Category Archives: Coffee Diseases

(Fusarium stilboides) Credits: Biovision-Infonet Not widely spread in Kenya except in Taita Taveta District and Makuyu area in Eastern Province. It occurs in 3 different forms and not necessarily all forms present at the same time: 1. Storey’s Bark Disease (most common). Suckers attacked at base causing depressed dark brown lesions with yellow margins at […]

(Fusarium solani) Credits: Biovision-Infonet This fungus may stay in the stem and roots for years without symptoms until whole tree suddenly dies. The fungus enters through wounds on roots caused by ploughing, herbicides, die-back, frost or water logging. Symptoms appear when tree is subjected to water stress. If stem is cut near soil level, a […]

(Fusarium xylarioides) Credits: Biovision-Infonet Indicative symptoms include wilting, chlorosis and defoliation of the aerial parts of the crop, and numerous vertical and spiral cracks in the bark of the trunk. Inspection under the bark, especially around the collar, will reveal characteristic blue-black streaks in the wood. Fungal fruiting bodies (stromata) producing spores can be observed […]

(Armillaria heimii) Credits: Biovision-Infonet Symptoms include wilting of leaves, death of verticals and subsequent death of affected trees. The root system of affected trees shows a white growth (mycelial) of the fungus beneath the bark. In advanced stage of the disease the wood of the affected tree is decomposed into a white, wet mass with […]

(Colletotrichum kahawae) Credits: Biovision-Infonet Colletotrichum kahawae of Arabica coffee only occurs in Africa, and causes major damage in East Africa and Cameroon. Other names of this disease are “coffee berry anthracnose” and “brown blight of coffee”. The characteristic symptom is a progressive blackening of young, expanding coffee berries. This begins as small water-soaked lesions. They […]

(Pseudomonas syringae pv. garcae) Credits: Biovision-Infonet Bacterial blight of coffee (BBC) is confined to a few coffee growing areas in Kenya (Solai in Nakuru District and around Mt. Elgon). Recently a few cases have been reported in the East of Rift Valley. This bacterium is favoured by cool wet weather. Lesions appear on leaves with […]

(Hemileia vastatrix) Credits: Biovision-Infonet It is the major disease in Arabica coffee. Yellow to orange powdery blotches appear on the underside of leaves, chlorotic patches appear on the upper side. They grow from 2-3 mm diameter to several centimetres. On older leaves, several lesions can merge together. This produces irregular diseased areas covering much of […]

General information Credits: Biovision-Infonet Conventional coffee plantations are generally confronted with many pests and diseases. In practice, on ecological coffee plantations, the following may be of relevance. An infestation of either pests or diseases is always an indication that the coffee eco-system is not balanced, and the causes must be investigated. Possible causes are: The […]