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BY NOW, MOST OF THE COFFEE WORLD has heard about the recent outbreak of cofee-leaf rust or la roya. News reports on massive impacted areas in cofee-producing countries in Central America have our entire supply chain in a ft of panic—and rightfully so. With crop reduction estimates ranging from 15 to 30 percent or more in each of the cofee-producing countries of Central America, there is ample reason for concern for our supply. We need to consider much more than just our source of raw material however—potential loss is a terrifying proposition in and of itself—and think about the millions of livelihoods that will be impacted. First, a quick-and-dirty summary about cofee-leaf rust, or la roya in Spanish. It is a fungus known by the Latin name Hemileia vastatrix. Its destructive nature was frst experienced in the 1800s when entire Arabica-producing countries in Asia—think Sri Lanka and Java— were wiped out from an outbreak. Ten in the 1970s, it was discovered too late to be efectively controled in Bahia, Brazil, and from there it is believed to have spread through cofee-producing areas of the Americas. Cofee rust is present today in all cofee plantings because of its aggressive means of spreading; but at levels of less than, say, 10 percent of presence, impact on production is minimal. Since it is a fungus, it reproduces itself using spores that can be spread by wind, moisture, machinery, or human contact. Te recent outbreak has been blamed on changing climate patterns, which have been dumping intense quantities of moisture during historically dry periods that are then followed by more typical warm, dry, and ofen windy conditions. Tis humidity followed by warming temperatures (the climate having increased by two degrees Celcius throughout most of Central America, which creates ideal rust conditions at higher and higher altitudes) is the perfect breeding ground for the fungus. Te high winds associated with many producing countries then carry the spores of the fungus for a frighteningly efective spread. Cofee-leaf rust manifests itself in cofee through the formation of yellow spots on the underside of the leaves, eventually killing of the foliage and causing it to drop. Tis leads to the bush being incredibly vulnerable to other diseases and unable to photosynthesize, compromising the proper health of the plant and—importantly—the production and ripening of cofee cherries. Ofen what is seen in afected plantings the frst year is the production of cherry despite the dropped foliage, which results in the fruit not ripening because of the vulnerability of the tree. Subsequently, the next year the plant must pour all of its energy into producing new leaves instead of fruit in order for the plant in order to survive. Without treatment, those new leaves can also be attacked because the spores are present in the surrounding area and the fungus Leaf Rust Summit Coming to Central America in April World Coffee Research in collaboration with Promecafe and with support from the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) and others will organize a Leaf Rust Summit in Central America in April. The SCAA's Peter Giuliano explains why the SCAA supports WCR as one of the best solutions for the long-term outlook in adapting to outbreaks that are sure to impact our crop. can reside in the plant itself. In the most radical infestations, plants must be stumped completely, necessitating several harvest cycles without production. Treatments for cofee rust exist, both as fungicidal fumigants, many of which are copper-based, and some pelletized systemic remedies that can bolster a plant's resistance. But these come at a cost that can be roughly estimated—depending on productivity per area—anywhere from 5 to 15 cents per pound. Further, these remedies require ideal timing of application and climate cooperation in order to achieve optimal efectiveness. On top of that, overapplication of some of these can lead to heavy metal contamination of the soil, which contributes to further challenges in plant and ecosystem health and balance. Additionally, more than 40 diferent strains of cofee rust exist already, and the fungus is capable of mutating itself, thereby either becoming immune to treatments or "cracking the code" to be able to attack previously resistant varieties, such as those Timor Hybrids that exist today. "In Timor—one of the islands hit by the 19th-century outbreak of rust—an unusual cofee plant appeared," explains Peter Giuliano, director of Symposium for the Specialty Cofee Association of America (SCAA) on the subject of Timor Hybrids, their genesis, and resistance to cofee rust. "It was a naturally occurring hybrid of Arabica and Robusta cofee, and was named Timor Variety. And importantly, Timor Variety—like its Robusta parent—is resistant to rust. Timor can breed with other Arabica varieties, and has been used to confer rust resistance to hybrids ever since its discovery. Pretty much every rust-resistant variety developed today has Timor genes in it." I think it is important to note here that much discussion about Timor Hybrid varieties circulates in our industry, and some of it cites the poorer cup quality of these varieties. While we all aspire to keep quality at the forefront of our minds and those of producers, it is also important that we do not allow that to cloud our judgment as humans; we cannot sentence producers to lower yields and potential cofeerust outbreaks as a result of discouraging them from using the only resistant varieties available today in the face of our changing climate. We must consider the impact not just on our supply as purveyors of cofee, but on the livelihoods of those who depend on its production to survive. El Salvador's Cofee Council indicates that 100 percent of planted areas are seriously under attack by the fungus right now. In Guatemala, 70 percent of planted areas are reported to be impacted, leading to a reduction in yields of 15–30 percent this year, with some estimates as high as 40 percent reductions for next year if drastic measures to control are not taken. In Panama, per-hectare yields are due to fall 40 percent by some reports. Agronomists I spoke with in "There is still so much we don't know about coffee-leaf rust," he says. "This has been apparent for quite a while, which is why we helped create World Coffee Research—to address the paucity of knowledge of outbreaks like this one. It's really clear that the answer to this problem lies in the biology and genetics of the plant itself, which is why WCR is so focused on genetic research and understanding. It will become increasingly important for coffee people to understand the nature of coffee biology and genetics." www.baristamagazine.com 7979 www.baristamagazine.com