S.274 (Robusta)
The premium Robusta selection behind the Coffee Board's "India Kaapi Royale" grade — vigorous, high-yielding, hardy. Not yet individually researched for a detail page.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Coffee
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- All seasons
- Maturity period
- Bears for decades
- Expected yield
- Very high
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Release
- Released by CCRI in the late 1940s as Sln.1R — the first Robusta selection released by CCRI
About this variety
S.274 (formally released as Sln.1R) was the first Robusta selection released by India's Central Coffee Research Institute (CCRI), in the late 1940s. A directly-fetched World Coffee Research variety page describes its parentage as a Coffea congensis x Coffea canephora cross followed by repeated backcrossing to Robusta, with the final selection from the second backcross generation. Corroborated secondary sources instead describe S.270 and S.274 as two individual high-yielding, bold-bean plants identified from evaluating 12 mother plants collected from private estates — a different framing of its origin that wasn't reconciled with the World Coffee Research parentage this phase; both may describe true but different levels of its breeding history. Because Robusta is an out-crossing species, S.270 and S.274 are planted together as a polyclonal variety — separate planting significantly reduces fruit set. Yield has averaged close to 1,000 kg/ha over 35 years of rain-fed testing (World Coffee Research gives a wider potential range of 1,500-3,000 kg/ha green bean). S.274 is the primary variety behind the Coffee Board's premium "India Kaapi Royale" designation, matching this record's own note field.
Key characteristics
Yield & maturity
Maturity period
Bears for decades
Expected yield
Very high
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
Pest & disease considerations
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- The primary variety behind the Coffee Board's premium "India Kaapi Royale" designation — top-end Indian Robusta
- Broad-spectrum hardiness (rust, shot hole borer, nematode tolerance) reducing the need for frequent chemical intervention
Things to consider
- S.274 must be planted alongside S.270 for adequate fruit set, since Robusta is out-crossing — a single-clone planting of S.274 alone would underperform; this record doesn't currently mention this companion-planting requirement
- Two sources describe its breeding origin differently (a species-cross-and-backcross account vs. an individual-mother-plant-selection account) — not reconciled this phase, both presented as reported rather than one being asserted as definitively correct
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Kerala
- Karnataka
Frequently asked questions
What is the parentage of S.274 robusta coffee?
Two accounts exist: a World Coffee Research page describes a Coffea congensis x Coffea canephora cross backcrossed to Robusta, while other sources describe S.270 and S.274 as two individual plants selected from private-estate mother plants. Both may be true at different levels of its history — not fully reconciled.
Why must S.274 be planted with S.270?
Robusta is an out-crossing species, so S.270 and S.274 were released together as a polyclonal variety — planting S.274 alone significantly reduces fruit set.
What yield does S.274 give?
Close to 1,000 kg/ha average over 35 years of rain-fed testing; World Coffee Research separately gives a wider potential range of 1,500-3,000 kg/ha green bean.
What is S.274 known for in the Indian coffee market?
It is the primary variety behind the Coffee Board's premium "India Kaapi Royale" designation, matching this record's own note field.
When was S.274 released?
In the late 1940s, as Sln.1R — the first Robusta selection released by CCRI.
Sourced from: SLN 1R — World Coffee Research Varieties Catalog. editorial policy.