Desiccation and storage studies on three cultivars of Arabica coffee

Freshly harvested mature seeds of three cultivars of Arabica coffee (Coffea arabica var. Jamaica, cv. catimor 7963 and cv. blue mountain 1) were used to examine the effect of temperature (10-35°C) on germination, the desiccation tolerance of seeds following rapid dehydration and the effects of storage temperature (4, 10 and 15°C) on germination. Seeds attained a higher germination at 20, 25 and 30°C (P < 0.05) than at other temperatures. Seeds of blue mountain 1 are the most tolerant to desiccation, with seeds of Jamaica being superior to those of catimor 7963. A high seed water content (about 0.1026 g H₂O g^-1 DW) combined with a storage temperature of 15°C was found to be the most suitable set of conditions for the conservation of Arabica coffee seeds.