Coffee News Daily, Florida-Grown Coffee Gets Its First Serious Field Test
The study, titled “First assessment of agronomical performance of Coffea arabica in the southern US conditions” and published in Crop Science, evaluated the performance of four arabica cultivars grown in small test plots.
According to the research team, the four arabica cultivars produced promising early yields and some favorable physical and chemical traits, while also revealing the climate, soil, labor and management hurdles facing any future Florida coffee industry. “Our fundamental hypothesis is that coffee can be successfully cultivated under subtropical conditions of South Florida, provided that the appropriate management practices are implemented,” the authors wrote.
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The study shows results that were encouraging but uneven. Average fresh cherry yield exceeded 3 kilograms per plant across all four arabica cultivars. Several Fronton plants produced about 5 kilograms of fresh cherries, while one Obatã plant exceeded 6 kilograms. Yet yield variation was high, pointing to the need for better management and more years of growth and data.
The researchers also measured green coffee and quality-related traits, with mixed results. The Florida-grown coffees produced green coffee with bean sizes and acidity levels generally in line with arabica grown elsewhere.
The weaker point was sugar development in the fruit. The coffee cherries averaged about 10 Brix, a measure of soluble sugars, compared with the 16 to 20 Brix often reported. The authors suggested several possible reasons, including South Florida’s warm nights, rocky alkaline soils, uneven rainfall, nutrient challenges and the young age of the plants.
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