Page 26 - APPD_Something's_Brewing_May_June'24(5Jun24)
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Sustainability

                         This only reduces photosynthesis                            Cafeology
                   Growing coffee
                        slightly reducing the quality of the
                        coffee end product. Worst case,
                        photosynthesis is hampered so
                        drastically that the coffee tree can no
                        longer make food for itself and dies
                        (and so too does every nearby tree until
                        the entire plantation is dead).

                          There are rust-resistant varieties, and
                         also many in research stages, but they
                         are typically lesser quality or Robusta.
                         Therefore, rust-resistant varieties

                         struggle to meet the flavour profiles
                         that consumers expect. Fungicides are
                         used on the farm and help reduce rust
                         but fungicides are costly and also kill
                         off the good fungi in the soil.


                          Roberto finds that a nutrient-rich tree
                         is the best defense because, like a
                         healthier person more easily fighting
                         off a cold, the tree is healthier and thus
                         more resistant to infection and can
                         fight it easier.


















                                                                          Pickers finish for the day and
                                                                          return to the farm



                                                                           Banana tree shade also helps create
                                                                          good airflow that dries the trees
                                                                          more easily lowering the humidity (a
                                                                          natural fungal control – fungi like       MAY/JUNE. 2024 | ISSUE 36
                                                                          moisture). So, nutrient-rich trees are
                                                                          a good defense for rust but,
                                                                          conversely, super-productive trees
                         A leaf recovering from a rust attack             are more susceptible to rust.






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