No More Crisis in the Crops—Guatemalan Coffee Plants Found to Be Resistant to Infectious Fungus
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With recent news of vampire-like parasitic plants and the West African outbreak of Ebola, it has become ever-apparent that disease and pestilence can take a serious toll on every species including humans. But have you given much thought to what could be threatening your morning cup of joe?
Throughout most of Central America, in regions prime for coffee plantations, lies a fungus who also happens to love its morning brew. Thought to have originated in the coffee plantations of Africa, Hemileia vastatrix more commonly known as "roya" is a pestilent fungus known to cause disease in the species Coffea arabica-otherwise known as coffee. Taking its toll on a number of nations, often leading to a necessary shift towards alternative crops like tea and rubber, the fungus has not only caused the collapse of the coffee market time and again, but also the financial collapse of many developing nations that rely heavily on the trade of coffee beans.
In the heart of Central America, where coffee is abundant and a strong source of income, came news last month of a turn in the tides. In 2012, Guatemala was hit by roya and the effects were devastating to the general populous. When it first arose, nearly 70 percent of all crops were infected, and by the next year when only 12 percent of the original crops were left untouched the nation was forced to declare the crisis as a "state of emergency". But coffee growers and government officials are looking forward, now that news has come from the nation's coffee association about a strain of the species that is resistant to roya.
At the 25th meeting of the National Coffee Congress, the Guatemalan National Coffee Association (Anacafé) revealed a new plant they named "Anacafé-14" that could change the Guatemalan coffee industry as it stands today. The new crossing was a natural occurrence that occurred between the 1984 and Cantimor Pacamara plants in the small village of El Tesoro near the border of Honduras.
"Coffee grower of the village Francisco Manchamé first identified the plants and began to select the best fruits to use as seeds, to produce a new generation with outstanding features" Anacafé spokesperson said. "The resulting natural cross produced a vigorous plant with even larger fruits."
Realizing the genetic potential of these coffee plants, Anacafé began a stringent six year process of testing the plot to experimentally validate the strand's characteristics. And what they found is changing the face of coffee in Central America.
"After six years of research into the soil and climate factors, we found that Anacafé-14 has a variety of valuable features, such as rust (roya) and drought resistance, as well as an excellent vegetative vigor with extremely high productivity" Anacafé spokesperson said.
In a meeting with the press Anacafé President Nils Leporowski discussed his hopes for the changing horticultural practices in Guatemala. And even in the face of recent increases in roya, running rampant due to local heatwaves in plantation areas, Leporowski promised that this new plant would help the industry rebound after its long-fought bout with pestilence.
