SL34 1

SL34

Excep­tion­al cup qual­i­ty but high­ly sus­cep­ti­ble to cof­fee berry dis­ease. Found most­ly in Kenya.

Stature
Tall
Leaf tip color
Dark Bronze
Bean Size
Large
Yield Potential
High
Low
Very High
Quality potential at high altitude
Exceptional
Very Low
Exceptional
Optimal Altitude
Medium, High
5°N to 5°S: >1200m
5–15°N and 5–15°S: >900m
>15°N and >15°S: >700m
Coffee leaf rust
Susceptible
Susceptible
Resistant
Nematode
Susceptible
Susceptible
Resistant
Coffee Berry Disease
Susceptible
Susceptible
Resistant

Agronomics

Year of first production
Year 3
Nutrition requirement
Medium
Ripening of fruit
Unknown
Cherry to green bean outturn
High
Planting density
1000-2000 plants/ha (using single-stem pruning)
Additional agronomic information
SL34 is adapted to high altitude areas with good rainfall. It is characterized by dark bronze shoot tipped plants with a few green-tipped strains. The laterals have semi-erect habit which tend to droop on older primary branches.

Background

Genetic Description
Bourbon-Typica group (Typica related)
Lineage
Typica-like genetic background.
Breeder
Scott Agricultural Laboratories
History
SL34 was originally selected in Kenya the late 1930s at the Scott Agricultural Laboratories (for more on Scott Labs, see SL28). Individual tree selections made at the Scott Laboratories in Kenya during the 1935-1939 period were prefixed “SL.” SL34 was selected from a single tree on the Loresho Estate in Kabete, Kenya since research at the Scott Laboratories was often conducted in cooperation with local, private estate owners. The tree was labeled “French Mission.”French missionaries known as Spiritans established a mission in 1893 at Bura (Taita Hills, Kenya), in which Bourbon coffee seeds originating from La Réunion island were planted. The seedlings from Bura were brought to another French Mission in Saint Austin (near Nairobi) in 1899, and from there seeds were distributed to settlers willing to grow coffee. This is the origin of so-called French Mission coffee.Because of the historical movement of coffee seeds directly from La Réunion via the French missionaries, French Mission is widely understood to be another name for Bourbon. However, recent genetic tests have indicated that SL34 is related to the Typica genetic group. It is possible that the original story about SL34 being selected from a French Mission population could be incorrect.

Additional Images

Explore

Related Varieties

Ojas 2

Caripe

Criollo Cogollo Verde

Very good cup quality with large beans. An important regional variety in Monagas state in northeastern Venezuela.

Harrar Rwanda 1

Harar Rwanda

Harar or Harraghe

High yielding with very good cup quality potential, but susceptible to the major diseases and prone to die back. This is the Harar variety sometimes found in Rwanda (no longer recommended by Rwandan coffee authorities because of its short productive life).

Maragogipe 1

Maragogipe

Good to very good cup quality in Central America, but highly susceptible to rust. Very low yielding, large leaves and large internodes.

World Coffee Research

World Coffee Research is a 501 (c)(5) non-profit, collaborative research and development program of the global coffee industry to grow, protect, and enhance supplies of quality coffee while improving the livelihoods of the families who produce it.

Are you a coffee farmer?

We've created a printable version of our coffee variety catalog specifically for farmers. Available in English and Spanish.