Exploration and morphological variation of liberoid coffee (Coffea liberica) germplasm as a basis for genetic resource conservation

Liberoid coffee (Coffea liberica), a type of coffee cultivated in certain regions in Indonesia. West Java is one of the Indonesian provinces that cultivates liberoid coffee, include Liberica and Excelsa, with limited diversity records. This study aimed to assess the current status of Liberoid coffee in West Java, Indonesia, estimate the morphological diversity, identify the best accession based on morphological traits. An exploratory method was conducted from July to November 2025 to observing Liberoid plantation in Sukabumi, Sumedang, and Kuningan, West Java. Seventy-four accessions were were analyzed using the variance for quantitative characters, correlation, Principal Component Analysis (PCA), cluster analysis, and the multitrait genotype-ideotype distance index (MGIDI). Agronomic practices in each location gave various information such as plant source, field status, and plant maintenance. The variance demonstrated a narrow variance among quantitative characters. The generative morphological traits showed significant correlations with field altitude. The PCA results show seven main components with eigenvalues greater than 1 explained a total variation of 71.216% and Biplot graph from PC1 and PC2 can distinguish across two types of liberoids in various fields. The cluster analysis also explained the distribution patterns of each accession and revealed three distinct groups. The MGIDI index resulted in 11 selected accessions from all observed accessions. These findings could potentially be used as basic for gerplasm conservation of Liberoid coffee, especially in West Java, Indonesia.