Sustainable Coffee Production Research Articles

Physiological and Agronomical Response of Coffee to Different Nitrogen Forms with and without Water Stress.

Nitrogen (N) is the most important nutrient in coffee, with a direct impact on productivity, quality, and sustainability. N uptake by the roots is dominated by ammonium (NH4+) and nitrates (NO3-), along with some organic forms at a lower proportion. From the perspective of mineral fertilizer, the most common N sources are urea, ammonium (AM), ammonium nitrates (AN), and nitrates; an appropriate understanding of the right balance between N forms in coffee nutrition would contribute to more sustainable coffee production through the better N management of this important crop. The aim of this research was to evaluate the influences of different NH4-N/NO3-N ratios in coffee from a physiological and agronomical perspective, and their interaction with soil water levels. Over a period of 5 years, three trials were conducted under controlled conditions in a greenhouse with different growing media (quartz sand) and organic soil, with and without water stress, while one trial was conducted under field conditions. N forms and water levels directly influence physiological responses in coffee, including photosynthesis (Ps), chlorophyll content, dry biomass accumulation (DW), nutrient uptake, and productivity. In all of the trials, the plants group in soils with N ratios of 50% NH4-N/50% NO3-N, and 25% NH4-N/75% NO3-N showed better responses to water stress, as well as a higher Ps, a higher chlorophyll content, a higher N and cation uptake, higher DW accumulation, and higher productivity. The soil pH was significantly influenced by the N forms: the higher the NO3--N share, the lower the acidification level. The results allow us to conclude that the combination of 50% NH4-N/50% NO3-N and 25% NH4-N/75% NO3-N N forms in coffee improves the resistance capacity of the coffee to water stress, improves productivity, reduces the soil acidification level, and improves ion balance and nutrient uptake.

Explanatory Model for the Estimation of the Minimum Monoculture Planted Area for Coffee that would allow reaching a Living Income

This study's objective was the construction of an explicative model to determine the minimum area necessary to be planted in coffee, to afford a living income, on monoculture coffee farms. In the sustainable coffee production scenario, the annual net income of families is evaluated in function of the achievement of a decent standard of living for all of its members. The metric which makes this possible is called living income. Unfortunately, among small coffee farmers, there is a large gap between real net income and living income, which is a multidimensional phenomenon, affected by exogenous, difficult-to-control factors, such as area cultivated in coffee and its sale price, in addition to variables derived from productive models employed, such as productivity, costs, and farm food production. Due to it being a multifactorial phenomenon, data mining algorithms were applied (decision tree and random forest), in order to classify those farms that would close the gap between net and living income. Model iterations were performed on a dataset that gathered historical production cost, income, and cultivated area information from farms located in four Colombian departments. It was concluded that the variables which explain the gap in a monoculture coffee system are as follows: Area planted in coffee, productivity, and sale price.

Colombian coffee (Coffea arabica L.) plantations: a taxonomic and functional survey of soil fungi

Fungi are essential players in the maintenance of global coffee productivity, but their taxonomic and functional diversity in tropical and subtropical soils of Latin America remains largely unexplored. To address this concern, soil fungi were surveyed in six farms in three traditional coffee-growing regions of Colombia (Cauca, Magdalena, and Risaralda). Five farms were organic and newly established (<1 to 15 years) with low shade, and one farm was under long-term conventional management (>30 years old) with higher shade cover. We used amplicon sequencing and functional prediction based on the FUNGuild annotation tool. Fungal community composition diverged among farms, with Mortierella (Mortierellomycota) and Saitozyma (Basidiomycota) among the most prevalent genera. Functional prediction revealed the predominance of saprotroph-symbiotroph and pathotroph fungi. The endophyte and litter decomposer Mortierella genus was dominant within the saprotrophs and symbiotrophs. The pathotroph community was characterized by insect pathogen species belonging to the Metarhizium (Ascomycota) genus. Indeed, M. anisopliae and M. marquandii were identified as indicator species in the conventional long-term shaded farm. This study revealed that coffee plantations studied sustain a diverse fungal community and nurture potentially beneficial species. Further studies are needed to elucidate how particular management practices can nourish beneficial fungi, suppress detrimental species, and promote more sustainable coffee production.

A comparison of life cycle assessment (LCA) of Andungsari Arabica coffee processing technologies towards lower environmental impact.

Indonesia is the fourth largest coffee producer in the world, with most of the production managed by smallholders. Analyzing the current environmental impacts of coffee production processes and moving the sector towards lower impact systems, including options for industrial ecology (IE) is critical. The aim of IE for Sustainable Coffee Production (SCP) is primarily toward Zero Waste (ZW), while producing high-quality coffee products that could potentially access new environmentally-oriented markets. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was applied in this study to evaluate the environmental impacts of coffee production, from the farm through to various coffee products, focusing on Global Warming Potential (GWP). Data was obtained from a pilot plant operation at Andungsari Coffee Group – Bondowoso, Indonesia, for coffee production using Semi-wash (SW) and Full-wash (FW) processes, from Coffee Cherry Beans (CB) to Green Beans (GB), and Coffee Powder (CP). The novelty of this work was the assessment of the impact of SW and FW, which are not often distinguished by previous studies, and which offer possibilities for improving the grade of coffee products. Observation and experimental data were used to obtain data from production operations to identify the environmental impact and also the potential feedstocks for the production of biogas and other industrial ecology strategies for developing by-products. For both SW and FW the input of 3 tonnes of CB produced 512 kg CP. The LCA indicated that the GWP for 1 kg CP (CB to CP) from SW was 0.765 kg CO2-eq, and for FW was 0.741 kg CO2-eq. In the future, further consideration of alternative by-products will be undertaken in order to produce a more effective IE system towards SCP.

Developing Coffee Cherry Skin and Coffee Husk by Products as Sustainable Novel Food and Fuel

Coffee plantations can potentially support an integrated sustainable coffee production (SCP) system, particularly through the expanded utilization of by-products. Smallholders mostly manage coffee plantations in Indonesia. Coffee processing cannot avoid waste entirely. However, poor processing will increase waste. This research aims to utilize by-products (coffee skin) to create novel food (cascara) and potential fuel. The raw materials from Cherry skin (CS) and Husk skin (HS) are obtained from wet and dry coffee processes. This research conducts the process of sorting raw cascara and roasting it. TDS and pH are examined to measure the level of extraction, while a group of panelists assess the aroma, taste, and mouthfeel using a series of scaling points for justification. CS does not require sorting. However, HS is sorted into three sizes: 7.5mm, 6.5mm, and 5.5mm, respectively. In this study, 1,000g HS has an approximate size distribution of about 25% 7.5 mm, 15% 6.5 mm, and 20% 5.5 mm; the rest is dust and green beans (GB) coffee pixels. In conclusion, CS and HS were roasted to produce food products (cascara). About 2.5kg of raw HS is needed for 1kg feed HS (7.5mm and 6.5mm). HS measuring 5.5mm or below, and the remaining fraction of dust makes up about 54% of the raw feed and can be used as fuel (briquettes).

Increased efficiency fertilizers in arabica coffee growth in Vale do Ribeira, SP

Controlled-release fertilizers have been increasingly used. This study aimed to evaluate and adapt new technologies applied via soil for sustainable coffee production, in order to generate information that contribute to the technical innovation of the crop for the Vale do Ribeira region. The experiment was set at UNESP, in Registro – SP. The experimental design was in randomized blocks. The experiment consisted of eight treatments with four replications, with plots of six plants. Four doses (200, 300, 400 and 500 kg ha-1) of a mixed fertilizer 20-05-20 were used, with controlled release in six months, intended for coffee trees in formation and production, compared to the dose of 500 kg ha-1 of the conventional mixed fertilizer 20-05-20, ammonium sulfate and calcium nitrate with boron, in addition to a control treatment, which did not receive NPK fertilization. The cultivar used was ‘Obatã IAC 1669’ in 3.0 x 0.6 m spacing. The following characteristics were evaluated: number of plagiotropic branches, number of nodes of plagiotropic branches, stem diameter, plant height and yield, in two harvest periods, besides the surface chemical characteristic of the soil. Increasing the dose of the slow-release fertilizer leads to greater plant growth; the coffee plant presents a highly responsive behavior to the increase in fertilizer doses in relation to nitrogen, and the use of the slow-release fertilizer Agroblen (20-05-20) 100% and ammonium sulfate + SS + KCl allows greater yield.

Computer Vision-Aided Intelligent Monitoring of Coffee: Towards Sustainable Coffee Production

Earlier, researchers have employed computer vision-based automatic fruit detection to estimate coffee yield at the time of harvest, however, studies on the on-plant quantification of the coffee fruit are scarce. In this study, the latest version of the state-of-the-art algorithm YOLOv7 (You Only Look Once) was used for the first time. YOLOv7 was trained with 324 annotated images of fruit bearing coffee branches followed by its evaluation with 82 annotated images as validation data (supervised method) and then tested through raw images (unannotated) as test data. Meanwhile, the K-means models were trained which led to machine-generated color classes of coffee fruit for semi-supervised image annotation. Consequently, the developed model efficiently analyzed the test data with an mAP@.5 (mean average precision) of 0.89. Strikingly, our innovative semi-supervised method with an mAP@.5 of 0.77 for multi-class mode surpassed the supervised method which had mAP@.5 of only 0.60, leading to faster and more accurate annotation. While testing the yield estimation of the model in two plots, an average error of 3.78% was recorded between the predicted (pre-harvest) and ground truth (harvest) data for binary class mode. The average error for multi-class data was recorded as 3.87% for green, 3.445% for green-yellow, 5.09% for cherry-raisin, and 2.51% for dry fruits. This AI-based technology when integrated with other tools such as UAV would efficiently remotely monitor coffee field for informed decision about irrigation, fertilizer application and other measures of timely field management, hence advancing precision agriculture. Moreover, this machine learning intelligent model can be tailored for various other fruit farming.

ThIRST: Targeted IRrigation Support Tool for sustainable coffee production

The Central Highlands of Vietnam is an important Robusta coffee growing region. However, the region is facing climate change impacts from rising temperatures and irregular rainfall, while Vietnamese coffee farmers predominantly rely on irrigation from heavily depleted aquifers. To continue productive and sustainable growth, this system requires an innovative approach to meet this hydrological challenge. Here we propose a user-friendly tool, which aims to support coffee farmers’ irrigation decisions, through the Targeted Irrigation Support Tool or ThIRST. ThIRST combines seasonal forecasts, on-farm metrics, and farmer’s expertise. The research comprises baseline (n = 400) and endline (n = 237) surveys of coffee farmers in Đắk Lắk and Lâm Đồng Provinces. Through the surveys, farmers’ irrigation needs and the applicability of the tool are evaluated. Despite low smartphone usage for farming advisory, the results show the tool allows coffee farmers to continually achieve water-use efficiency and adapt to climate variability. Involving farmers in the design, production and evaluation of climate services can improve the trust and uptake of agro-advisories and the way this information is communicated.

Socio-Environmental Impacts of Certifica Minas Café Program on Coffee Plantations in Southern Minas Gerais

The Certifica Minas Café (Minas Coffee Certification) is the only public program in Brazil for coffee plantation certification. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the environmental and social impacts, as well as the best production practices on the properties that adopted the Certifica Minas Café certification program. The research sampled 46 certified properties, which were evaluated in the years 2013 and 2015, based on the same criteria used in the official audits of the program. The results demonstrate that certified properties tend to show significant improvements in the criteria for property management and capacity building of rural workers. On the other hand, certification adoption did not show significant changes in traceability and environmental responsibility despite the reduction of agrochemical pollution found on certified farms. The research also pointed out the challenges faced by program managers. However, we affirm that the Minas Gerais certification program is helpful, but adjustments are necessary to meet the objectives of sustainable coffee production.

COFFEE PRODUCTION AND ITS CONTRIBUTION TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN MALAYSIA

Coffee planters face competition with other cash crops and higher production costs. Besides that, the biggest issue in this sector is the labour required to select ripe coffee beans since not all beans in a single stalk of coffee mature simultaneously. Nonetheless, this well-known beverage is facing a sustainability dilemma. This paper uses previous studies on coffee production and sustainability in Malaysia. A continuous drop in global coffee prices has squeezed coffee growers and pushed many of them below the worldwide severe poverty level. This document discusses research on sustainability in the coffee industry, including past study findings, and makes various recommendations. These obstacles must be solved to achieve sustainable coffee production. All types of literature (including grey literature) were searched exploratively by including those published in the past ten years from 2011 to January 2022 and in the English language. The adoption of sustainable production practices is vital for ecosystem and biodiversity protection, as well as assuring long-term supply availability of coffee production in Malaysia. Implementing sustainability in the coffee certificate in Malaysia's coffee production system appears to be the most appropriate approach to addressing these challenges because it can synergise increasing productivity and farmers' income, implementing climate change adaptation and mitigation, and increasing farmer capability and credit access. The originality of this study is its reviews of how to sustain the coffee production in the Malaysian agriculture sector.

Constraints and Opportunities for Increased Coffee Productivity under Climate Change: A Case of Mzuzu Smallholder Coffee Planters Cooperative Union in Malawi

Coffee contributes significant income to economy of Malawi. Most smallholder farmers produce coffee cherry yield below 500 kg per hectare due to various challenges. Information on coffee farming household demographic characteristics, constraints and opportunities for high productivity, knowledge on climate change and indicators, and practices for adapting to effects of climate change on coffee is scarce. A survey was implemented in five coffee growers’ cooperatives under Mzuzu Coffee Planters Cooperative Union. Respondents (n = 372) were randomly selected and interviewed using a questionnaire. Data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Mean Derived Scores (MDS) were calculated in Microsoft excel. 74.7% of respondents were male, and belonged to male headed households (87.1%). Respondents (80.4%) were above 40 years old. Only 3.5% were in age category of 18-30. 87.6% of respondents were married. Mean number of individuals in a household was six. Majority of farmers (62.1%) attended primary education. Only 1.65 attended tertiary education. Pests and diseases was the major constraint to high coffee cherry yield productivity (MDS = 4.4). Favourable environmental conditions can contribute towards high coffee productivity (MDS = 4.6). Unpredictable rainfall was the first indicator of climate change (MDS = 5.0). Death of plants (MDS = 5.5) and low cherry yield (MDS = 4.6) are important effects of climate change on coffee. Farmers intercropped coffee with shade trees (MDS = 5.0) to adapt to effects of climate change. Government and development partners should promote minority groups, and agroforestry systems such as intercropping coffee with bananas in order to adapt to effects of climate change and ensure high productivity and sustainable coffee production.

Volatile fingerprinting, sensory characterization, and consumer acceptance of pure and blended arabica coffee leaf teas

Coffee leaves contain several bioactive compounds and have been traditionally consumed as a medicinal infusion in the East for centuries. Coffee production generates large amounts of leaves as by-products, which are often wasted in most producing countries because of the low acceptability in the West. Nevertheless, processing and blending coffee leaves may increase aroma and flavor complexity. This study evaluated the volatile and sensory profiles and consumer acceptance of coffee leaf teas compared to two among the most consumed teas (black and maté teas) in Rio de Janeiro. Infusions were made with one experimental and one commercial coffee leaf tea (CLT), two black teas (BT), and one toasted maté tea (TMT) for volatile (GC–MS/MS) and sensory profiles. As an attempt to improve coffee leaf tea acceptance, CLT were also blended (50%) with BT or TMT. Acceptance, Check All That Apply (CATA), and Projective Mapping sensory tests were performed with untrained assessors aged 18–49 (n = 100). Volatile data were standardized by centering and normalization. Sensory data were treated by ANOVA/Fisher test, PCA, and AHCMFA, considering differences at p < 0.05. Ninety-two volatile compounds distributed in 12 classes were identified in different samples. CLT, BT, and TMT infusions shared 19 compounds, including 9 potential impact compounds for aroma and flavor: α-ionone, β-ionone, hexanal, nonanal, decanal, benzaldehyde, trans-linalool oxide, linalool, and dihydroactinidiolide. The most cited flavor attributes for CLT infusions were herbs/green leaf, woody and refreshing. For TMT and BT, herbs/green leaf, woody, burnt, and fermented were the most cited. These attributes agreed with the volatile profiles. CLT shared 22 compounds with TMT and 28 with BT. Considering pure infusions, TMT presented the highest mean acceptance scores (6.7), followed by Com. and Exp. CLT (6.1 and 5.8, on a 9-point-hedonic scale, respectively). Blending with TMT increased mean acceptance of Exp. CLT (6.4), while blending with BT, downgraded the mean acceptance of Com. CLT (5.3). In Projective Mapping, CLT was considered to have a higher sensory resemblance with TMT than BT. If produced adequately, CLT was shown to have good market potential to support sustainable coffee production and promote health.

SDGs trade‐offs associated with voluntary sustainability standards: A case study from the coffee sector in Costa Rica

AbstractThe transition toward a more sustainable agricultural production has become an essential step in achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs), launched by the United Nations in 2015. Voluntary sustainability standards (VSS) have been proposed as a useful governance tool for guiding this transition. Thus, this article uses a case study from the coffee sector in Costa Rica to assess the contribution of VSSs to the achievement of the SDGs. We rely on panel data from coffee producers captured between 2017 and 2019 to carry out this assessment. Results of the statistical analysis suggest that VSSs alone are not enough to promote a transition to a more sustainable coffee production, as trade‐offs between the contributions of VSSs to the different SDGs emerge. If the VSSs are to promote sustainable practices among producers while ensuring socioeconomic benefits for producers, workers, and their families, implementation modifications are required.

Copper and silver nanoparticles control coffee rust: decrease the quantity of sprayed active ingredients and is an alternative for sustainable coffee production

Copper and silver nanoparticles control coffee rust: decrease the quantity of sprayed active ingredients and is an alternative for sustainable coffee production

The Effect of Environmental Sustainabiity and Value Chain Concept in the Context of Local Economy on Value Added of Coffee Commodities in Kerinci

This study examines the relationship between environmental sustainability, the value chain concept, and local economic development in the context of value-added commodity coffee in Kerinci, Indonesia. The research adopts a mixed-methods approach, incorporating qualitative interviews with key stakeholders and quantitative surveys of coffee producers and consumers. The findings reveal that coffee producers in Kerinci have increasingly embraced sustainable practices, such as shade-grown coffee, organic farming, water conservation, and reforestation efforts. These sustainable practices contribute to environmental preservation and enhance the value chain dynamics, leading to improved market access and increased value addition for coffee producers. Moreover, the study identifies a positive correlation between sustainable practices, value chain integration, and local economic indicators, indicating that sustainable coffee production promotes local economic development in Kerinci. The study recommends strengthening support mechanisms, promoting market access and value addition, fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange, and enhancing policy and institutional support to further enhance the environmental sustainability and economic competitiveness of the coffee industry in Kerinci.

Intracellular Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Effects and Bioactive Profiles of Coffee Cascara and Black Tea Kombucha Beverages.

Kombucha is a functional beverage obtained through fermentation of sweetened Camellia sinensis infusion by a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeasts that exerts many beneficial biological effects, mostly related to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Alternative raw materials have been used to create new kombucha or kombucha-like products. Coffee is the most important food commodity worldwide and generates large amounts of by-products during harvest and post-harvest processing. The main coffee by-product is the dried fruit skin and pulp, popularly known as cascara. To date, no studies have evaluated the potential bioactivity of coffee cascara kombucha. In this study, we aimed to measure and compare the effects of infusions and kombuchas made with arabica coffee cascaras (n = 2) and black tea leaves (n = 1), fermented for 0, 3, 6, and 9 days on the intracellular production of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) and Nitric Oxide (NO) in model cells. Oxidative stress was induced in HK-2 cells with indoxyl sulfate (IS) and high glucose (G). Inflammation was induced with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in RAW 264.7 macrophage. The contents of phenolic compounds, caffeine, and other physicochemical parameters were evaluated. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study providing information on the bioactive profile and on the potential biological effects of coffee cascara kombucha. Fermentation caused the release of bound phenolic compounds from the infusions, especially total chlorogenic acids, with an average increase from 5.4 to 10.7 mg/100 mL (98%) and 2.6-3.4 mg/100 mL (30%) in coffee cascara and black tea kombucha, respectively, up to day 9. All evaluated beverages reduced (p < 0.0001) similarly the intracellular ROS (41% reduction, on average) and uric acid (10-55%) concentrations in HK-2 model cells, reversing the induced oxidative stress. All beverages also reduced (p < 0.0001, 81-90%) NO formation in LPS-induced macrophages, exhibiting an anti-inflammatory effect. These potential health benefits may be mostly attributed to polyphenols and caffeine, whose contents were comparable in all beverages. Coffee cascara showed similar potential to C. sinensis to produce healthy beverages and support sustainable coffee production.

The Soil Diagnostic Method to Formulate Fertilizer Requirements for Coffee Trees in Côte d'Ivoire

Coffee is a crop that exports significant amounts of minerals from the soil, particularly through crop and pruning products. Maintaining sustainable productivity requires good knowledge and rational management of factors related to soil fertility and plant nutritional status, which would limit production. The objective of this study was to diagnose the mineral requirements of coffee plants in different production regions in order to recommend nutrient quantities adapted to the characteristics of each soil type for sustainable coffee production. Chemical analysis of 156 soil samples representative of the soil units of the coffee growing areas using a soil diagnostic model specific to coffee fertilization was used to determine the nutrient requirements of each soil unit studied. The results generally indicate that soil fertility levels were below the reference threshold values. Nutrient inputs are essential for all soils under coffee in large production areas. Nitrogen inputs are required in all soil units studied. The majority of the soils also showed a very pronounced potassium and calcium deficiency, while the phosphorus deficiency was not very pronounced. Magnesium, although generally in sufficient quantity in soils, has been readjusted to respect the balance in exchangeable bases. The amounts of nutrients to be supplied varied from one soil unit to another. Soils with low organic matter content showed relatively high requirements. Recommendations for appropriate soil fertility management per soil unit were presented in this work.

Coffee Pulp Biomass Utilization on Coffee Production and Its Impact on Energy Saving, CO2 Emission Reduction, and Economic Value Added to Promote Green Lean Practice in Agriculture Production

The global market’s sustainability demand for coffee as a result of environmental concerns has influenced coffee producers to practice green coffee production. The efforts to improve the environmental performance of coffee production should also consider the other sustainability aspects: energy and economics. Using a green fertilizer from agricultural biomass can lower carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions since the cultivation process, which is directly impacted by fertilizer use, has been identified as an environmental damage hotspot for coffee production. This study aims to determine the impact of coffee pulp biomass utilization on coffee production in terms of energy savings, CO2 emission reduction, and economic value added. The methodologies used were environmental Life Cycle Assessment, energy requirement analysis, life cycle costing, and eco-efficiency analysis. The study findings showed that using coffee pulp biomass in coffee cultivation impacted the energy savings, environmental damage reduction, and increased economic value added. Applying coffee pulp biomass can potentially reduce 39–87% of cumulative energy demand, 49.69–72% of CO2 emissions, and 6–26% of the economic value-added increase. Moreover, coffee pulp utilization as a fertilizer is recommended to be applied broadly to promote sustainable coffee production according to its beneficial impact. This study provided that scientific information farmers need to apply green fertilizers in coffee production.

Characteristics and Management of Gomma Woreda Smallholder Coffee Farms in Southwest Ethiopia

In Ethiopia, coffee is a major source of income for the country and the coffee growers, whose livelihood is entirely dependent on coffee, plus not only exports but also remarkable consumption of coffee by the local community. Despite this, the management of coffee farms for smallholders is very poor at Gomma woreda, southwest Ethiopia. As a result, the objectives of this study were to assess and provide information on the management of the status and characteristics of coffee farms for smallholders in Gomma Woreda for sustainable coffee production. According to the current study, accordingly, the topography of coffee farms in the study area is within the range of sloping to moderately steep slopes. Also, the result indicated that farmers were simply expecting the benefits of shade trees and the nutrient recycling capacity of soil without soil nutrient management on coffee farms, which is why coffee farms did not give sufficient productivity. Because all of the sampled farms were more than 19 years old, concerned organizations should distribute improved coffee seedlings to smallholder coffee farmers to increase coffee productivity. The major problems in the study area of smallholder coffee farms were the effect of continued cultivation without soil fertility intervention, nutrient mining as a result of harvested products, no application of mineral fertilizer, organic fertilizer, or lime, and coffee cultivation on a steep slope without soil conservation measures.

Physical-Chemical Characteristics of Three Soils and Their Effects on the Growth and Nutritional Status of Coffee Trees

Aims: The conversion of fallow land for the establishment of new orchards is now an alternative to Ivorian coffee growing, which has long been based on the extensive and shifting cultivation system favoured in the past by the abundance of forest reserves.&#x0D; Study Design: Thus, three fallow soils under coffee trees were studied from a physical-chemical point of view in order to determine their potential for the productivity of new coffee varieties (Coffea canephora Pierre, var. Robusta).&#x0D; Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted on the National Centre of Agriculture Research (CNRA) research station at Abengourou, Divo and Man for six months, between June and November.&#x0D; Methodology: Soil samples and coffee leaves were collected and analyzed in the laboratory according to standard methods to determine their chemical status. Plant growth (height, crown diameter, number of orthotropic, number and length of plagiotropic internodes) was studied in relation to the physical-chemical characteristics of the soil.&#x0D; Results: The chemical potential of the soils was found to be low overall. Soil deficiency was characterized by low base saturation (less than 30%), organic matter, nitrogen and cation imbalance, as regard as potassium (K), calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg). Growth parameters of the coffee trees and their nutritional status were correlated with the physicochemical properties of the soil.&#x0D; Conclusion: In view of these results, sustainable coffee production requires an improvement in the level of soil fertility under coffee trees.