STiR coffee and tea magazine

20 STiR coffee and tea / Issue 3, 2017 (June/July) Coffee Report: Dan Shryock Arabica Leaves Can't Take Heat Short-term heat waves can stunt the flowering of arabica plants, a recent university study indicates. And, no flowering means no fruit is produced. The study by the College of Forestry at Oregon State University showed that Coffea arabica plants were not able to produce flowers when subjected to short heat waves. The study was designed to see how leaf age and heat duration affected the plants' recovery from heat stress. It was found that younger leaves were especially slow in recovering compared to older, more mature leaves. No plants in the stress test produced flowers or fruit. "This emphasizes how sensitive Coffea arabica is to temperature," said lead author Danielle Marias, a plant physiolo- gist with the university's department of forest ecosystems and Society. "No flowering means no reproduction which means no beans, and that could be devastating for a coffee farmer facing crop failure. "Heat is very stressful to the plants and is often associated with drought," she said. "However, in regions where coffee is grown, it may not just be hotter and drier, it could be hotter and wetter, so in this research we wanted to isolate the effects of heat." Results of the research were recently published in Ecology and Evolution. Learn more: http://bit.ly/2psvTSB CHINA La Marzocco Opens in China La Marzocco, the Italian espresso machine manufacturer, expanded to China in March with the opening of an office and showroom in Shanghai's Tong Ren Road district. Working with longtime partners Gordon Chang, Douglas Chang, and Ivy Yuan, the company initiated an effort to promote and support specialty coffee in China. ETHIOPIA Italy, UNIDO support Ethiopia The Italian government and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) are working together to improve the quality and brand identity of Ethiopian coffee. If successful, the effort could increase both Ethiopian exports and incomes for small farmers. The project, called "Improving the Sustainability and Inclusiveness of the Ethiopian Coffee Value Chain through Private and Public Partnership," is funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation at $2.72 million and managed by UNIDO with help from Illycaffè, the Ernesto Illy Foundation, and Ethiopian organizations. "Italy is investing important resources in the economic development of Ethiopia through the support for agricultural value chains and agro-industry," said Giuseppe Mistretta, Italy's ambassador to Ethiopia. "We see agricultural and industrial development as strongly related. I appreciate the collaboration with Illycaffè and their effort to promote Ethiopian coffee," he said. This initiative will strategically support smallholder farmers and cooperatives with a focus on introducing best agronomical practices to increase yields, improve skill sets and enhance post-harvest processed and capabilities. HONDURAS Leaf Rust Hits Lempira Plant Lempira, a dominant coffee variety in Honduras, is no longer resistant to coffee leaf rust, according to the non-profit World Coffee Research. The organization announced the finding May 12. Lempira was planted across Hondu- ras beginning in 2012 following a leaf rust epidemic because the variety was resistant to the disease. That's no longer true, researchers reported. Instituto Hondureño del Café (IHCAFE), the Honduran national coffee institute, began receiving reports of rust infections on Lempira plants in January. An early theory attributed the discovery to mistaken identity and the infected plant was a different variety. DNA testing by World Coffee Research confirmed the variety, however. IHCAFE reported that as of April the incidence level of rust was 6% nationwide. However, 18% of Lempira farms surveyed in March had incidence levels higher than 10%. IHCAFE is warning farmers of potential problems with the coming rains. INDIA India, Vietnam Drop Bans The import battle between India and Vietnam appears to have come to an end. Multiple sources report that both countries have cancelled bans issued in early March. The Indian government in March stopped importing several commodities, notably robusta coffee beans and black pepper, from Vietnam. That restriction was lifted March 21 at the request of the Vietnamese government. At the same time, Vietnam an- nounced it would be lift import restric- tions on five agricultural products from India. The duel prevented Indian roasters from securing coffee beans and caused pepper prices in Vietnam to drop to multi-year lows. Other banned products included bamboo and bamboo toothpicks, cinnamon, cassia, and dragon fruit. Products blocked from entry into Vietnam included Indian peanuts, cassia alata seeds, cocoa beans, French bean seeds and tamarind. The government cited peanut beetle contamination as the reason for the ban. India often buys Vietnam's low- quality robusta coffee beans for process- ing into instant coffee. Coffee plants too hot to flower Photo Credit: Oregon State University Rust infected Lempira coffee leaf Photo credit: Salvador Urritea / World Coffee Research

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