Arabica coffee is the most famous drink in the world. Researchers in Italy put together the most complete genetic map of this drink yet.

We now know more about the plant’s genetic make-up, which will help us breed new coffee crops.

It could also make coffee plants that do better in a warmer world.

“We have made a new sequence map of Arabica coffee,” Dr. Michele Morgante of Italy’s University of Udine told BBC News.

“This tool may give us ways to provide coffee growers with better plants that appeal more to the consumers, and cope better with changing climatic conditions.”

Making coffee ready for a warmer world
They say the world’s coffee is in danger.
Arabica comes from the mountains of Ethiopia.Image source: Getty Images
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Arabica coffee comes from the mountains of Ethiopia. Its species name is Coffea arabica.
The study used the newest DNA sequencing technology to look at the Arabica coffee plant’s genes in a way that has never been done before.

Scientists can now focus on the genes that are important for making coffee, like the ones that give it its unique sweet and soft flavor.

It might also help coffee farmers create new types of coffee with unique tastes and smells, as well as ones that can grow in tougher circumstances.

The conditions in which coffee plants are grown are changing because of rising temperatures and unpredictable rain. This is causing crops to drop and pests and diseases to attack more.

Nature Communications, a scientific journal, has written about the work.

“This is a big step forward in our understanding of the genetic diversity of coffee,” said Dr. Aaron Davis of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. “It may help to guide the future development of this economically important and much-loved crop species.”