Arabica varieties
Sln 795, Sln 7, Sln 9, Sln 10, Cauvery and its selections HRC (Hawaian Red Cuturra), Chandragiri and San Ramon
Robusta varieties
Sln 274, Sln 270, Sln 3.
Soil –
Coffee can be grown on many different soil types, but the ideal is a fertile, volcanic red earth or a deep, sandy loam. Yellow-brown, high silt soils are less preferred. Avoid heavy clay or poor-draining soils. Most soils on the Bolovens Plateaux are volcanic red earths suitable for coffee.
Climate –
Coffee generally requires somewhat warm temperature with moderate rainfall. Complete answer: Coffee is a tropical plant which is also grown in a semi-tropical climate. This plant requires heat, humidity and abundant rainfall to grow and yield well. Coffee requires an average temperature of 15℃ to 28℃ .
Coffee crop is propagated by seeds.
Select light loamy soil of good drainage and high organic matter content with water
and shade facilities. Form raised beds of 15 cm height, 1m width and of convenient length.
Incorporate 30 – 40 kg of well rotten compost, 2 kg of finely sieved agricultural lime and 400
g of rock phosphate to a bed of 1 x 6 m size. In heavy soils, it is necessary to add coarse
sand for drainage and aeration.
Polythene bags with adequate number of holes in the bottom half are taken and are
filled with a prepared mixture containing jungle soil, FYM in the proportion of 6:2:1. An area
of 12 x 8 m can accommodate 5000 seedlings. Seedlings are planted in polythene bags.
June – September.
Arabica coffee: 1.5 to 2.0 m either way.
Dwarf varieties: San Ramon: 1 x 1 m.
Robusta coffee: 2.5 m either way.
It is generally grown as a rainfed crop. But irrigation with sprinkler during March –April increases blossoming and results in higher yields.
Species | Pre- Blossom March N:P2O5:K2O | Post – blossom May N:P2O5:K2O | Mid monsoon August N:P2O5:K2O | Post- monsoon October N:P2O5:K2O | Total |
Arabica | |||||
Young coffee 1st year after planting | 15:10:15 | 15:10:15 | — | 15:10:15 | 45:30:45 |
2nd and 3rd year | 20:10:20 | 20:10:20 | — | 20:15:20 | 60:45:60 |
4th year | 30:20:30 | 20:20:20 | — | 30:20:30 | 80:60:80 |
Bearing coffee 5 years and above for less than one tonne/ha crop | 40:30:40 | 40:30:40 | — | 40:30:40 | 140:90:120 |
For one tonne / ha and above | 40:30:40 | 40:30:40 | 40:30:40 | 40:30:40 | 160:120:160 |
Robusta | |||||
For less than one tonne/ ha crop | 40:30:40 | — | — | 40:30:40 | 80:60:80 |
For 1 tonne /ha and above | 40:30:40 | 40:30:40 | — | 40:30:40 | 120:90:120
|
Centering and desuckering should be carried out for 5-6 years after planting.Done immediately after the harvest (June-July and September – October) and till the onset of monsoon. Unproductive wood between all primaries, secondaries and tertiaries should be removed.
Rejuvenation / collar Pruning
Removal of dead, exhausted, dried and worn out branches. Done immediately after the harvest.
Hard pruning
Plants are cut at 5-20 cm above the ground level and one leader shoot is allowed.
Medium Pruning
Removal of lateral shoots to regulate shade.
Light pruning
Removal of Suckers.
Pests
1)White stem borer
Attacks arabica coffee grown under inadequate shade.
Maintain/create optimum shade
Borer infested plants should be thoroughly traced, uprooted during March and September, burnt to avoid economic loss during the subsequent years.
Install pheromone traps @ 25 /ha, if the incidence is high.
Remove the loose scaly bark on the main stem and thick primaries using coir glove or coconut husk.
Pad with chlorpyriphos 25% EC @ 5 ml by making a window in the stem at 5 cm x 5
cm and fill it with absorbant cotton dipped in insecticide solution and close it.
2)Berry borer
Carry out timely and thorough harvest.
Avoid gleanings as far as possible.
Pick up and destroy the gleanings.
Meticulously remove the leftover berries.
Remove offseason berries to save main crop.
Avoid excessive shade.
Prune plants properly to facilitate better ventilation and illumination.
While processing at the estate level, dry coffee berries to the prescribed moisture level :
Arabica / robusta parchment 10 %, Arabica cherry 10.5 % and robusta cherry 11.0 %.
3)Shot hole borer beetle
Attacks branches and suckers of robusta coffee. This pest thrives under heavy shade
and can be controlled by pruning the branches.
4)Green scales and mealy bugs:
Release coccinellid predator Cryptolaemus montrouzieri @ 300 beetles/acre.
Spray Lecanicillium lecanii @ 6 x 106 spores/ml or spray any one of the following insecticide:
Insecticide Dose
Oxydemeton –Methyl 25 % EC 2.5 ml/lit.
Quinalphos 25 % EC 2.5 ml/lit.
5)Leaf miner
Spray Oxydemeton –Methyl 25 % EC @ 2.5 ml/lit
1)Rust
Spray 0.5 % bordeaux mixture in February – March (Pre-bloom) followed by 0.03 % oxycarboxin in May – June (Pre-monsoon).
Repeat in July – August (mid-monsoon) and September – October (Post-monsoon) with any one of the above fungicides or
Spray 0.5 % bordeaux mixture during the month of June followed by 0.02 % triadimefon during September and 0.5 % bordeaux mixture during the month of December
CIB recommendation
Spray tebuconazole 50% + trifloxystrobin 25% WG @ 300 g/ha or pyroclostrobin 133g/l+ epoxiconazole 50 g/l SE @ 750 ml/ha.
2)Black rot or Koleroga
Centering and handling of the bushes should be done prior to the onset of South-West monsoon
Remove affected twigs
Spray 1% bordeaux mixture during break in monsoon
CIB recommendation
Spray tebuconazole 50 % + trifloxystrobin 25 % WG @ 300 g/ha
3)Collar rot
Treat the seeds with carbendazim @ 1 g/kg or carboxin @ 0.7 g/kg
Maintain filtered shade in nursery
Drench nursery beds with mancozeb or captan 0.5 g/l before sowing
4)Brown eye spot
Spray mancozeb @ 2 g/l or carbendazim @ 0.5 g/l durinf September month.
5)Black root rot
Dig out and burn infected bushes
Dig a trench 30 cm deep around affected spot along with a ring of healthy bushes
Prune the healthy bushes within and outside the trench to allow sunlight
Keep the trench free from fallen leaves
Do not replant for 18 months
Harvest starts during October and extends upto February. Coffee fruits should be
harvested as and when they become ripe. Coffee is just ripe when on gently squeezing the
fruits the beans inside come out easily.
Small scale picking of ripe berries during October to February
Well formed and ripened berries are harvested during December. Bulk of the yields
are obtained from this picking.
Dry parchment 750 – 1000 kg/ha.