In spite of Coffea, arabica cv. 'Bourbon Vermelho' being an autogamous plant, a certain level of heterozygosity seems to be maintained in the population, owing to about 10 per cent of natural out-crossing. If heterozygosity is present ít ahould be possible to detect the harmful effect of successive selfings on the population. The influence of successive selfings on the total yield, height and vigor of five generation (S0 to S4) and of hybrids between S0, S2 and S4, in two independent series of coffee progenies (1 and 2) was analysed. Concerning plant height it was found that the progenies derived from the mother tree n. 2 were in average taller than those belonging to group 1. No significant differences were noticed among the generations for the group 1, whereas in the second, the S2 progeny was the shortest and the S0 the tallest. The hybrids between S0 or S2 were intermediate to the parents, while the crossing between S4 was shorter than both parents. The variance was somewhat similar, showing no tendency for increasing as a result of continuous controlled self-pollination (Table I). Plant vigor seems to decrease in the S1 remaining stable in the subsequent generations. Only the hybrid between S2 was more vigorous than both parents. The total yield for the first group of progenies decreased from S0 to S3 as result of selfing. However the S4 generation gave a higher yield, which may be due to selection or mutation since contamination should not have occurred. In the second group only the progeninys S4 was less productives than the S0. The hybrid between S0, had higher yield than both parents indicating some heterotic manifestation. The variance was not affected by continuous artificial selfings. Additional data must be collected for other cultivars before the effect of successive selfing on coffee can be determined accurately. The data here discussed indicated that, although some depressive effeet could be noticed, it was not related to the presence of highly deleterious genes in heterozygosity in the ppoulation.