New disease resistant coffee tree developed in Latin America
Colombia is leading the way in bringing innovations to coffee bean production, particularly in the battle to beat coffee leaf rust which has devastated some plantations throughout Latin America. At the Cenicafe research centre scientists have created a new variety, the Castillo, which is resistant to coffee leaf rust. As a result Colombia’s coffee production has increased while the plant disease has affected yields in other Latin American countries.
A partnership strategy developed by the Colombian Coffee Growers Federation (FNC) has helped farmers replace older plants with Castillo trees. As a result coffee leaf rust infection levels have fallen eight fold, from more than 40% in 2010 to a manageable 5% today. ‘Our long term goal is to not have people worry about the rust problem, and the easiest way to achieve this is to change the variety, a variety that is resistant to the rust and will be able to defend itself,’ said Alvaro Gaitan, a lead scientist at Cenicafe. [click to continue…]
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