Coffee is an evergreen perennial cash crop that forms small bush to tree. The self-pollinated plant belongs to the Rubiaceae family. Among the different coffee species, arabica and robusta are economically important ones. The coffee planted in Nepal is only Arabica type. The plant has two lateral branches coming out from each node of the plant called primary branches. It is a short-day plant that requires 8-11 hours of daylight.
Origin
The exact history of origin and
domestication of coffee remain unclear. But it is believed that arabica coffee
was originated from Kefa(Kaffa) of the Ethiopian plateau region and robusta
coffee was originated from the Congo of Central Africa.
History
There is an interesting story about the discovery
of Coffee. Legends say Kaldi, a goat herder in Ethiopia found out that after eating
berries from a certain tree his goats became energetic and they did not want to
sleep the whole night. He told it to the local abbot (male head of a monastery).
Abbot made a drink with berries and found out that it was very helpful to keep
him alert through the long hours of evening prayer. He then suggested the drink
to other priests and so the drink got popular.
By the 15th century, coffee was
grown in the Yemeni district of Arabia. Coffee was enjoyed in homes as well as
in public coffee houses called ‘qahweh khaweh’ from which the name coffee is
said to have been derived. By the 16th century, coffee was known to neighboring
countries of Arabia and by the 17th century, it became popular in
Europe.
Coffee was introduced in Nepal by Mr. Hira
Giri, who brought Coffee seeds from Myanmar(then Burma) and planted them in
Anpchaur of Gulmi district in 1995 BS. The seeds were distributed among neighbors
and soon the plant became popular. Now, the farmers and involved in the commercial
production of Coffee beans. In Nepal, total coffee production for 2019/20 was
296.5 metric tons in an area of 2,360 ha.
Top districts of Coffee production 2019/20
|
Production in Mt. ton |
Districts |
|
34 |
Kavrepalanchok |
|
24 |
Gulmi |
|
18.5 |
Ilam |
|
18 |
Lalitpur |
|
16 |
Nuwakot |
|
15 |
Syangja, Sindhupalchowk |
(Source: NTCDB,2021)
Coffee import-export Nepal
(Source: NTCDB,2021)
Climate
- Average annual temperature- 15-24 degrees Celcius
- Annual rainfall-1500-2000 mm
- Relative humidity- 70-80%
- Daylight hours- 2-4 hours
- Frost should be avoided
Soil
- Loose soil with good drainage
- Loamy soil with good organic matter that can retain moisture for a longer time is very good for coffee.
- pH 6-6.5
Varieties
All the
cultivated varieties of Coffee in Nepal come under Arabica species. About 23
varieties of Arabica varieties are collected in Horticulture Research Center,
Malepatan in Nepal. Bourbon, Pacamar, Tikisik, Tipika are tall varieties and
Caturra, Katimor, Selection-10, Selection-12 are dwarf varieties. The varieties
are:
- Bourbon
- Caturra
- Catuai
- Catimor
- Pacas
- Pacamara
- Catisik
- Tekisik
- Selection-10
- Yellow Caturra
- Ksetradeep
- Arghakhanchi local
- Kaski local
- Bourbon vermelo
- San Roman
- Hawai Kuna
- Catui Aemrelo
- Catui Vermelo
- Caturra Amrelo
- Caturra Vermelo
- Mundonova
- Syangja Special
- Indo tim tim
- Puranchaur Local
Planting
Seed
should be selected from the fruit formed in the middle part of the branch and the
branch should also be from the central part of the plant. Seed should be dipped
in a bucket of water and only those seeds that sink at the bottom are
appropriate to sowing. Remove the covering and sticky material from the coffee
fruit and air dry placing in a room with good airflow. Prevent the Parchment
crack.
Coffee
seeds are neither orthodox nor calcitrant seeds. Germination percentage is
higher when you sow seeds from 2 weeks to a month of fruit picking, so sowing
should be done quickly. Sow coffee seeds at 1kg per meter square in the nursery
bed. (Nursery bed – topsoil: fym: sand= 3:1:2). Seeds are sown at a space of
5cm in rows with the lining part placed down parallel in the row of 1-1.5cm deep.
Pit
digging (45cm depth and 25cm radius) should be done 1 month before the
transplant into the main field. The top and bottom soil should be placed
separately. Leave the pit open for 15-20 days. Topsoil should be mixed with
5-10kg well-decomposed FYM and 200-gram lime. Then cover the pit with soil from
the lower part such that soil is raised up to 15cm in that place where the pit
was dug.
Seeds are
germinated in about 40-60 days and the germinated seeds are transferred to poly
bags. Finally, the seedling is planted in the main field with a spacing of 2m x
2m. Planting of seeding occurs with on-set of monsoon i.e Jestha/ Ashad
especially in the evening to protect from the wilt of Sunlight. Shading is very
important in coffee cultivation to protect from dry air, hail, and the spread
of disease and pests.
Training and Pruning
Training
In a
single stem system, there is only one stem and the main branches are developed
in a single stem. In this system also the required height of the plant is
maintained in two ways:
Single
stem system
This
method of training is popular in Nepal. As coffee in Nepal is grown under shade
conditions, this method is appropriate. It is of two types:
Single
topping:
After 4-5 years, the coffee plant is cut from the tip keeping the final height of 6 feet for tall and 5 feet for dwarf varieties. Auxiliary branches that have grown on the main branches such as the sprouts, branches turning towards the trunk, hanging towards the ground, intertwined branches should be removed from time to time. 30 cm from the ground at the base of the trunk. (1 foot) should be left open without any branches. No branches should be allowed in the 15 cm radius of the central stem.
Multiple
topping
In this
method, when the tall species is about 1 meter (3-4 feet) tall, the top is cut
off and the main branches are developed at the lower level of the stem. After
three or four years, when the main branches in the lower part of the stem grow
thick and strong, and the plant takes a good shape, then a spray bud of the
uppermost branch is allowed to grow to develop the branches in the upper layer.
When this plant grows to a height of 1.75-2 m, the top of the plant is cut off,
the plant is not allowed to grow above
it and the main branches are developed in the upper layer as well as in the
lower layer.
Multiple stem system
Countries: Practiced in African and Latin American countries. Here
multiple stems are encouraged by bending the main stem ( i.e., Agobiada
system). In the case of India, multiple stem training system is practiced under
certain circumstances,
1) Replanted fields: When old blocks are to be replanted with new
material, the old plants are stumped and converted into multiple stems to yield crops until the new plants come to bear.
2) High-density planting: Here coffee is planted very closely in the initial years and
later thinned out to normal spacing.
Here the plants which are to be thinned out ( removed or going plants)
are raised on multiple stems for enabling the main plants to spread out their
laterals.
Pruning
The main pruning of the coffee plant is done
in the month of Falgun-Chaitra after picking the fruit and before flowering.
According to the condition of the plant, the climate of the place, and the
need, this pruning can be done in Baishakh -Jestha. Apart from this, the second
light pruning (removal of sprouting / new twig) is also done in Bhadra.
Rejuvenation of coffee bushes
Stumping / Collar pruning: To rejuvenate badly
damaged bushes during shade regulation or due to irregular pruning.
- Height of stumping: 30 cm from ground level.
- The angle of cut slope: Cut has to be made at a 45-degree sloping angle facing towards the East or North-Eastern direction.
- Season of stumping: After the receipt of summer showers i.e., April- May
- A vigorous growing sucker from 1 “ below the cut surface is trained on a single stem.
Note: The cut
surface is pasted with Bordeaux mixture paste to (10 %) prevent rotting and
drying of the cut surface.
Flowering and fruiting
Flowering
in coffee begins to occur in Chaitra but the flowering process begins
internally from Ashwin. Small white flowers bloom in year-old branches. Only
20-80% of flowers convert to fruits. As each node produces 5 flowers, the total
number of fruits in each node is 10-20. Flowers in coffee are bisexual and
self-pollination occurs within 5 hours in the morning when they bloom.
Fertilized flowers become fruits in about 6-9 months in Arabica and 9-11 months
in robusta.
Coffee
begins fruiting after 3 years of transplant. The fruit of coffee is Drupe.
Coffee seeds have two compartments called parchment. According to the number of
parchment, seeds are called differently. If the number of parchment is one it
is called Peaberry and three is called triose. Parchment is covered by Silverskin.
In the parchment is Green Bean which is roasted and grinded and used as coffee
powder.
Manure and Fertilizer
Jhol mol before 20 days of flowering and after 20 days of
flowering is very beneficial for quality flowers and fruits.
In general, a coffee plant is provided with 100gram nitrogen,
20-30 grams phosphorus and 100-gram potash a year.
- first-year: Apply 5 gm nitrogen and 5 gm potash 3-4 times per plant.
- 2nd year: Apply 10 gm nitrogen and 10 gm potash 3-4 times per plant.
- 3rd to 5th year: Apply 12 gm nitrogen, 5 gm phosphorus, and 12 gm potash 3-4 times per plant.
- Then onwards fertilizer is provided according to the yield.
Fig.
pruning in coffee
Irrigation
Mostly,
coffee is cultivated in the dependence of rainfall. However, for commercial
purposes following stages are important for irrigation:
- During the dry period of Falgun to Jestha when the plant is 1 or 2 years old.
- Time of flowering Chaitra. Before the time of flowering of the coffee pool, in the last week of the second week of April or at the beginning of the third week, 40-50 liters of water per square meter of land should be irrigated if there is no rain. If there is no rain in 20-25 days of flowering, the same amount of 15-20 cm. Irrigation should be done by soaking the root zone. This should be repeated in the event of a prolonged drought.
- Rainfall on the day of pollination is not good as it may wash pollen and reduce fertilization percentage. Rainfall Mangsir to falgun is not good either as flowers become small and fall.
- Time of fruiting Baishakh-Jestha.
- Time of fruit development Shrawan-Bhadra. Fruits compete for water and nutrition so soil moisture is important in this period.
Intercropping
Up to 2-3
years when the coffee plant is small, legumes, grasses, or vegetable crops can
be grown as inter-crop at a distance of 60cm from the main crop. Mixed cropping
in coffee is possible to increase profit. Tall trees of Banana, Papaya, Jack
fruit, Avocado, etc. act as shade trees and provide additional income.
Similarly, Yam, Black pepper, Broad bean, etc can be planted as mixed crops. Research
in India concluded that using Black pepper as a mixed crop showed the benefit-cost
ratio of 3.1:1.
Fig. growing of Coffee
Biological control
|
Biological control agent |
Action |
Method of application |
|
Trichoderma Viride |
Control Stem rot, root rot, and damping-off |
Foliar spray: 5 grams of Trichoderma powder in 1 liter
of water Soil treatment: Mix ½ kg Trichoderma in 30 kg
well-decomposed FYM, put in shade for 6-7 days, and spread in 8-10 ropani |
|
Pseudomonas flurens |
Control airborne, seed-borne, and soil-borne attacks.
Effective against bacterial and fungal attacks. Additionally, supply
cytokinin and gibberellic acid. |
Foliar spray: 5 grams of Pseudomonas powder in 1 liter
of water Soil treatment: Mix 4 kg Trichoderma in 20 kg
well-decomposed FYM, spread in 8 ropani |
|
Beauveria bassiana |
Control Aphid, Thrips, Mealybug, and Borer. Can kill
insects at all stages. |
Foliar spray: 5-7 grams in 1 liter of water. Looking
at the insect infestation can be sprayed again after 7-8 days. Kill larvae in
8 days Soil treatment: Mix 4 kg Beuveria in 20 kg
well-decomposed FYM, spread in 8 ropani |
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