PERSPECTIVES ON THE POTENTIAL IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGES ON COFFEE PLANT AND BEAN QUALITY

Abstract

The atmosphere CO2 concentration increased from ca. 280, prior to the Industrial Revolution up to ca. 400 μL CO2 L-1 in our days, rising nearly 2 ppm per year actually. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Changes (IPCC) estimates at the end of 21st century the [CO2] could reach values between 445 and 1130 μL CO2 L-1, with a potential impact on global temperature and changes in water availability: These changes will have major agricultural and ecological implications. Here are presented some perspectives concerning the potential impacts of these environmental changes on the physiology and, consequently, on the production of Coffea arabica and C. canephora species, which together account for about 99% of the worldwide yielded coffee bean, considering the coffee plant’s requirements mostly focused in temperature.