Resistant cultivars are the most important line of defence against leaf rust, but the fungus overcomes resistance rapidly. The coffee immune system targets specific proteins called effectors that the fungus uses to manipulate targets inside the leaf cells. The good news is that resistant coffee cultivars exist. The fungus attacks coffee leaves, causing defoliation and yield losses. B) Defoliation caused by the coffee leaf rust disease. A) Sporulation of Hemileia vastatrix on the abaxial side of coffea leaves. More recently, leaf rust has had a devastating impact in Latin America and the Caribbean, causing more than $1 billion worth of damage to coffee plantations since 2012. Berkeley in an 1869 issue of the Gardeners’ Chronicle, which reported that the rapid spread of the fungus was causing “consternation amongst the coffee planters in Ceylon”.įor a few decades in the late 19th century, Ceylon had been the world’s most important coffee producer, exporting more than 45,000 tonnes of coffee per year, but after the arrival of leaf rust production plummeted, and many coffee growers were ruined. The fungus was first described by Reverend H. An infected coffee crop can spell disaster for production and, by extension, your morning fix.Ĭoffee leaf rust, caused by Hemileia vastatrix, is the most important fungal disease affecting coffee production. ![]() ![]() We don’t tend to consider this, but, like any other crop, coffee is vulnerable to fungal and bacterial infection. The chances are you’re reading this blog post with a cup of coffee beside you.
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