Alcides Carvalho and the selection of Catuaí cultivar: interpreting the past and drawing lessons for the future

Abstract The coffee cultivar Catuaí is among the most successful cultivars in Brazilian agriculture; it has been on the market for more than 40 years. It was obtained by Dr. Alcides Carvalho, a researcher of the Instituto Agronômico de Campinas (IAC), from the cross between ‘Caturra’ and ‘Mundo Novo’ carried out in 1949 for the purpose of joining plant vigor with small plant size. Our aim was to report the activities that culminated in the recommendation of 16 lines of ‘Catuaí’, consisting of eight lines with red fruit and eight with yellow fruit, analyzing the data of several experiments. The decision regarding what to recommend was made in the F1:2 generation, based on two harvests. It became clear that Dr. Alcides should be taken as an example by all breeders, above all in his persistence, scientific rigor, and belief that farmers can be an important ally of breeders.

摘要 卡杜艾（Catuaí）咖啡品种是巴西农业领域最具影响力的栽培品种之一，已商业化推广超过40年。该品种由巴西坎皮纳斯农业研究所（Instituto Agronômico de Campinas，IAC）研究员阿尔西德斯·卡瓦略（Dr. Alcides Carvalho）于1949年通过杂交选育获得，亲本为‘卡杜拉（Caturra）’与‘新世界（Mundo Novo）’，旨在整合植株旺盛长势与矮化株型的优良性状。本研究旨在报道促成16份‘卡杜艾’品系获批推广的完整工作脉络，该套品系包含8个红果品系与8个黄果品系，研究通过整合多组试验数据完成分析。品系的推广决策基于两次收获的表型数据，在F1:2世代作出。研究最后强调，所有育种工作者均应以阿尔西德斯博士为楷模，尤其要学习其持之以恒的科研态度、严谨求实的科学精神，以及坚信农户可成为育种者重要合作伙伴的理念。