Variety
Icatu
A Brazilian variety with Robusta in its family, bred for resistance to leaf rust and big harvests.
- Species
- Coffea arabica (with Robusta genes)
- Lineage
- Robusta × Bourbon, backcrossed to Mundo Novo (IAC, Brazil)
- Stature
- Tall
- Yield
- High
- Best altitude
- Above 800 m
- Leaf rust
- Resistant
- Quality
- Good
Where it grows
- Minas Gerais, Brazil
- São Paulo, Brazil
About
Icatu was bred at the Instituto Agronômico de Campinas (IAC) in São Paulo. Breeders doubled the chromosomes of a Robusta so it could cross with Bourbon, then crossed the offspring back to Mundo Novo over many generations to bring back Arabica's cup.
It comes in red and yellow forms and is grown mainly in Minas Gerais and São Paulo, where it has done well in Brazil's Cup of Excellence.