Influence of Farm Altitude and Variety on Quality of Arabica Coffee Cherry and Bean Grown in Gayo Highland, Indonesia

There is a tendency for an increase in the number of damaged beans in certain areas producing Arabica coffee, which is thought to be related to the coffee farm elevation.The aim of this research is to examine the interactive effect between farm altitude and variety on coffee yield and quality.Factors investigated were farm altitude which consisted of 3 categories, namely low (>1,000-1,200 m asl), medium (>1,200-1400 m asl), high (>1,400-1600 m asl), and coffee varieties namely Timtim, Borbor and Ateng Super.The results show that the highest coffee bean yield is obtained from medium farm altitudes (>1200-1400 m asl), while the lowest yield is obtained from low farm altitudes (>1000-1200 m asl).Interaction between the two factors reveals that all three varities perform very well in medium altitude farm, while in low altitude, the Borbor shows a better adaptation and is more resistant to CBB attacks.In high altitude area, the Ateng Super adapts better to a lower environmental temperature.The percentage of defective beans decreases with an increase in farm elevation.The lowest average defective bean (8.3%) was found in high altitude, while the highest average defective bean (14.3%) was found in low farm altitude.