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Genetic breeding.
The main objective is to develop higher
yielding, better quality and resilient varieties. It is equally
important that genetic improvement based on selective
breeding contributes to the long-term sustainability of coffee
cultivation.Researchonvarieties thatare lesswaterdemanding
is similarly important. The future of the coffee industry is to
focus coffee research on developing varieties that can cope
with erratic climatic conditions and remain highly productive
without compromising the quality and flavour (the cup). The
researchershave toscratch their brains toaddress this. Itmay
require national, regional or global collaboration but it has to
be done if the consumer is to continue enjoying his cup of
coffee and the farmer assured of his livelihood.
Development of Resistant Lines:
In case of Coffee Leaf
Rust, and in areas that are severely hit, farmers must start
from scratch by planting new coffee trees although fungicide
can similarly contain the spread of the disease. While some
producing countries like Columbia have developed Leaf Rust
Resistant trees andhave investedextensively in replanting the
improved varieties, Uganda’s Catmors which have resistance
to the same were not embraced by the industry because of
thecupquality and thereforemore researchneeds tobedone
in this field.
ResearchersattheNationalCoffeeResearch Institute (NaCORI)
are advising farmers to use various means to manage the
black coffee twig borer and these include: daily inspection
of the fields, applying good farming systems and practices
like clean weeding, proper spacing, pruning & de-suckering
to avoid bushiness, Cutting and burning or burying infested
materials on alternate hosts, managing but not eliminating
shade, improvingplant vigor by applyingmanure, and artificial
fertilizers and soil fertility and moisture management among
others. There are some chemicals that are recommended
like tebuconazole (Orius) and imidacloprid (Imaxi/Confidor/
Kohinor).
Other on-going and future research at the Institute include:
·
Identifying and screening sources of resistance
in bothRobusta andArabica since farmers and
extensionworkers have observed less damage on
more robust Robusta coffee trees;
·
Determining spread and impact - distributionmap
and a national database
·
Determiningdiversity of BCTB, pathogenicity and
relationshipbetweenBCTB& fungal complex;
·
Searching formore alternate hosts;
·
Determiningbiotic and abiotic factors influencing
BCTB spread andpopulation dynamics;
·
Chemical ecology studies – for developing
attractants (lures)/repellents
·
Determining yield losses, Economic Injury Level (EIL)
and cost: benefit:
·
Stock-taking of existingBCTBmanagement
strategies and farmers’ copingmethods
·
Developing anddisseminating an IntegratedPest
Management package formanagingBCTB.
In terms of Arabica, Trials are on-going for Coffee Leaf Rust
(CLR) and higher Arabica yielding varieties. NaCORI has
initiatedstudies toquantifygeneticdiversityandalsodetermine
the geographical distribution of existingCLR races inUganda
byuseofmolecularmarkers. It hasalsocontinued tocarryout
variousactivitiesaimingat establishinganArabicacoffeegerm
plasm at Kituuza and Bugusege, with genotypes of known
characteristics, ready for use in the breedingprogramme.
TheNational BCTB andCLRAwareness campaigns are also
going on about themanagement options.
Shade Management Systems and plant density:
Use
of shade tree is highly recommended in order to decrease
air temperatures and increase humidity. It also reduces
soil and water losses. Here all crop residues are returned
to the soil as compared to open fields. In fact improved
residue management, water conservation, soil structure,
nutrient cycling, decreased soil acidification, organic matter
mineralization, nutrient leaching and runoff are important
reasons for recommending higher coffee population density
in some producer countries because it is believed to increase
yields andminimize soil nutrients andorganicmatter losses in
addition to increasing soil fertility.
The major drawback here is that many recommended trees
act as hosts to pests and diseases especially the Black
Coffee Twig Borer that affects the Robusta coffee in Uganda.
These include but not limited to Albizia, nongo, musambya,
mutuba, musasa, mugavu, Grevillia. Other hosts include
mango, avocado, jackfruit, Forest trees– eucalyptus, musizi
among others. This has left many farmers in dilemma with
no clear direction. Researchers therefore need to create a
clear inventory of shade trees appropriate for different agro-
ecological zones.
Strategies todiversifyout of coffee:
Todatediversification
hasprovenparticularlychallenging,mainlybecauseof the lack
of adequatesubstitutecashcrops.Coffeecanbe intercropped
with a number of food crops like bananas, beans, cabbages,
cassavaandmaize though the latter twoarenot recommended
because they are heavy feeders yet realistically cannot be
contested because farmers need food. This maximizes land
utilisation, ensures food security and bring in extra income
from sell of excess food. On the other hand some previous
coffee farmers have ventured into sugarcane and tea. These
cannot be intercropped and are posing a high risk of food
security.Many farmers havebeen reduced to foodbeggarsor
hiring out their labour in order to get food.
Coffee growing has been part of Uganda’s lifestyle and the
knowledge of coffee growing has been passed over from
generation to generation in households; the indigenous
knowledge in the face of climate variability and change
has been used as a coping mechanism and should be
harnessed. However, environmentalists and sustainability
thinking individuals believe that increasingdemand andprices
therefrommight create economic incentives to move coffee
farming tonewareas andcausedeforestationwithall itsbitter
consequences for local ecosystems and thereby accelerate
the effects of climate change. Government needs to come up
with clear policies and guidelines for the smallhoder farmers
on how to manage climate change for sustainable coffee
production.
