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Chandragiri Arabica (CCRI Catimor selection) Photo: placeholder pending image-fill pass

Chandragiri Arabica (CCRI Catimor selection)

Chandragiri is a leaf-rust-resistant arabica coffee variety released by the Central Coffee Research Institute (CCRI), Balehonnur in 2007. The variety was developed from a Catimor pedigree — Caturra × Hibrido de Timor — and named after the Chandragiri peak in the Western Ghats. It was bred to combine the dwarf compact habit and rust resistance of the earlier Cauvery release (Coffee Arabica Cauvery Catimor) with improved cup quality, addressing the principal complaint against Catimor-group arabicas in the specialty market.

Key characteristics

  • Pedigree: Catimor-derived (Caturra × Hibrido de Timor); selected within Indian Catimor population
  • Released: 2007 by CCRI, Balehonnur
  • Plant: semi-dwarf, vigorous, with bronze-tipped young leaves
  • Yield: 1,400-1,800 kg clean coffee/ha under intensive management — among the highest for Indian arabica
  • Leaf rust: high resistance retained from HdT background
  • Bean: bold, uniform A-grade; better cup quality than parent Cauvery

Cultivation

Chandragiri is planted at 2 m × 2 m or 1.8 m × 1.8 m, similar to Cauvery, giving 2,500-3,000 plants/ha. The semi-dwarf habit and vigorous side branching produce a heavy bearing frame from the third year, with full production from year 5. Standard agronomy mirrors that of S.795 (Coffee Arabica S 795 Selection): two-tier shade (Coffee Shade Cultivation Silver Oak) of silver oak and dadap; balanced N-P-K splits aligned to flowering, fruit-set and post-harvest recovery; pre-monsoon irrigation when blossom showers fail. The variety responds well to high inputs.

Pests and diseases

Chandragiri retains the strong leaf rust (Coffee Leaf Rust Hemileia Vastatrix) resistance of the Catimor pedigree and shows good field tolerance to brown eye spot and black rot under well-pruned shade. As with all C. arabica, it remains fully susceptible to white stem borer (Coffee White Stem Borer Xylotrechus) and coffee berry borer (Coffee Berry Borer Hypothenemus); WSB management is therefore the primary constraint on the variety's longevity in any block.

Processing and adoption

Chandragiri's bold bean and improved cup profile compared with Cauvery make it well-suited to washed (Indian Plantation A) processing for the European specialty market. The variety has been adopted in new arabica replantings in Chikmagalur, Coorg, Sakleshpur and parts of the Wayanad-Nilgiri belt. Coffee Board replanting subsidies (Coffee Board Subsidy Replanting) often recommend Chandragiri for zones with high leaf rust pressure where growers also want a cup quality acceptable for specialty buyers.

See also: Coffee Arabica S 795 Selection, Coffee Arabica Cauvery Catimor, Coffee Arabica Sln 9 Saln 12, Coffee Leaf Rust Hemileia Vastatrix, Coffee Shade Cultivation Silver Oak.

Sources

  1. Chandragiri Variety Bulletin - CCRI Balehonnur. Central Coffee Research Institute.
  2. Coffee Board CCRI Variety Releases. Coffee Board of India.