Mibirizi 1

Mibirizi

Excep­tion­al cup qual­i­ty and drought tol­er­ant, but high­ly sus­cep­ti­ble to major dis­eases. Impor­tant vari­ety for small­hold­er cof­fee grow­ers in Rwan­da and Burundi.

Stature
Tall
Leaf tip color
Green or Bronze
Bean Size
Large
Yield Potential
Good
Low
Very High
Quality potential at high altitude
Exceptional
Very Low
Exceptional
Optimal Altitude
High
Coffee leaf rust
Susceptible
Susceptible
Resistant
Nematode
Unknown
Susceptible
Resistant
Coffee Berry Disease
Susceptible
Susceptible
Resistant

Agronomics

Year of first production
Year 3
Nutrition requirement
Low
Ripening of fruit
Unknown
Cherry to green bean outturn
Average
Planting density
1000-2000 plants/ha (using single-stem pruning)
Additional agronomic information
Drought tolerant and resilient (e.g., can cope with low management and adverse environmental conditions).

Background

Genetic Description
Bourbon-Typica group (Typica related)
Lineage
Likely Typica-like genetic background.
Breeder
None
History
Likely the oldest variety in Rwanda and still an important variety for smallholder coffee growers in Rwanda and Burundi.The origin of Mibirizi is poorly documented. According to the Belgian coffee historian Edmund Leplae, it was introduced from Guatemala by the German administration in Rwanda in the 1910s. It was called “Guatemala” and would most likely have Typica lineage, because Guatemala was planted 100% in Typica at that time. Guatemala was distributed by the German colonial administration to Rwandan Catholic missions in the 1920s, including Mibirizi in western Rwanda. This population in Mibirizi was well maintained and was the source for the introduction of Mibirizi seeds to the germplasm collection at Mulungu in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is very likely that Mibirizi plants were then mixed with French Mission plants (which belong to the Bourbon lineage; see SL34 for more) introduced from Kenya. Some breeding was initiated in the Mibirizi population and several lines were compared at the Rubona Coffee Research Station (near Huye, Rwanda) during the 1950s. However, it is not clear if any specific Mibirizi lines were released for farmers, or if the Mibirizi growing today originated from pre-existing Mibirizi plantations. Recent genetic tests have confirmed that Mibirizi is related to the Typica genetic group.

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