How do farmers deal with the rust disease on coffee leaves?

Rust disease is also known as la roya (in Spanish). This is a parasitic fungus that infects coffee. Scientists believe that rust may have originated in coffee’s homeland, Ethiopia, and then spread to other regions such as Central America.

Infected plants often develop yellow spots on the underside of the leaves, which then develop into orange-yellow powdery dust. This causes the tree to lose its leaves and lose the ability to photosynthesize and grow fruit, affecting productivity. Additionally, rust is a highly contagious disease. Because its spores are very light and powdery, they are easily dispersed by wind and rain.

Plants infected with rust often have yellow spots on the underside of the leaves

If not treated promptly, the disease can spread throughout the farm and surrounding areas. For example, in the late 19th century, Sri Lanka was one of the world’s largest coffee producers, exporting more than 100 million pounds a year. But in 1892, a leaf rust epidemic wiped out almost all coffee trees on the island nation, causing producers to switch to growing tea. According to World Coffee Research, more than 1.7 million coffee workers have lost their jobs due to rust disease. It also caused $3.2 billion in damages and lost income during an epidemic that began in 2011.

Rust is very contagious and causes damage to a large area

A Doctor of Plant Pathology at Cornell University mentioned that eliminating rust disease in coffee leaves is challenging. The disease situation and the effectiveness of treatment methods also depend on the weather and many other factors. Therefore, farmers must be very careful in implementing disease prevention and control measures. One of the prevention measures applied by many farmers is to use disease-resistant varieties such as Castillo and Caturra. However, some farmers still decide to use rare varieties with weaker pest resistance because of the flavor quality and uniqueness of the product.

Many farmers use disease-resistant varieties to prevent rust

In parallel, coffee farms carefully monitor crops, pruning when appropriate and treating infected trees with fungicides before rust has a chance to spread. Soil and plants are always kept in a healthy state by fertilizing and controlling pests on a schedule. Many farmers keep records of rust outbreaks and weather conditions at the time. This will help them identify patterns and better prepare for future waves of infection.

Farmers need to carefully monitor crops and prune growing areas regularly

It can be seen that making a quality cup of coffee is not simple. Farmers need to put in a lot of effort during the process of selecting varieties, planting, and producing. However, if there is a disease outbreak, it can cause the growing area to lose everything. So, they can get a price worth the effort. If you want to support, please visit and choose specialty coffee beans from famous growing regions around the world at XLIII Coffee!

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