Gain from selection is an important criterion in quantifying the efficiency of breeding programs. This study quantified the selection gain estimated under experimental conditions and realized gain achieved in the field, seeking to interpret the efficiency of the Coffea canephora selection. For that purpose, we considered experiments that began in 2004 with directed hybridizations to obtain new hybrid progenies. From a breeding population composed of 288 hybrid individuals, 12 genotypes were selected in experimental conditions from 2005 to 2012, with amplitude in the estimated gains from 127.70 to−19.19%. Those genotypes were evaluated from 2012 to 2018 in clonal tests in four environments of the Western Amazon. The environment that exhibited the greatest correlation between the predicted genetic values and the realized genetic gain observed in the field was the environment of Ouro Preto do Oeste, RO (0.67), the location in which the plants were selected, followed by the environments of Alta FlorestaD´Oeste, RO (0.44), Rio Branco, AC (0.43), and Porto Velho, RO (0.37).Experimental conditions showed that the effect due to dominance deviations was approximately three times greater than the additive effect. Nine clones exhibited higher genetic gains in the experimental conditions and at field, and two clones exhibited lower estimated gains and lower field performance.The clone G17-P7 exhibited high genetic gain under experimental conditions and low field performance. The selection in experimental conditions was positively correlated with plant performance in the field (r=0.55), which allows reduction of the original breeding population to a set of more promising clones to be grown in multiple environments, optimizing time and resources.

This study evaluated consumers’ perceptions of beverages obtained from the intervarietal hybrids of Coffea canephora, Conilon and Robusta, produced in the Western Amazon, through a home-use test with 127 participants. An acceptance test and a Check-All-That-Apply procedure were applied. Two clones, BRS 2314 and BRS 2357, were studied (both in natural and fermented versions) and their roasted coffee composition was also evaluated. All beverages were described as having a mild aroma, roasted flavor, and slightly sour taste; consumers noticed both the effect of the fermentation process and genetics. Natural coffees had greater sensory acceptance than fermented ones. Natural coffees were most associated with a slightly bitter taste, and were well accepted by almost half of the participants, mainly women. Fermented coffees were both associated with fermented flavor, but also presented specific characteristics. BRS 2314F was most associated with a fruity flavor and slightly bitter taste and was well accepted by younger consumers with higher levels of education. BRS 2357F was most associated with tobacco flavor and bitter taste and was well accepted by older consumers with a lower education level and a higher coffee consumption frequency. The positive acceptance of C. canephora intervarietal hybrid beverages allowed us to confirm its material market potential.

Root-knot disease is among the main diseases affecting coffee crop. The plant selection to the development new resistant cultivars is among one the most efficient methods of control. The present work aimed to quantify the resistance responses of Coffea canephora clones to root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita in the Western Amazon. For this, 17 previously selected clones were evaluated in three experimental trials, carried out in the municipalities of Ji-Paraná and Porto Velho, Rondônia. The resistance to root-knot nematodes M. incognita were evaluated by the numbers of gall in the roots (NG) and by the reproductive factor (RF). The resistance response was also interpreted according the genetic diversity of the clones based in their morphological traits. The clones BRS3210, C12, BRS2314, BRS3137 and BRS1216 are resistant to M. incognita with RF of 0.34, 0.62, 0.79, 0.86 and 0.98, respectively. BRS3213, C125, C15, BRS2336, BRS3220 and C09 clones were classified as susceptible, with RF of 1.93, 1.95, 2.00, 2.31, 2.32 and 2.35. The BRS3193, C160 and BRS2357 clones were classified as very susceptible, with RF values of 3.03, 4.41 and 5.82, respectively. The clustering based on the genetic diversity of morphological traits indicated that genotypes more similar to the Robusta botanic variety had lower RF. The hybrid plants showed intermediate degrees of resistance indicating the segregation for the character of the M. incognita resistance. The clones BRS3210, C12, BRS2299, BRS2314, BRS3137 and BRS1216 expressed resistance responses to M. incognita with potential for growing resistant genotypes in the Western Amazon. Key words: Coffee; root-knot disease; plant breeding; Amazonian.