Coffee Rust (Hemileia vastatrix) is a plant disease that affects coffee. It was first discovered in the mid-1800s in Africa. Later, it spread to cultivated coffee in Sri Lanka in 1867 where it destroyed coffee production within ten years. Coffee rust is caused by a fungus, which infects coffee leaves of all stages. It makes the leaves fall and is severe in warm and dry periods.
The infection of this disease can go from light to severe. Light infections of this plant disease result in loss of plant leaves. Severe infections may cause trees to die or twigs to die back from the tips. Long-term effects of coffee rust led to a decrease in crop yields, often costing losses of billions of US dollars annually.
Reduced production of coffee is from 30% to 50%. It depends on infestation levels, the variety of coffee, the management measures, and the plant’s level of resistance to the disease. This plant disease is severe on arabica coffee that is grown in moist, warm areas in the lowlands (under 1500 m above sea level). The symptoms that are most noticeable are irregular-shaped spots on upper leaf surfaces and diseased tissue (yellow to orange powdery lesions) on the lower leaf surfaces where the spores are found.
Prevention methods for coffee rust involve several ways to reduce the impact of the disease. Cultural control like tree spacing would prevent the disease from developing faster. Chemical control with the use of copper oxychloride is a spray mixture that can be used every two weeks on plants as a method of preventing coffee rust. The sprays must be used on the underside of the coffee leaves. Another method of prevention can be to plant different varieties of coffee plants.
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Source:
Lucidcentral – Coffee rust
Plantwise – Coffee leaf rust
Bioprotectionportal – Coffee Rust: symptoms, causes, cycle and solutions