Capture carbon through regenerative agriculture and halt climate change - climate gardens now

 

Mitigate climate change by capturing carbon through regenerative agriculture - Start an organic climate garden now

 

Do you feel hopeless about climate change and the damage we are doing to our planet?  I did, but then I found a new way to look at the problem, which made the solution so obvious and so within reach. A solution that's right under our feet. Yes, the solution to climate change is right under our feet. It is the soil. Carbon can be farmed into the soil if only we start by regenerating our soil organisms to restore soil health.  Yes, Carbon farming is the solution to climate change. Come follow us let’s check it out.

Climate change is all about too much carbon in our atmosphere. Carbon is not our enemy, it's the building block of life. Everything alive is made of it. even us.  The problem and the solution are simply a matter of balance. Let's step back and look at the five pools where carbon is stored on planet Earth. Starting about 500 million years ago, when plants appeared on land, carbon began to cycle in an amazing balance. A balance that allowed for life as we know it to evolve.  Then one life form, us, figured out how to extract carbon from the fossil pool, then we burned it for energy, putting it into play and disrupting that balance. The way we manage land and do agriculture is moving even more carbon from the soil and biosphere into the atmosphere. Specifically, we've moved 880 Gigatons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere which is heating up the planet and destabilizing our climate. Now the oceans have absorbed a lot of this excess carbon which is resulting in ocean acidification and accelerating a mass extinction of sea life.

How to save lives?

In order to save lives, we have to stop releasing fossil carbon into the atmosphere. Then look for ways to capture the excess carbon that is already in the atmosphere to get this cycle back into balance. You'll remember when I said that the solution to climate change is healthy soils. Plants use sunlight and water to perform photosynthesis. They pull in carbon from the air and turn it into carbohydrates sugars. Then they pump some of those sugars down through their roots to feed microorganisms who use that carbon to build soil. Bingo. Carbon can move - plants pump it in and the soil stores it. Nature's living technology is amazing. Scientists have recently discovered that applying a thin layer of compost, sets off an ongoing positive feedback loop that brings more and more carbon into the soil each year. In concert with other regenerative practices like reducing soil tillage, planting trees, cover crops and planned grazing, we can build and retain Giga-tons of soil carbon. This is carbon farming. This is regenerative agriculture and there is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come.

More carbon in the atmosphere is bad for us, while more carbon in the ground is good for us. It makes healthy soil that is nutrient-rich full of life and holds way more water. This means more nutritious food and crops that are more resilient in the face of drought. That's good news for farmers, families, communities, nations and everyone that eats.

Remember, the way we grow our food, fiber, and fuel either puts carbon up into the atmosphere or it pulls it down into the ground. The regeneration of soil is the task of our generation. Our health, the health of our soils and the health of our planet, are one and the same

 What happens to captured carbon in the Rhizosphere?

The secret of bio-sequestration is in the Rhizosphere. The Rhizosphere is the area around the plant roots that is inhabited by micro-organisms. Plant's roots are working symbiotically with these micro-organisms. They are a very important population in the soil that makes it healthy for plants to grow such as bacterial, fungi, nematodes, protozoa amongst others.

Soil microbes in the Rhizosphere

Bacterial act like food storage banks for your plants. They are the earth’s primary decomposer of organic matter, locking up nutrients close to the plant’s roots which may otherwise be leached.  When the bacterial dies, those nutrients are released to feed the plants.

Mycorrhizae are beneficial fungi living symbiotically with the roots. The roots provide the carbon that the fungus needs to grow and the fungus transport water and nutrients to the roots. What a wonderful win-win situation.

Most of the time we see only the fungus that appears above the soil like mushrooms, but there are millions of fungi, bacterial, amoeba, etc under the soil that makes the soil fertile. Plants depend on a network of tiny fungi for water and other nutrients. Let dive below the soil to take a closer look. There is a network of living fungal threads called hyphy. Ants help to maintain soil health by aerating the earth, circulating water and nutrients. Tiny moss may dine on tiny nematodes. Nematodes consume single-cell amoebas which are very small that we can’t see. Amoeba devours thinner bacterial. Fungus and bacteria decompose death materials. In nature, nothing is wasted.

Let's enjoy the wonders of nature as we explore deeper. Nature's living technology is amazing. The hyphy spreads and keeps traveling until it reaches plants roots. The fungus wrapped around the root tip. The hyphy pushes itself into the space between the tree cells where a chemical exchange takes place. The fungi provide the plants with essential minerals while the plants supply the fungus with energy-rich sugars. Win-win nutrients - energy exchange.

It gives me hope to know that Plant, People and Planet health are interconnected. But we keep destroying our soil with external chemicals and I wonder why. The application of pesticide, insecticide and herbicide; the use of heavy machinery and the practice of leaving soil bare without cover crops have left us with little or no soil life population. The ground surrounding residential areas and commercial properties a particularly lacking in soil life.

It is the duty of this generation to get the earth back to the garden of Eden that it was, by farming carbon. Let’s bring back biodiversity to a place that was devastated. Planting a garden has the power to change the world and even you can do it. Regenerative gardening actually helps us to reverse climate change by building healthy living soil. Even a small garden has the potential to impact the global crisis of climate change. Start your regenerative climate garden now and grow organic.

• Stay away from chemicals. If you don’t want it in your body, don’t put it in your food.
• Practice minimal tillage and keep the soil covered at all times. Any plant is better than no plant. They protect and build the soil
• Encourage biodiversity for more resilience.
• Grow food. Food from your backyard means fewer food miles and food shipped all the way to your grocery store.
• Composts – make it and use it. It's a probiotic regenerative source for your soil life.

We can all participate by establishing Climate Gardens that build healthier soil and help reverse climate change. Help share the good news: Go tell it on the mountains that we can rebuild soil and regenerate the land and heal the planet. We can restore soil fertility, improve water cycles, and sequester carbon in the soil. Be the change and start planting today. Let the microbes, bacterial, fungus, amoeba do the job that nature has bestowed on them. The world needs your voice now. Mother earth needs you to take action and start growing organic food. Be that change and reverse climate change through planting trees, crops, vegetables, flowers…. Just plant something today. Any plant is better than no plant. So plant your Climate Garden and share your stories with us.

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How to fix the soil by restoring organic matter to improve crop yield, s...

Soil nutrients for optimal plants growth and production

Soil nutrients for optimal plants growth and production

Healthy and fertile soil needs adequate supply of nutrients for optimum plants growth. The major nutrients in the soil for plant growth are Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (p) and Potassium (K) which make up the trio known as N-P-K. These nutrients are absorbed by the plants for root development (N & P), growth (N), flowering (P) and fruiting (K). Other important nutrients are Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg) and Sulphur (S). Plants also need trace elements like Iron (Fe), Manganese (Mn), Zinc (Zn), Copper (Cu), Boron (B) and Molybdenum (Mo). These nutrients should be constantly replace else production will decline with decreasing amount of soil nutrients. These nutrient must be balance. A deficiency of one nutrients cannot be compensated by the surplus of the other.

Essential soil nutrients for optimum plants growth

The concept of limiting factor states that plants growth is always controlled by the mineral nutrients in shortest supply, even when sufficient quantity of the other nutrients exist. Imagine a wooden bucket with staves of different length. If water is filled in the bucket, it can be filled only to the height of the shortest stave – the limiting factor. In nature, N is almost always limiting in plant growth.

Liebig's law of limiting factor

Major element (N-P-K)

Nitrogen (N): Nitrogen is found in plant cells, proteins, hormones and chlorophyll. It is a very essential element in plant growth. The main source of soil N is from the atmosphere. Legumes fix atmospheric nitrogen in their roots thereby helping to convert atmospheric N into soil nitrate that plants can easily absorb. Dark soils usually contain more N than light brown soil. Heavy rain usually leached out nitrate from the soil, so it should be added in small amount that plant can effectively use it – preferable in organic form like composted manure which release the nitrate slowly.

Phosphorus (P): Phosphorus stimulates early root development, photosynthesis and plant growth. It also transfer energy from sunlight to plants and hasten maturity of plants as it helps plant to produce flowering site and produce large buds. Manure contains P especially grain-fed animal manure like chicken manure.

Potassium (K): Potassium helps plant to resist diseases and increase flowering and fruit production. It enhance strong root growth, water intake and helps to form and move starch, sugar and oil in plants. It enhance plants vigour, disease resistant capacity and yield. Cassava and bananas are big potassium users.

Secondary nutrients (Ca-Mg-S)

Calcium (Ca): Calcium is vital for healthy roots and leaves development. It helps produce strong cells and root walls.

Magnesium (Mg): Magnesium is a key component of chlorophyll which makes leaves green. Chlorophyll is vital for converting sun’s energy to food for the plant in a process call photosynthesis. Magnesium also helps with production of carbohydrates and sugars to enhance flowering. Deficiencies occur mainly on sandy acid soils in high rainfall areas.

Sulphur (S): Sulfur is a major constituent of amino acids in plant proteins. It is involved in energy-producing processes in plants. It helps produce chlorophyll and play a vital roles in foliage and root development. It is responsible for many the flavour in many plants like onions, cabbage, garlic etc. Sulfur deficiency is not a problem in soils high in organic matter.

Micro- nutrients: These are trace elements that are needed in small quantities for healthy plant growth

Iron (Fe): Iron regulate and promote growth, components of enzymes, essential for chlorophyll synthesis, photosynthesis

Manganese (Mn): Manganese helps with photosynthesis, chloroplast formation, cofactor in many plant reaction, activate enzymes

Copper (Cu): Copper is an essential element of plant enzymes, involved in photosynthesis

Zinc (Zn): Zinc supports the production of plant hormones and auxins activity which are responsible for stem elongation and leaf expansion

Boron (B): Boron enhances the formation of cell wall in growing tissues. Important in sugar transport, cell division and amino acid production

Molybdenum (Mo): Needed by soil organism and bacterial in the nodules of legumes to convert atmospheric nitrogen into soluble nitrogen compounds in the soil like nitrate. It is vital in proteins formation from nitrates.

Chlorine (Cl): Used in turgor regulation, aid photosynthesis, resist diseases

Symptoms of nutrients deficiency in Plants 

Plants need the right combination of nutrients to live, grow and reproduce.  They often show symptoms of being unhealthy when they lack these nutrients. Below are some of the symptoms of nutrients deficiency that can be identify on the plant. 

Nutrients imbalance

Too little or too much of any one nutrient can cause problems of nutrients imbalance. So it is good to fertilize lightly and monitor or you test the soil before adding much fertilizer. Nutrients interacts with each other either synergistically to increase the uptake of one another or antagonistically to fight each other and lock each other out. Check the soil to make sure nutrients are not locked out of the plants and building up in the soil before adding supplemented nutrients. The Mulder’s chart specifically shows which nutrients in the soil increases (synergy) or decreases (antagonism) availability of the other nutrients in the soil.

Important plant nutrients across different growth stages 

Since different nutrients have different functions, the nutrient needs of a plant also changes from propagation to early vegetation, late vegetation to flowering. It begins with strong root development which require N. At early vegetation stage, the need of N and K increase to produce more leafy growth, horizontal branching and tight internodes. When flowering time arrives, N levels drops off and P intake increases slightly as the focus now is to produce dense, potent flowers. When the fruits are about to ripe, the need for K start increasing.

We recommend that you you stick to a N:K ratio of 5:4 during vegetative stage and drop it gradually to 2:3 during flowering. Research have shown that too much phosphorus during flowering may leads to many smaller nuts, but not bigger nuts and the need for P is pretty low throughout plant's life cycle. The Ca:Mg ration should be kept at 3:1 to balance charges and enhance uptake of plant nutrients. 

Change of nutrients requirement over different plant stages

In our next write-up, we shall discuss how to add these nutrients to the soil in naturally. We shall be uploading videos soon on our youtube channel. Subscribe to our channel, like, comment and hit on the notification button to keep up with update. Like our facebook page and follow us on instagram and twitter 

Crop & Livestock Integrated Farming System - Manure as fertilizer

 

Crop-livestock integrated farming system - cocoa, coffee, palms, fruit trees…

Coffee and cocoa plantations are dominated by smallholder farmers who play an important role in national economy. These smallholder farmers are facing problems with low productivity, low quality of products, un-used waste and dependence on external inputs. So most farmers are increasingly using inorganic fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides to boost production and control diseases and pests in agroforestry. This has led to an increase in external input cost, health risks and ecosystem pollution. To address these issues, we shall be looking at a more eco-friendly way of increasing crop production and profit at low cost, zero waste and minimal health risks through crop-livestock integrated farming e.g rearing goats, pigs and poultry in cocoa, coffee, oil palms, rubber and fruit trees farms.

Crop-Livestock integrated farming system

This practice integrates crop and livestock systems. Livestock play an important role in global food production and in agricultural and rural economies in many developing regions. The crop-livestock integration system is a sustainable, effective, efficient and environmentally friendly system of crops and livestock that builds explicitly between biomass-producing and processing, waste management, water use, energy generation and soil nutrient conservation. It provide opportunities for maintaining and extending biodiversity, livelihood diversification, provision of alternative income streams and increase crop yield at low input cost which makes this farming system more viable and profitable.

An integrated farming system consists of a range of resource-saving practices that aim to achieve acceptable profits, high and sustained production levels, while minimizing the negative effects of intensive farming and preserving the environment. The crops produce abundant animal feed as folders and crop residues. The trimmed cocoa leaves/rind, fruit leaves, cassava/beans/maize leaves and crop residues are used as supplementary feed for animals to raise body weight gain. The animals graze under the trees/plants and provide manures which are used as a source of organic fertilizer for plant/trees. The animals are also sold to provide additional source of income to the farmers. This system lead to zero waste as plants waste are used to feed animals and animals waste are used to fertilize the soil. Crop-livestock integration can also reduce the cost of controlling weeds. Birds prefer grass and smaller weeds while goats and pigs prefer foraging on broader leaves.

The benefits of integrated livestock-crop systems

Integrated farming systems optimize resource utilization through beneficial synergies rather than maximization of individual elements in the system.

Agronomy – enhance the productive capacity of the land, enhance land utilization, increase soil fertility, control weed and pests

 Social - create jobs in rural areas, reduce poverty, reduce urbanization, improve livelihoods and enhance food security

Economical -   products diversification, increase crop yields, reduce input cost, reduce livestock costs, increase livestock productivity and provide multiple income streams

Health - reduce health risks from chemicals, halt malnutrition (Animal - protein, Cereals - carbohydrate, Fruits - vitamin/minerals)

Environmental – Strengthen crop resilience, enhance soil micro-organism and biological activity, improve soil structure, reduce erosion, increase soil organic matter and nutrient cycling, reduce ecosystem pollution from external inputs, result to zero-waste, reduce draught and restore ecosystems.

Animal manure as organic fertilizers

Manures are plant and animal wastes that are used as sources of plant nutrients. They release nutrients when they decompose. Manure is an important by-product of the mixed crop–livestock farming systems in Sub-Saharan Africa and a traditional source of nutrients for farm crops. It remains a low cost soil fertility investment niche which farmers should exploit. Manure is a valuable source of nutrients, organic matter and renewable energy. It contains soil nutrients and organic matter which is vital in maintaining and improving soil health and soil fertility. Hence, application of manure as a fertilizer is essential in maintaining and improving food security and livelihoods. Therefore ‘Manure is food security’. At Suzy-Farms we focus on raising goats/sheep, poultry and pigs for both meat and manure production.

Goat feces

Goat manure: Each goat can produce 0.6-2.5L of urine per day and 2.68kg of feces per day, which can be processed into organic fertilizer for the plants/trees. Each hectare can accommodate 4-10 goats to provide enough fertilizer from their feces. Goat manure contains 69.2% organic matter, 4.9% Nitrogen (N), 4.1% phosphorus (P), 1.9% Potassium (K), 1% Calcium (Ca) and 0.9% Magnesium (Mg). Goat manure has less odour than other types of manure and is much drier and easy to spread and work with. It is a good soil conditioner rich in Nitrogen. It improves soil texture which provide a good environment for roots to grow and also provide good water retention capacity. It can be collected and loosely spread on farms or composted for four months before used. Goat manure is the best animal manure for healthy soil, healthier plants and increases crop yield.

Poultry manure: The average nutrient content of poultry manure are 3.1% Nitrogen, 2.6% Phosphorus and 1.4% Potassium. It is also an important source of micronutrient such as Zinc (Zn), Cupper (Cu), Iron (Fe), and Manganese (MN). Chicken manure is rich in phosphorus and should be composted for 4-6 weeks before usage in farms to avoid leaching. About 15-30 birds will provide good manure per hectare.

Pig manure: A big boar produces about 7kg of feces and 7kg of urine per day. This contain 25% organic matter, 0.5% N and 0.4% P. Three to six pigs per hectare can provide enough fertilization without adverse effect.

Actualization at Suzy-Farms

Chickens foraging on farms

We have partition our 200ha of land into planting blocks of 6ha with roads (6m wide) around each block to ease management. Within each block we have pens for 150 chickens, 20 pigs and 50 goats. We do free-range or pasture grazing within our permaculture blocks with perennial crops like cocoa, coffee, oil palms, fruit trees and rubber. Within our vegetables and food crop blocks, the pigs and goats are confine on suspended pens to ease collection of feces and urine. These waste are composted for 4 months before usage as fertilizers on vegetable beds and crop fields. 

Advantages of organic manure

1.     It provides natural fertilizer and reduce external input cost

2.     It helps in the slow release process of the nutrients and reduces leaching

3.     It helps to reduce the alkalinity of the soil

4.     It improves soil organic matter and quality

5.     It prevents soil pollution from inorganic fertilizer

6.     It serves as a source of energy for micro-organism which are beneficial to the soil and plants

7.     It increases soil humus content which enhance the water retention capacity of the soil

How to control Pests & Diseases in organic coffee agroforestry

 

Pests and diseases control in organic coffee agroforestry

Coffee is a perennial plantation crop which is often cultivated under agroforestry ecosystem. There are 2 species of coffee; Arabica and Robusta; which are grown under prolong wet weather conditions and invariably suffer from pests and diseases which reduce crop yield and quality. It is therefore important for farmers to identify these pests and diseases at an early stage and take appropriate action to keep plant healthy and prevent crop loss. Arabica coffee is more susceptible to pests and diseases than Robusta coffee. Below are the symptoms and control measures of 15 different coffee pests and diseases which need regular plant protection measures for improved crop production.

1.     Scale  (Coccus viridis)

Green coffee scale is a serious pest. The scale sucks sap from plants and produce honeydew. This encourages growth of sooty mould which reduce leaf area for photosynthesis. Scale infestation could drastically reduce the growth and yield of coffee berries. 

Coffee scale on leaf

Symptoms: A black sooty mould often develops on the leaves and attract ants. They are concentrated on the veins of the leaves and tips of new shoots. The tree can drop it leaves if badly affected.

Control: - Natural predators such as ladybug and wasps will reduce the scale infestation

• Soak 1 kg of tobacco in 2 liter of water for 2 nights. After 2 nights, you remove the tobacco, add 1/2kg of washing powder and fill up to 20 litter. Spray weekly for 4 weeks.
• Mix 200ml of mineral oil in 20L of water. Shake and spray to cover the scales.

2.  Aphids (Toxoptera aurantii)

Coffee Aphid

 Aphids occurs on new shoots often in the raining season. They suck sap from the young shoots and can damage the developing shoots. 

Symptoms: Aphids are often associated with black sooty mould and the large numbers of small black aphids are concentrated on new shoots

Control: - Add neem oil 10ml + liquid soup 2ml in 1L of water, shake well and use to spay aphid.

3.     Stem-borers (red - Zeuzera coffeae & white - Xylotrechus quadripes)

White stem borer

There are 2 types of stem borers – Red and White. The red borer has white and black spotted wings and its larvae tunnel through the top coffee branches causing them to sometimes break off. The white stem-borer is an active black and white banded beetle of about 2cm long. Its larvae are laid in cracks, crevices, loose scaly barks and thick branches. These larvae then enter the heart of the wood and tunnel even right to the roots. 

Symptoms: Stem-borer causes the leaves to wilt and eventually result to dead trees or branches that often breaks off.

Control: - Good shade and higher altitude reduce the incidence of stem-borer infestation

•  Prune and burn affected trees or branches with borers. 
• Avoid planting seedlings with twisted taproots because they develop to week trees that are easily infested by stem-borer.

Red stem borer

• Phyto-sanitary measures -remove any loose barks and thick coffee leaves where eggs are laid
• Frequent pruning and desuckering.
• Spray with 3% neem oil every 2 weeks.
• Apply 10% lime to main stem and thick branches

4   Coffee cherry borer (Hypothenemus hampei)

Coffee cherry borer

Coffee berry borer is a small black beetle (2mm) covered in thick hairs that bores into the berries through the navel region. They borer tunnel and lay eggs in hard beans, the eggs hatch within 10 days and the larvae further feed and tunnel into the beans. 

Symptoms: The young green cherries often drops or are damaged and could result to 50% loss in yield.

Control: - Prune coffee to keep bush as open as possible 

• Good drainage system to create a less humid environment for the beetle       

• Optimal shade to reduce heat – at high temperature the female borer lay more eggs, tunnel deeper and travel fast from berry to berry. 
•  Natural enemies of borer include wasp, Soldier ants, white footed ant and birds which feed on cherry borers especially under shade
• Neem oil spray repels (80%) and kills (65%) borer. Also try Eucalyptus oil
•  Leucaena Leucocephala
• Phyto-sanitation and hygiene - complete harvest, pick and burn all fallen berries
• Use alcohol such as ethyl alcohol and methyl alcohol (1:1) to trap borers 
• Quarantine infested cherries
• Dry of cherry to 12% moisture levels
• Use traps for adult borers
•  Release of parasitoid Cephalonomia stephanoderis in field, post-harvest to reduce  any inoculation over crop residues

5   Mealybug (Planococcus spp )

Coffee mealybug

Mealybugs are small sucking insects (3mm long) that are covered with a white mealy wax and feed on young shoots and roots. Serious infestation occurs where insecticides have been used before to kill all natural enemies of mealybug, especially in the dry season. 

Symptoms: White waxy colonies on underside of tender leaves, young shoots and around berries. Its often occurs together with heavy infestation of black sooty mould.

 Control:  - Ladybird, parasitic wasp and lacewings are very effective predators of mealybug.

• Neem oil (3%) spray is effective against mealy bugs and other sucking pest
• Maintain Proper shade management
• Circle root area with neem oil solution

6     Leaf miner (Leucoptera coffeina)

Coffee leaf miner

Leave miner is common with shaded coffee plantation 

Symptoms: Transparent areas in leaf with larvae (6mm long) under the leaf.

Control: None needed

7.    Termites: Make sure you remove dead woods from coffee plantation so ants don’t feed on it.

***Diseases: Coffee diseases affect plants in nursery as well as on the plantation. Coffee nursery are susceptible to Damping-off and brown leaf spot (cercospora leaf spot). Coffee plantation diseases include Cercospora leaf spot, coffee leaf rust, black sooty mould and Anthracnose (on bearing coffee trees) which often leads to overbearing dieback.

8.     Seedlings: damping-off (Pythium spp.)

Soft rotten stem

This is a fungus that attacks young seedlings after germination. It is cause by soil fungus, wet soil, high planting density and insufficient drying of soil due to much shade cover.

Symptoms: Soft and rotten coffee stem 

Control: - Always use new soil for nursery bed or pots

• Don’t water too m
• Plant seeds about 10cm apart – not too close

9.     Brown eye spot

Brown eye spot

 Cercospora leaf spot is a common nursery disease that occurs when the seedlings are stress out due to poor management. It is often cause by wet soil, poor air circulation, much shade cover and inadequate nitrogen and potassium. 

 Symptoms: Brown spot on leaves which appears as patches of burnt leave.

 Control: - Avoid much watering, maintain below 50% shade cover, 

•   Space seedlings to allow air circulation.

10.  Cercospora 

Berry blotch

This is cause by insufficient shade, inadequate leave nitrogen and potassium, excessive weed, and stress from drought and sun exposure.

Symptoms:  -  It appears as brown eye spot on leaves and sometimes on berries as berry blotch.

• Dark brown, sunken, necrotic spot on berries

Control: - Maintain 50% shade cover 

• Avoid sun scorching on berries and mulch
• Spray the developing berries with 1.0% Bordeaux mixture

 11.  Coffee leaf rust (Hemileia vastatrix)

Arabica coffee is susceptible to leaf rust especially in poorly shaded conditions and lower altitude. The leaf often drops off in severe conditions. The Catimor variety is more resistant to leaf rust.

Symptoms:

Coffee leaf rust

Pale yellow spot on leaves that expand into a powdery yellow to orange circle of about 2cm in diameter. Older rust spores become brown at the center, the leaf drops-off, dieback sets in and yield are drastically reduced. The berries become small, unripe and turn black.

Control: - Increase soil health by enhancing soil organic matter.

• Maintain 50% shade cover,
• Plant Arabica coffee only at high altitude of more than 1000m above sea leves
• Plant rust tolerant variety such as Catimor,
• Regular pruning of infested area
• Monthly spray of Bordeaux mixture (0.5%) from March to October. Especially before the flowers blossom and also in die-back areas.

12.  Sooty mould - (Capnodium spp.)

Coffee sooty mould

 The fungus appears when the plant is infested by pest such as scale, mealybugs and aphids. Ants care for the scales and further spread the sooty mould as they move around.

Symptoms: Black soot powder on leaf.

Control: - Control the pests and the disease will disappear.

• Spray plants with 1kg fish oil resin soap + 1kg starch in 200 litres of water

 13.  Anthracnose (Colletotrichum gloeosporioides Penz.)

It often occurs during dry season and affects leaves, twigs and cherries; causing leave necrosis, twig die-back and beans brown blight.

Dark brown sunken spots

Symptoms: - Leaf necrosis – round dark brown spots which become sever during hot sun burnt 

• Twig die-back – yellowing of affected leaf area, twig wilt, defoliate and the tips die off
• Brown blight – Dark sunken lesion on cherries

Control: - Maintain healthy soil

• Prune affected plants in March
• Maintain overhead shade and mulch plant
• Protect plants by spraying 0.5% Bordeaux mixture in March, May and October

 14.  Overbearing or dieback

Coffee overbearing or dieback

This is actually a physiological problem and not a disease. So many cherries develop and all the nutrients move from the leaves to the cherries causing the leaves to fall off and dieback. The plant becomes weak and eventually the roots also dieback resulting to more leaves lost.  Health of the plant reduce and it finally dies out. 

Symptoms: -   Leaf loss, branch & root dieback

• Premature hard black cherries,
• Alternative bearing (one year much cherries, next year few cherries)
• Plants shrinks and die off

Control: -    Maintain 50% shade cover,

• Enhance organic matter for soil and plant health
•  Enhance nitrogen and potassium (nitrogen fixation trees)

15.  Black rot (Koleroga noxia)

This devastating pathogen infects leaves, developing berries and tender roots. They are also host to trees like oranges, pear, fig etc.

Symptoms: Black & rotten leaves, berries and young twigs. White mycelial strand running along the twig, petiole and spread to lower surface of leaf. Defoliation, loss of berries from infected branches and dieback

Control: -    Pruning of blighted twigs and infected berries along with mycelial thread

• Use of resistant varieties
• Biological control with parasitic fungus like Gliocladium spp., Trichoderma spp., Verticillium spp.
• Pruning and reducing shade before rain begins
• Avoid overcrowding and maintain good air circulation
• Prophylactic sprays of Bordeaux mixture (1%) on leaves and developing berries

Coffee black rot

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