Dr. Pereira and M.S. Pereira on Coffee Disease

Dr. Pereira is a microbiologist & a coffee farmer and owns the Kirehully Estate in the Western Ghats, in Hassan District, India. Ms. Geeta Pereira, wife of Dr. Anand Pereira is a horticulturist and a coffee farmer.

Coffee is susceptible to a number of soil borne pathogens & diseases - what control strategies do you employ in India to address this issue?

The world over, commercially grown coffees are the Arabica’s and Robusta’s. Both these coffees are susceptible to a number of soil borne pathogens.

• Root diseases are of four types namely (a) brown root disease caused by Fomes noxius, (b) red root disease caused by Poria hypolateritia Berk, (c) black root disease caused by Rosellinia bunodes ( B. & BR. ) Sacc., (d) Rosellina arcuata Petch and Santavery root disease caused by Fusarium oxysporum f.sp.coffeae.
• Coffee trunk canker (coffee stem disease) caused by Ceratocystis fimbriata EII & Halst
• Collar rot caused by Rhizoctonia solani Kuhn.
• Black rot commonly refered to as koleroga and the casual organism responsible is Koleroga noxia.
• Anthracnose of coffee caused by the fungus Colletotrichum gloeosporioides Penz. The fungus inhabits the bark of various trees and finally infects coffee.

Control Strategies:

• BIOLOGICAL
  We have in a very limited scale experimented with the use of bacterial and fungal strains to combat soil borne pathogens but the success rate is very limited. We have also tried to introduce these biocontrol agents into compost pits to enable their rapid multiplication and survival and then use this compost for field application. Our observations reveal that application of lime and heavy dozes of compost reduces the virulence of the pathogen.
  BACTERIA: Pseudomonas spp, Bacillus spp
  FUNGUS: Trichoderma harzianum , Trichoderma viridae
  
  More research needs to be done to get better results under field application. We are also trying to improve the organic matter and humus content of the soil to stimulate the growth and multiplication of beneficial microorganisms which in turn will combat soil borne pathogens. These soil amendments provide a source of food for beneficial soil microorganisms that can inhibit the development of plant pathogens.
  
  
• CHEMICAL
  In affected areas the soil is heavily limed and then drenched with Bavistin a soil fungicide.

Is loss from diseases a big issue with your farm?

No.

What are some of the commonly-met Pest & diseases in your farm?

Shot hole borer & berry borer, coffee root rot, tree root rot.

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