ISHS Acta Horticulturae 275: International Symposium on the Culture of Subtropical and Tropical Fruits and Crops
MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS CONDUCIVE TO HIGH PRODUCTION OF QUALITY COFFEE IN SOUTH-CENTRAL AFRICA |
| Author: | P.G. Naylor |
| Abstract:
Arabica coffee is grown in East Africa under a bimodal rainfall pattern at attitudes between 1 400 m – 2 000 m above sea level. Attempts to establish coffee in Zimbabwe in the 1960's showed that the conventional East African system of production was not suited to the monomodal rainfall and altitudes below 1 000 m. A new system of management was developed which has now been adopted by the rapidly expanding estate coffee sector of Malawi. By exploiting the fast growing conditions, adequate rainfall and high year-round temperatures, yields in excess of 3.0 tonnes of clean coffee per hectare are obtained regularly where supplementary irrigation is applied. Yields of 5.0 tonnes are possible and individual field yields in excess of 7.0 tonnes have been recorded. The development and components of the system are described. Such a highly productive system is, however, accompanied by numerous problems, of which diseases, pests and nutritional disorders are paramount. The coffee research unit was established in 1988 at the Tea Research Foundation. | |
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