is major threat to specifically existing
coffee Arabica cultivars. Any transgenic coffee program to make coffee Arabica
cope with climate changes without compromising the physical and cup quality
attributes could be an initiative. However, any such coffee gene transgenic technology should be devoid of antibiotic marker genes. Elucidation of metabolic pathways
of both key volatile and nonvolatile coffee components in relation with altitude,
latitude, and coffee fruit maturation stages can also be future research topic. However, this perspective research should also focus on identifying the role of enzymes
and genes in different maturation stages and geographical localities. Moreover, the
great deal of “omics study” approach is inevitable in concluding (i) the storage
studies of coffee seeds under various storage strategies, (ii) getting insight into
symbiotic relationship of coffee plant with VAMF, and (iii) coffee fruit development
and berry maturation investigation under various environmental factors (e.g., under
or high fertilization, mulching, integrated fertilization system, drought or raining or
irrigation, sun and agro-ecosystems, frost, IPDs). A mathematical model study
program also needs to statistically measure and unlock the relation of sun and
shade ecosystems with physical and biochemical attributes of coffee. The short
time ecological controls of coffee IPDs can be replaced by research and development
of multiple ecological control mechanisms, developing new best practices, new best
shade systems, bio-pesticides, cheap biological control methods, etc.
690
A. Hameed et al.