Coffee Leaf Rust

Coffee is the most important agricultural commodity with an estimated retail value of 70 billion US dollars. It is also crucial for the economy of more than 60 countries as it the main income earner for more than a 100 million households.

INTRODUCTION

Coffee is the most important agricultural commodity with an estimated retail value of 70 billion US dollars. It is also crucial for the economy of more than 60 countries as it the main income earner for more than a 100 million households.

Coffee leaf rust (CLR) is a major disease of the coffee Arabica species. It causes a major adverse economic effect and has been reported in over fifty countries. Coffee leaf rust infestation on a farm causes up to 50% leaf loss and up to 70% berry loss.

Coffee leaf rust is a major disease in coffee Arabica and was discovered in 1970.

APPEARANCE

CLR is characterized by small yellow-orange and powdery spots/lesions. Rust pustules are powdery on the under leaf surface while chlorotic patches are observed on the upper leaf surface later they turn black. Rusted leaves drop so that affected trees are virtually denuded, such trees have a lower yield and quality.

LIFECYCLE

Coffee leaf rust is caused by a fungus hemileia vastatrix.  This disease is spread by spores from lesions on the underside of leaves by wind and rain. Under humid conditions hyper-parasitic fungi grow over there e lesions which produce a pale  micellial growth.

CLR spreads through the germination of uredospore through germ pores in the spore. These  spore attack the leaf and mature within 24-48 hours while sporulation takes place through the stomata within 4-6 days. Suitable temperature for the development of the mycellium is not less than 10 degrees and not more than 35 degrees celcius and presence of free water. Sporulation is influenced by temperature, humidity, and host resistance.

ECONOMIC IMPACT

CLR has both direct and indirect impacts on coffee production. Direct impacts include loss of quantity and quality of harvested crop. Indirect impacts include increased cost to control and combat the disease including stumping diseased plants and replacing them. The most common methods used for  controlling the disease include:

1.planting resistance varieties -Ruiru 11 and Batian

2.Fungicide application.

For preventive measures copper based fungicides are used while for curative  application of systemic fungicides are used.

Due to in adequate rainfall received this season coffee leaf rust will be a major disease for August, September and October due to climate change . As a partner in coffee farming Greenlife Crop protection Africa limited advice coffee farmers to take caution and treat the disease before it attack their crops.

Greenlife Crop Protection Africa limited offers farmers the best solution to control coffee leaf rust.

  • RANSOM
Ransom® 600WP

RANSOM® 600WP is an enhanced excellent systemic and contact fungicide with preventive and curative actions on a wide range of diseases, particularly powdery mildew and rusts on agricultural crops.

It is a systemic fungicide used for both preventive and curativeand purposes against coffee leaf rust. It contains two active ingredients carbendazim and triadimefon. It’s mode of action is that it binds to a site on the tubulin and suppresses microtubules assembly. It is used both as a protective and curative and product. RANSOM is recommended at a rate of 12g/20l of water plus Integra at 3mls/20l.

  • GREENCOP
Green Cop® 500WP

GREEN COP® 500WP is an excellent contact fungicide with protective action for the control of wide range of diseases particularly Botrytis, rust, Angular leaf spot, Early and Late blight, Coffee leaf rust and Coffee berry disease (CBD) in various agricultural crops.

It is a preventive fungicide against coffee leaf rust.Greencop contains copper oxycloride at 97% thus is the purest in the market, it  extra fine and dissolve completely when mixed with water and thus leaving no residual.

Copper has majorly been known as a molecule to control coffee leaf rust and other fungal diseases. Greencop is used at a rate of 70g/20l plus Integra 3ml/20l.

  • DEFACTO
Defacto® 500EC

DEFACTO® 500 EC is an excellent systemic fungicide with protective and curative action on a wide range of diseases in cereals such as wheat, barley, rice and maize, and in coffee and roses.

This is a systemic fungicide which bears both preventive and curativeand action against coffee leaf rust. It contains two molecules propiconazole and difeconazole. Its mode of action is stopping cellular growth, preventing development of fungus by inhibiting cell membrane ergosterol biosynthesis. It is applied at a rate of 10-13mls /20l and include Integra 3ml/20l

These products are readily available in all stockists and wholesaller shops countrywide.

Last updated on Monday, March 20, 2023 at 7:20 am

Recommended for you

Weed Management in Beans

The common bean does not compete well with weeds because it grows slower compared to most weeds and can thus suffer from successive flushes of

Read On »

Onion Nutrition

Onions require frequent/ regular applications of fertilizer in order to produce the highest yields and the largest, best quality onions. It requires different nutrient rates

Read On »

Cut Worms

Cutworms (Agrotis spp) are the larvae or caterpillars of several species of night-flying moths belonging to the Noctuidae family.

Read On »

Nursery Management (TLO)

It is the desire of every farmer to achieve 100% germantion of his seeds and be in a position to protect the seedlings against soil

Read On »