Coffee Crops: Plantation, Solutions to Major Diseases&Pests and Challenges in Latin America

Usted puede encontrar la versión en español de este artículo aquí. 'Cultivos de Café: Plantación, Soluciones a las principales Enfermedades y Plagas y Desafíos en América Latina'

Latin American countries currently produce most of the coffee consumed worldwide, with Colombia and Brazil being the leading producers. Both Arabica and Robusta beans are produced throughout Latin America. Brazil is responsible for almost a third of all coffee production on the continent. However, the volume of coffee production in these countries has been affected by various diseases and pests, with coffee leaf rust being the biggest threat that might lead to a substantial fall in output and affect the quality of the beverage.

Accordingly, AgroPages has invited the Brazilian National Food Supply Corporation (Conab) to give us an introduction to coffee crop plantations and major diseases, pests and weeds and general solutions, the export situation, as well as major challenges facing coffee growers and industry players in Latin America. Besides, some leading players, such as ADAMA, BASF, Bayer, FMC, and Arysta have also been invited to share their    specific    solutions    against    diseases,    pests and weeds in coffee crops.
 
1. General situation of coffee plantation, production, and main impact factors in Latin America

Latin America accounts for about 65% of the world coffee production, and although the total area planted in this region is estimated to be 5.69 million hectares (ha), it remains relatively stable, but production has increased by up to 50% in the last 15 years due to new technologies in harvesting, processing, resistant varieties to rust, assistance and education of growers. This has allowed growers to reduce the costs of production, because of optimization in the use of techniques, which has helped boost yields. Among the main evolution is the development of manual harvesting equipment, such as cutting and the use of hard pruning besides irrigation, densification, use of slow release fertilizers, terracing, and precision agriculture. Meanwhile, the world coffee consumption has grown at an average of 2.5% a year, driven by the development of new products and beverages, including affordable equipment, machines and coffee makers, as well as the growing number of coffee shops, vending machines and convenience stores. Although the traditional markets account for around 50% of total consumption, coffee and emerging coffee growers have reported a growth rate of 4.3% and 3.8%, respectively, despite the preference for coffee solubles in these markets because of the greater practicality and convenience in the preparation. Even with the economic crisis, the demand for coffee has remained inelastic, since the consumer changes the type or brand, but does not abandon the habit of consumption.

● Brazil

The latest Coffee Report of Conab indicates that coffee production for the 2017-2018 season will be around 45.56 million bags, a volume that is 10% less than the last season due to the biennial negative. The biennial nature is the coffee tree and consists of the alternation of one year with great flowering, followed by another with less intense flowering, in which the plant recovers from the exhaustion of the last season. The crop area is 2.21 million hectares, with 84.5% in production. The coffee area in Brazil has been decreasing every year because of the productivity gain. The states of Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo, São Paulo and Bahia account for 91% of the planted area in the country. The Arabica coffee plantation area accounts for 80% of the total in which the state of Minas Gerais and São Paulo is concentrated in 68.2% and 12.1 % of the total of this species, respectively.

On the other hand, the Canephora coffee area is pegged at 441.38 thousand hectares, of which 92.5% will be concentrated in the states of Espírito Santo, Rondonia and southern Bahia. It should be noted that in the last 10 years, the area for Canephora coffee, although this species is more tolerant to the water deficit and high temperatures, was reduced by 101.37 thousand hectares due to rains that are poorly distributed and below the average in the main production region. Table 1 summarizes the area information in production and average productivity in the main production regions of Brazil.



2. Major pests, diseases and weeds in coffee crops and the corresponding solutions

Coffee plants are attacked by many insect pests, including stem borers, berry borers, aphids, green scales (e.g. Coccus Viridis), mealybugs (e.g. Planococcus Citri), thrips and caterpillars. The coffee leaf miner (Perileucoptera Coffeella) is an important pest in Brazil. Nematodes (e.g. Meloidogyne Incognita, Pratylencus Coffeae) can be serious pests, particularly in nurseries. The biological control with the use of parasitoid wasps (e.g. Brachygastra Lecheguana) and fungi (e.g. Beauveria Bassiani), has a good response to the reduction of infestation in coffee leaf miner and berry borers. Among other practices are the harvesting of grains that remain on the ground after harvesting, control of weeds, and agrochemical control, with Organophosphates, Pyrethroids, Abamectin, Neonicotinoids, Nereistoxin, and Anthranilamide. The most infamous disease of coffee is Coffee Rust, which is caused by the fungus Hemileia Vastatrix and which has caused bad damage in Latin America during the last decade, especially during the 2012-2013 season when it broke out in more than 50% of the total area in Central America, leading to a reduction by 2.7 million bags in the forecast production. Other important diseases include Cercospora Spot (Cercospora Coffeicola), Coffee Berry Disease (Colletotrichum Coffeanum) and Bacterial Blight (Pseudomonas    Syringae    pv.    Garcae) and nurseries problems, such as Dampingoff Diseases (Rhizoctonia spp. Fusarium spp.). The use of rust resistant varieties, in addition to wind barriers near the newest crops and planting in areas less susceptible to cold wind, besides the balanced fertilization of nitrogen, potassium and calcium, present good efficiency in the management of diseases. However, the application of cupric and systemic fungicides is necessary in several situations.

The tropical climate has ample sunshine and heat and moisture promotes a condition in a large number of annual and perennial weeds that infest coffee plantations, and which may compete with crops for space, water and nutrients, and shade in the crop plants.

Traditionally and in poorer farming communities, coffee is weeded by hand hoeing or slashing with machetes. However, in many production systems, especially those in which coffee crop is not cultivated under shade, the use of mulch in the coffee interlayer is desirable, since this practice reduces water losses through evaporation by allowing milder temperatures in the soil surface.

Thus, the use of post-emergent herbicides, such as Glyphosate, Paraquat, Ammonium Glyphosinate, 2, 4-D, Flumioxazin, Fluazifop-Butyl, Diuron, among others, may be efficient in controlling the main invasive plants. The pre-emergent herbicides, which present residual soil activity, prevent the germination of invasive plants and are also used in several situations, among which are the compounds based on Sulfentrazone, Ametryn, Metribuzin, Oxyfluorfen, and Simazine, among others. It should be noted that the intensive use of these products and without proper monitoring will result in the emergence of tolerant invasive plants. Accordingly, multinationals have worked out various solutions for the major pests, diseases and weeds in coffee crops.

Adama

To combat coffee bean rust, Adama has developed a product called Guapo®, an advanced mixture of two active ingredients. Guapo® is applied during the final development season of the coffee crop and is important for controlling and preventing coffee rust.

Another issue for coffee bean growers is the cicada. To control potential cicada damage, along with that of coffee bean rust, Adama offers Pratico®, a fungicide and insecticide that is an advanced mixture applied on the soil beside the growth lines of coffee trees.

To avoid losses due to fungi, insects, or weeds, Adama’s focus has been on developing new unique mixtures to control both existing pathogens and new ones that haven't been addressed in the past. For example, Adama will introduce Plethora® to control the Coffee Borer, a small beetle, which is among the most harmful pests found in coffee crops across the world, including Brazil.
                                                                   
Adama is making great efforts to offer farmers products that are not only very effective, but are also safer. In fact, Nimitz, Adama’s advanced nematicide, has 100x less toxicity than any other nematicide in the market. Nimitz is used to manage the nematode worm in the field, a serious issue for coffee growers.

In addition to product development, Adama also places great focus on listening to farmers in order to understand their needs. The company has established an initiative called the ‘Crop Management Team,’ which is comprised of Adama employees, as well as farmers from the region. Adama meets regularly to discuss their pain points, needs, objectives, and the latest developments in the agricultural market.

Adama takes their inputs and uses them to make product development decisions. In fact, Adama has developed two digital services based on farmer inputs. One is Adama Pulso, an application that is used to manage water. Namely, the service provides the farmer with sensors deployed to work together with the irrigation system. The sensors are placed around the stem of the coffee plant, measuring the stem diameter variation during the day (i.e. smaller diameters imply a lower hydration level, and vice versa). When proper hydration is not being applied, as based on diameter readings, an alert is sent automatically to the farmer notifying when and how much to irrigate, saving labor, water and energy. 

Another digital service that Adama offers farmers is Adama Clima, a small weather station that provides climate information to farmers and can calculate humidity and temperature. This enables farmers to apply crop protection with much greater efficacy.

BASF Crop Protection

Every coffee farmer across Latin America wants high quality crops and yields they can be proud of. BASF has a broad range of products to help farmers care for their coffee beans and make sustainable use of resources, while increasing both yields and farmers’ prosperity. Here are a few examples from BASF’s portfolio:

Fungicides
• Tutor®: Rust and Cercospora: The efficacy is due to the copper element, which is slowly released as ions on the surface of the treated plants, thereby inhibiting the germination of fungal spores.
• ABACUS® HC: Rust and Cercospora: Presents an excellent protection due to its action in the inhibition of germination of spores, development and penetration of the germinative tubes and provides greater metabolic activity of the plant, increased nitrate reductase enzyme activity, resulting in better plant health.
• Comet®: Rust and Cercospora: Presents an excellent protective action, due to its action in the inhibition of spore germination, development and penetration of the germinative tubes and provides greater metabolic activity of the plant, increase of nitrate reductase enzyme activity, resulting in better plant health.
• Opera®: Rust and Cercospora: Presents an excellent protective action due to its action in the inhibition of germination of spores, development and penetration of germ tubes.
• CANTUS®: Phoma leaf spot: Is a product that has a mechanism of action acting on all stages of development and reproduction of the fungus, such as inhibition of spore germination, development and penetration of germ tubes.

BASF’s portfolio is strong with a leading position in fungicides. To complement the company’s portfolio, BASF is planning to launch two new insecticides. Both will help farmers to combat the coffee berry borer - one of the main pests that affects the classification and processing of coffee beans. The two new products will be an affordable alternative for farmers, as currently few options are existing against the coffee bean borer.

When it comes to initiatives, BASF has developed the AgCelence® technology. In addition to protecting crops against diseases, BASF products to the coffee crop also contributes to plant health, higher yield, and superior quality of the final product. Furthermore, BASF provides training on the right application technology through the Smart Spray Solution service and field days carried out during the year at different sites and to different crops. A methodology BASF has developed is AgBalance™. Implemented by the Espaço ECO Foundation, a non-forprofit organization established by BASF to promote the sustainable development in the business environment and in the society, AgBalance™ measures the socio eco-efficiency in the Brazilian agricultural production of different crops such as rice, coffee, soybean, corn, cotton and the system of Integration Crop Livestock Forest (ILPF), among others.

Bayer Crop Science

Bayer’s solutions against the major diseases, pests and weeds are listed below:

• Rust: There are many products focused on coffee leaf rust in Latin America. Example: Nativo, Sphere Max, PremierePlus were made to solve this problem (in Brazil, Bayer’s positioning is Sphere Max and Premier Plus). There is also the Bayfolan Cobre, which carries amino acids and copper helping fungicides to better control the rust (it was launched this year in Brazil).
• Coffee berry borer: Bayer is going to launch new products with more effectiveness and mainly with positive toxicological profile, it means, low toxicity. Bayer already has two of them—Curbix and Arbix—that have a new active ingredient with contact and residual control when applied, acting effectively on the pests. This will also be launched throughout Latin America.
• Leaf-miner: It exists throughout Latin America, but especially in Brazil. This one is a coffee leaf eraser. It is a worm that gets to eat in the middle of the leaf and causes it to fall. There is a product that is being developed, called Sivanto (new insecticide with low environmental impact made to act specifically in this plague).
• Nematodes: They affect the roots of the plant. For this Bayer has Verango, a new nematicide, long-lasting and with quite broad control power.

Historically, Bayer has used a lot of glyphosate products. To treat endangered coffee plants, Bayer developed Alion, a high technology herbicide. It controls weeds if the coffee plantation with a minimum dose per hectare and minimum environmental impact.

Disease control lasts longer, so it also helps reduce costs of planting. It has already launched in Brazil, and is about to launch in Latin America. Bayer is also developing biological products, such as Serenade, to impart vitality to the plant, and to better develop the roots.



Arysta LifeScience

Arysta LifeScience offers a program called PRONUTIVA® to the market, with a special focus on Plant Health, which uses the best plant protection program, in connection with the bio-solution portfolio in every phase of the cultivation process. 

For the different aims, Arysta LifeScience considers chemical control together with integrated handling, whenever possible, adding Arysta’s bio-solutions as alternatives and providing better results. Arysta can count on its own portfolio and on alliances, among which the herbicide SELECT® 240 EC, the bactericide KASUMIN®, and the acaricides OMITE® 720 EC and ORTUS® 50 SC, are to be highlighted, alongside bio-solutions, such as BIOZYME, FOLTRON, K-FOL for the established plantations, and the products K-TIONIC and RAIZAL for the seedling nurseries, reducing the level of stress caused by drought, low or high temperatures.

The supplementary line of physioactivators meet the particularity of the coffee culture, which produces better production conditions, more uniformity regarding flowering, fructification and maturation of the crops, from the new parts of the branch vegetation—as plants are being invigorated—leading to an increase in profitability for the coffee grower.

For coffee, of which Arysta owns approximately 4% of the market share, as well as in many other cultures that Arysta attends to, the offer of PRONUTIVA has made the difference for the profitability of clients. The main message is that PRONUTIVA is synonymous with plant health, and PRONUTIVA is Arysta LifeScience.

FMC

FMC’s solutions against the major diseases, pests and weeds are listed below:

• Coffee Leaf Miner: The soil is treated at the beginning of the rain season (October and January)–Neonicotinoids Imida (Warrant^TM FMC and Premier Plus^TM Bayer) and generics, Thiamethoxam (True^TM); requires additional foliar application (March and April), with an application interval of up to 30 days in hot areas. Foliar applications are new FMC solutions (Altacor^TM together with Nufos^TM);
• Coffee Berry Borer: The available solutions are Chlorpyrifos and Diamides (Benevia^TM, Volian Targo^TM); Phytonematodes: Soil treatment with Rugby^TM and Quartzo^TM, the new FMC biological products
• Nematodes: Quetzo^TM — a biological product for the control of nematodes in several crops, including the coffee crop in Brazil;
• Rust: Soil treatment (October and December) together with neonicotinoids and the following active ingredients: (Cyproconazole, Flutriafol, Triadimenol), with two additional foliar applications (December/February) by combining Pyraclostrobin, Azoxystrobin, Trifloxystrobin, and Triazole (Flutriafol, Epoxiconazole, Cyproconazole) fungicides;
• Phoma: Pre-flowering and high-altitude applications, treatment based on Boscalid and Iprodione, totaling two to three applications;

• Most Critical Weeds: Corda-de-Viola (Ipomoea Grandifolia); Benghal Dayflower (Commelina Benghalensis); Sourgrass (Digitaria Insularis), Indian Goosegrass (Eleusine Indica), and Canadian Horseweed (Conyza Canadensis) is a treatment based on selective herbicides with residual Boral^TM, Alion^TM, Goal^TM, Flumyzin^TM, Aurora ClorimuronTM, Metsulfuron (Ally^TM), and Clethodin^TM and Haloxifopy^TM graminicides.

3. Overview of coffee exports in Latin America

According to International Coffee Organization (ICO), the Latin America sector exported 67.33 million bags around the world in 2016, which represents 60% of the total (The details are shown in Table 2). Most of the exports were of Coffee Arabica beans to the United States, Germany, Belgium, Italy and the Japan market. Brazil is the largest producer of coffee and the second largest coffee-consuming nation. Its coffee sector employs over five million people and it contributes 40% of the world’s total coffee supply. Data from the Ministry of International Trade showed that Brazil exported to 129 countries around 34 million bags, worth US$5.4 billion; the amount of Arabica exported was 29.56 million bags, Robusta was 0.58 million bags, and 3.38 million bags of Soluble Coffee; most of exports were green and washed coffee to big companies, such as Nespresso, Dulce Gusto, Illy, Lavaza and Starbucks. Usually, international prices of coffee in others Latin America countries is higher than Brazil; industrialized coffee exports increased by 8% last year; 84% of the total exported was shipped by Santos Harbor; Europe Union buys 54% of the total exports; Special Certified Coffees represents 17.4% of the total exports; and the top 10 importers represents 81.4% of the Special Coffee trade.


4. Main Challenges facing coffee growers and industry players in Latin America

Among the main problems faced by the sector is the poor distribution of rainfall and leaf rust outbreaks in areas of Brazil and Central America, which are directly related to the occurrence of the El Ninõ phenomenon and may significantly compromise yield and production as observed between 2008 and 2013 in several countries of Latin America. Another important factor is the scarcity of labor in the field for harvesting and other crop activities promoted by the migration of people in the countryside to the city and this has greatly increased the cost of production in all areas that do not use a mechanized system. It is also noticeable that the average age of the Central American crops is too old and still presents a low average yield, which intensifies the push for gradual and constant renewal in areas of production.

Low local consumption, when compared with the European markets, and widespread use of large quantities of soluble coffees instead of higher quality coffees, is another aspect. There is also a lack of encouragement from cooperatives and from all producing countries. The lack of knowledge causes several producers to market their crops at prices very close to their cost of production (The details are shown in Table 3).

The sustainable coffee market is in full development with high demand from the more developed countries. However there are few certified areas that have the necessary conditions to receive certification and then access those markets. The positioning and branding of these coffees show a much higher profitability than the coffees commodities. Another highlight is the lack of economic management of the activity costs, which generates a lack of knowledge on the part of the producer of the impact of each activity in his budget.


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