Conservation And Use Of The Wild Populations Of Coffea Arabica In The Montane Rainforests Of Ethiopia

Coffea arabica, one of the economically most important crops worldwide, occurs naturally in the undergrowth of montane rainforests of Ethiopia. The study provides the first detailed ecophysiological investigations of wild coffee populations. It demonstrates the inter- and intra-regional variability in phenotypic and hydrological characteristics of wild coffee. The results reveal very different strategies of wild coffee seedlings for coping with drought stress. The ecophysiological diversity shows the importance of Ethiopian wild coffee populations as gene pools for future breeding programs, and underlines the need for an in-situ conservation strategy. The study includes recommendations for coffee forest management and the use of wild arabica coffee in Ethiopia.

This book presents advanced knowledge on the relationships between climate change and agriculture, and various adaptation techniques such as low tillage, salt-adapted beneficial microbes and closed systems. Climate change is unavoidable but adaptation is possible. Climate change and agriculture are interrelated processes, both of which take place on a global scale. Climate change affects agriculture through changes in average temperatures, rainfall and climate extremes; changes in pests and diseases; changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide; changes in the nutritional quality of some foods; and changes in sea level.