Coffee Tree Health & Nutrition & Soil Health
Tree health, vigor and the productivity, development, and quality of fruit including coffee fruit, is dependent on many factors including, but not limited to:
While the factors above are important for overall plant and soil health, the main cause of CLR epidemics (severe cases) is high tree yield coupled with the absence or lack of fertilization. The 2012-2013 CLR epidemic in Central America was an unfortunate example of the impact of reducing and misusing inputs such as fertilizers and fungicides. Proper fertilization and soil pH, a reduction in fruit load, and other plant nutrition-related influences can lessen or cancel out the effects of CLR severity. But the application of fertilizers without consideration of type, amount, timing, and frequency is not a guarantee of reducing a CLR epidemic. Other factors of CLR severity include tree susceptibility, localized climate, soil fertility, crop density, and the presence or absence of shade coupled with regional environmental factors such as rainfall.
Proper soil pH and fertility and tree health can help coffee trees recover from defoliation by having adequate nutrition and energy to regrow and replace dropped CLR-infected leaves with new, healthy ones. Branch death and yield losses can also be avoided with an effective fertilization and soil health program.
Research in Hawaii shows a general lack of (nutrients).
Below is some Hawaii-based research information.
Opinions or recommendations are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of their employers or funding agencies. Mention of a trademark or proprietary name does not constitute an endorsement, guarantee, or warranty by the University of Hawai‘i Cooperative Extension Service, Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service or its employees and does not imply recommendation to the exclusion of other suitable products.
- Soil type and condition (water and nutrient holding capacity, pH, anaerobic, etc.),
- Elevation, temperature, rainfall and other climatic or microclimatic conditions,
- Shade, partial shade or no shade plantings (cloud-cover, overstory trees, etc.),
- Intercropping (needs of coffee and other types of plants nearby),
- Presence or absence of ground cover and weeds,
- Coffee variety, cultivar, or selection,
- Grafted or non-grafted (seedling, cutting) tree and type of rootstock,
- Tree age,
- Root health (J-root, coffee root-knot nematode-infected, water-logged/deficient, etc.),
- Pest and disease absence, presence, and severity,
- Past and current use of organic and non-organic pesticides,
- Type of pruning and current phase of pruning cycle,
- Past fertilizer use, current levels and availability of nutrients in the soil and plant,
- Timing of applications, quantity, quality, and the type of fertilizers used, and
- Current, past, and future cherry yield.
While the factors above are important for overall plant and soil health, the main cause of CLR epidemics (severe cases) is high tree yield coupled with the absence or lack of fertilization. The 2012-2013 CLR epidemic in Central America was an unfortunate example of the impact of reducing and misusing inputs such as fertilizers and fungicides. Proper fertilization and soil pH, a reduction in fruit load, and other plant nutrition-related influences can lessen or cancel out the effects of CLR severity. But the application of fertilizers without consideration of type, amount, timing, and frequency is not a guarantee of reducing a CLR epidemic. Other factors of CLR severity include tree susceptibility, localized climate, soil fertility, crop density, and the presence or absence of shade coupled with regional environmental factors such as rainfall.
Proper soil pH and fertility and tree health can help coffee trees recover from defoliation by having adequate nutrition and energy to regrow and replace dropped CLR-infected leaves with new, healthy ones. Branch death and yield losses can also be avoided with an effective fertilization and soil health program.
Research in Hawaii shows a general lack of (nutrients).
Below is some Hawaii-based research information.
Opinions or recommendations are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of their employers or funding agencies. Mention of a trademark or proprietary name does not constitute an endorsement, guarantee, or warranty by the University of Hawai‘i Cooperative Extension Service, Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service or its employees and does not imply recommendation to the exclusion of other suitable products.