Coffee rust

history of coffee rust disease

1. COFFEE RUST 1

2. Systematic position Class: Basidiomycetes Order : Uredinales Family : Pucciniaceae Hemileia - half smooth characteristic of the spores vastatrix - the devastating nature of the disease 2

3. History… The Dutch were the first major European coffee importers Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), Java, and Sumatra During Napoleon's time, much of the coffee-producing area was lost by the Dutch to the English 3

4. In 1825, the British began development of their property in Ceylon By 1870, Ceylon was the world's greatest producer of coffee In 1875, nearly 400,000 acres (160,000 hectares) were covered with coffee trees 4

5. Most important coffee disease in the world The fungal parasite probably arose in southern Ethiopia It was reported first by a British explorer from regions of Kenya around Lake Victoria in 1861 from where it is believed to have spread to Asia and the Americas 5

6. DISCOVERY First recorded by - Reverend H. J. Berkeley and Mr. Broome Who was sent a collection from the Royal Botanical Gardens at Peradenija Berkeley believed this to be a new species and named it  Hemileia   vastatrix   and published it in November 1869 - Gardeners Chronicle 6

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8. At this time it had affected three acres of coffee plants Berkeley suggested immediate application of sulfur Would be difficult to combat once it had been allowed to spread 8

9. In five years the coffee-leaf disease had spread over the whole island and no plantation was free of the disease By this time the disease had spread to Southern India and Malaysia and was menacing the entire coffee industry in the East 9

10. SPREAD No effective chemical fungicides were available to protect the foliage The fungus was able to colonize the leaves until nearly all the trees were defoliated The spores produced on the leaves are quite resistant to desiccation They easily moved through the acres of coffee trees, feasting on the banquet prepared by unsuspecting plantation owners 10

11. DANIEL MORRIS Not trained in mycology and had little understanding of fungi The superficial fungal growth that could be observed on the coffee plant was eliminated by sulfur and that the diseased plants looked better This effect was temporary and the disease soon returned 11

12. H. MARSHALL WARD Was sent to Ceylon by the British government to save the coffee plantations Even though he failed, he presented the infant science of plant pathology with two important concepts that are still fundamental to plant protection 12

13. FINDINGS Studied the life cycle of the rust fungus Germinating spores represented a vulnerable stage for attack To effectively protect the plant from invasion, fungicides should be present as a protective coating on the leaves before the spores arrived Once infection had occurred, the hyphae inside the leaf tissue were no longer vulnerable to the fungicide 13

14. Ward also warned about the dangers of monoculture Observed that the continuous plantings of coffee trees over the island had created a perfect environment for a fungus epidemic He found no less than 51 different fungal spores on the coffee plant which he was able to germinate and grow on a sugar gelatin substrate 14

15. The actual coffee rust was largely an internal parasite that grew through the stomata of the leaves Sudden spread when the plantation owners carved out their estate, they cut down many of the tall trees that would have sheltered them from the Monsoon winds and the rust spores that were disseminated as well Spraying of sulfur during the germination of the urediospore 15

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17. SYMPTOMS Small, pale yellow spots on the upper surfaces of the leaves Gradually increase in diameter, masses of orange urediniospores appear on the undersurfaces The fungus sporulates through the stomata rather than breaking through the epidermis as most rusts do Does not form the pustules typical of many rusts The powdery lesions on the undersides of the leaves can be orange-yellow to red-orange in colour 17

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19. While the lesions can develop on the leaf, they tend to be concentrated around the margins The centers of the spots eventually dry and turn brown, while the margins of the lesions continue to expand and produce urediniospores Early in the season, the first lesions usually appear on the lowermost leaves, and the infection slowly progresses upward in the tree The infected leaves drop prematurely, leaving long expanses of twigs devoid of leaves 19

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21. Urediniospores 21 Hump-backed shape and the conspicuously roughened walls with a distinct smooth area

22. The dustlike spores easily carried on luggage, people, plants, or airplanes that continuously move between the continents Eradication of infected trees has failed to eliminate the parasite, and the fungus has slowly spread throughout the coffee-growing areas, moving into Colombia and the countries of Central America Recorded in India in 1870, Sumatra in 1876, Java in 1878, and the Philippines in 1889 22

23. EPIDEMICS During 1913 it crossed the African continent from Kenya to the Cong Ivory Coast (1954), Liberia (1955), Nigeria (1962–63) and Angola (1966) In 1970 coffee rust was discovered in Brazil It is not completely clear how the fungus arrived in Brazil, but intercontinental movement of the rust spores from coffee plantations in East Africa is a likely means 23

24. Severe outbreaks were seen in Costa Rica in 1989 and Nicaragua in 1995 In 2012 there was a major increase in coffee rust across ten Latin American and Caribbean countries 24

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26. ECONOMIC IMPACT Estimates of yield loss vary by country and can range anywhere between 15-80%. Worldwide loss is estimated at 15% In 1870, Ceylon was exporting 100 million pounds (45 million kilograms) of coffee per year By 1889, production was down to 5 million pounds (2.3 million kilograms) 26

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