VALIDATION OF NEWLY INTRODUCED COFFEE LEAF RUST (HEMILEIA VASTATRIX)-RESISTANT VARIETIES TO PUERTO RICO (PR)

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: COMPLETE
• Funding Source: HATCH
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 1017847
• Project Start Date: Nov 14, 2018
• Project End Date: Sep 30, 2022
• Program Code: [(N/A)]- (N/A)

Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICO AT MAYAGUEZ
P. O. BOX 9000
MAYAGUEZ,PR 00681

Performing Department
Agri Economics & Rural Sociol

Non Technical Summary
Storms and hurricanes were identified as one of the challenges for the coffee industry of PR. Unfortunately, we had to face this challenge once again. During the month of September 2017, Hurricanes Irma and Maria impacted Puerto Rico. The coffee producing area located in the mountains of the island received one of the greatest damage. A census to know the damage to coffee production was carried out. The results showed a loss of 75% of the production. Because of seed shortagesan initiative to introduce seeds of coffee varieties resistant to coffee leaf rust (CLR) has been developed. These varieties are of new introduction in Puerto Rico and have not been evaluated or validated for the climatic, environmental, agronomic, topographic and socioeconomic conditions of Puerto Rico.The goal of the project is to improve the livelihood and climate resilience of Puerto Rican coffee farmers by improving their capacityto identify and adopt CLR resistant varieties of coffee and implement better cultural management practices. The specific objectives of the proposal are the following: a) to validate new varieties resistant to CLR, b) to determine their resistant to CLR, and c) to improve coffee farmers and stakeholders' capacities to identify and adopt CLR resistant varieties of coffee and implement better cultural management practices.It is intended that the application of the results of the proposed research might help in the recovery and sustainability of coffee production and farmers by planting varieties of coffee with CRL resistance adapted to Puerto Rico. The project aims that the planting of the validated varieties increases the profits and quality of life of the farmers, and creates economic growth in the coffee producing area and in Puerto Rico.

Animal Health Component

90%

Research Effort Categories

Basic

10%

Applied

90%

Developmental

(N/A)

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
212	2232	1160	50%
212	4020	1160	50%

Knowledge Area
212 - Pathogens and Nematodes Affecting Plants;

Subject Of Investigation
2232 - Coffee; 4020 - Fungi;

Field Of Science
1160 - Pathology;

Keywords

coffee

coffee leaf rust

coffee leaf rust resistant variety

puerto rico

Goals / Objectives
The goal of the project is to improve the livelihood and climate resilience of Puerto Rican coffee farmers by improving their capacities to identify and adopt coffee leaf rust (CLR) resistant varieties of coffee and implement better cultural management practices. The specific objectives of the proposal are the following:1)To validate new varieties resistant to coffee leaf rust at different altitudes of the production area in the AES-Corozal (low), AES-Adjuntas (medium), and selected farm (high), by performing horticultural, agronomic, and economic viability evaluations.2) To evaluate the resistance to CLR, among the Coffea arabica varieties to be validated in the project.3) To improve coffee farmers and stakeholders' capacities to identify and adopt CLR resistant varieties of coffee and implement better cultural management practices.

Project Methods
Objective one: Establish of three experimental plots at different altitudes of the production area in the AES-Corozal (low), AES-Adjuntas (medium), and a commercial farm in Maricao (high) to evaluate and validate newly varieties of coffee resistant to CLR.Evaluation: Number of coffee varieties resistant to CLR evaluated and determine which of them adapt successfully to the environmental, climatic, agronomic, topographic and socio-economic conditions of PR.Objective two: Determine the resistance to CLR of the varieties to be evaluated and validated in the project, and identify the Hemileia vastatrix physiological races present in Puerto Rico.Evaluation: Number of Hemileia vastatrix physiological races present in Puerto Rico, and number of CLR evaluated varieties resistant to CLR.Objective three: To improve coffee farmers and stakeholders' capacities to identify and adopt CLR resistant varieties of coffee and implement better cultural management practices.Evaluation: Number of Agricultural Extension Agents who serve coffee farmers and participated in the training sessions and visits to the experimental plots and increased their knowledge on CLR resistant varieties. Number of coffee growers and stakeholders that increase knowledge on newly coffee varieties resistant to CLR through research, extension activities, demonstration field visits, workshops, publications, and mass media.

Progress 10/01/19 to 09/30/20

Outputs
Target Audience:Coffee farmers and County Agents. In the last stage of this project, educational materials and presentations will be developed to educate Coffee Farmers and County Agents. This with the purpose of adopting the results and recommendations product of this research. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The USDA approved an import permit for the coffee varieties (seeds and seedlings) to be evaluated in this project. We communicate with the entities that produce the varieties to be evaluated (Procafe - El Salvador, Marsellesa - El Salvador, Anacafé - Guatemala, Popayan - Guatemala, Parainema - Honduras, Don Pachi Estate - Panama). We are waiting for the reply on seed availability and costs (seeds and transportation). At the moment we have already received a response to three of the requests, two of them (Marsellesa - El Salvador and Don Panchi Estate - Panama) have fresh seeds available for sale. For the next period we hope to have in Puerto Rico seeds of most of the varieties requested for purchase. As soon as they arrive, the processes established in the USDA permit application will be followed, and the propagation of the same will begin.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? This part of the research focuses on evaluating the incidence and severity of Hemileia vastatrix in the island's coffee region. This research's main objective is to evaluate coffee varieties with the potential to be established in Puerto Rico. The coffee rust evaluation in the coffee region is essential for future decision-making in establishing these varieties in the island's coffee region. As part of the project, the major activities completed, objectives met, significant results achieved, and key outcomes and their implications are field samplings in 5 coffee-growing regions of the island, collection of Hemileia vastatrix spores for viability tests, and morphological characterization of the collected spores. The farms are located in Mayaguez, Adjuntas, Las Marias, Lares, and Maricao. Results: On each farm, the susceptibility and resistance of the cultivated varieties were evaluated. Results showed resistant coffee varieties in Mayaguez and Lares and susceptible varieties in Las Marias, Maricao, and Adjuntas. Spores of Hemileia vastatrix showed similar dimensions (29 um x 19 um) of previously reported coffee rust spores. These results are significant because signs of rust were observed in varieties previously described as resistant. A change in knowledge occurs when the participant learns about disease resistance in locally grown coffee varieties.

Publications

Progress 11/14/18 to 09/30/19

Outputs
Target Audience:Coffee growers in Puerto Rico Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?1. Contact with nurseries in Central America where the seeds are to be imported once the import permit is obtained, to begin the purchase process. 2. Receive seeds,quarantine and develop trees.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? 1) To validate new varieties resistant to coffee leaf rust (CLR) at different altitudes of the production area in the AES-Corozal (low), AES-Adjuntas (medium), and a commercial farm selected (high), by performing horticultural, agronomic, and economic viability evaluations. - Application completed to comply with import quarantine. 2) To evaluate the resistance to CLR, among the Coffea arabica varieties to be validated by the project. 3) To improve the capacity of coffee farmers and stakeholders to identify and adopt CLR resistant varieties of coffee and implement better cultural management practices

Publications