Investigations on A Disease of Coffea Arabica Caused By A Form of' Colletotrichum Coffeanum Noack.

Abstract

By the use of certain techniques, the inoculum production by different portions of the bearing wood of coffee trees can be determined. Conidia from infected fruit were found to play only a minor part in the spread of coffee berry disease; conidial production from bearing wood is responsible for the level of disease in any season. The region of maximum crop density on the bearing wood coincides with that of maximum inoculum production. Control measures directed not at protecting the developing fruit, but at reducing the amount of inoculum produced by the branches, give satisfactory results. The importance of this in relation to control measures, and to the geographical spread of the disease, is discussed.