DOI: 10.36347/sajb.2014.v02i02.017

Pages: 168-171

A new inter-specific natural hybrid was spotted in a private coffee plantation in Coorg District of Karnataka during the year 1998. The hybrid was observed to be a natural hybrid of a diploid tree coffee (Coffea excelsa) and tetraploid arabica variety S.795 (C. arabica) possessing resistance to coffee leaf rust disease and white stem borer with FAQ cup quality. This material is expected to be the strong genetic base for introgression of resistant genes in arabica improvement through conventional hybridization or molecular breeding.