Morphological characteristics of Temanggung’s robusta coffee (Coffea canephora Pierre ex A. Froehner) at different altitudes

Abstract

Temanggung is the center of a coffee plantation in Central Java Province Indonesia since its altitude and cold climate are suitable for the growth and development of the plant. However, due to the climate changes in recent years, the air temperature at a specific altitude is not as cold as before. Vegetation responds to climate change by changing its phenological pattern, i.e., changing morphology. This study aimed to analyze the morphological characters of Temanggung robusta coffee at different altitudes by current climates condition. An exploratory study was conducted on two clusters of altitudes; there are 600 and 900 m asl approximately. Each group repeated in three locations, with each consisting of 5 trees. Fifteen quantitative morphological characters were evaluated using analysis of variance and further test performed using a 5%-LSD-test. Among those, the canopy diameter, plant height, leaf width, fruit length, fruit thickness, bean length, and bean thickness exhibited significant differences. Ten qualitative morphological characters were also evaluated. The characters varied between altitudes, i.e. leaf shape, young leaf color, fruit shape, and ripe fruit color. Meanwhile, there are no significant differences in leaf length and leaf petiole length characters.