Coffee Cultivation and Climate Change_Gian Luca Malvicini_L1 - Integrated Plant Protection & Pest Management Notes

Introduction

  • Gianluca Malvicini (Jan), an agronomist, expresses his fondness for plants, nature, ornamental plants, fruit trees, tropical plants, and especially coffee.
  • He previously worked as a researcher in fruit trees (cherry, apple, hazelnut) at the university and spent three years in Colombia working on temperate food trees at high altitudes (3,000m above sea level).
  • The lecture will cover integrated plant protection and pest management with a holistic approach.

Agricultural Land and Food Production

  • The world agricultural land area is approximately 5,000,000,000 hectares.
  • Around one-third of this area is used as cropland, mainly for cereals like wheat, barley, rice, and maize.
  • Wheat, maize, and rice are each cultivated on approximately 200,000,000 hectares globally.
  • Coffee is cultivated on around 12,500,000 hectares worldwide.
  • The need to produce more food sustainably is emphasized due to the growing world population, projected to reach around 10,000,000,000 by 2050.
  • A 60-70\% increase in food production is needed, with 90% of this increase coming from higher yields and only 10% from cultivating new areas.
  • Plants, like all living beings, are susceptible to pests and diseases, which farmers worldwide try to prevent.

Pests and Diseases Impact

  • Examples of pests and diseases:
    • Fusarium oxisporum on banana (leading to the dominance of Cavendish variety).
    • Phylloxera vastatrix on grape (solved by grafting Vitis vinifera onto resistant Vitis species).
    • Phytophthora on potato (causing the Irish potato famine).
    • Coffee leaf rust on coffee.
    • Taphrina deformans on peach.
    • Mezera vidaigula (seed bug) affecting various crops.
  • Plant diseases cause approximately $220,000,000,000 in losses annually, while invasive insects cause around $70,000,000,000 in losses.
  • Annual losses due to pests:
    • Wheat: ~21\%
    • Rice: ~30\%
    • Potatoes: ~70\%
    • Coffee: 25-35\%

Plant Defense Mechanisms

  • Plants have developed various mechanisms to resist insect attacks, mainly through toxins.
  • Examples of natural toxins:
    • Nicotine in tobacco.
    • Caffeine in coffee.
    • Cocaine and morphine.
    • THC
    • Scopolamine.
  • These toxins can reduce insect feeding, inhibit their growth, and have effects on humans as well.
  • Coffee arabica contains caffeine, trigonelline, and theobromine, which have properties against insects and diseases.
  • Caffeine sources include Koffea arabica, Koffea canafora, Koffea liberica, Ilex paraguariensis (mate tea), Cola acuminata, Ilex vomitoria, Paulina cupana (guarana), theobroma cacao, and camellia sinensis (tea).

Natural Growth vs. Orchard Systems

  • Natural Growth (e.g., Ethiopia):
    • Represents a natural balance between enemies, pests, diseases, and the growing coffee tree.
    • Production levels are generally low.
  • Orchard System:
    • An artificial situation with a higher probability of insect and pest attacks.
    • Requires intervention to counteract pest attacks.

The Necessity of Agriculture

  • Leaving plants unattended in an orchard without care or protection leads to:
    • Prognosis on mango.
    • Scab on pear.
    • Fungi on grape.
    • Various problems in coffee and banana.
  • This approach is not a solution for increasing production, ensuring quality, and maintaining sustainability for farmers.

Addressing Insect Problems

  • There isn't a single solution but a combination of different solutions.
  • Agrochemicals are not the only answer; various agricultural practices can be implemented.
  • Insects become "pests" when they compete with humans for resources.
  • A balance must be found, considering the origin, location, countries, and attitudes.
  • It's natural for plants to suffer from pests and diseases, requiring intervention for protection.

Plant Pests Overview

  • Plant pests include insects, mites, rodents, fungi, bacteria, viruses, and other invertebrates.
  • Focus is primarily on insects, with estimates ranging from 600 to 3,000 different species affecting coffee.
  • Insects have six legs, three body regions, one pair of antennae, and one or two pairs of wings.
  • They are the most diverse species of animals on Earth, found in various habitats.
  • Insects comprise approximately 80% of all animal species in the world, with only 0.5% considered pests.
  • Insects are crucial for pollination and overall ecosystem health, with many controlling other insects or producing valuable products like honey.

Ranking of Dangerous Organisms

  • Mosquitoes:
    • Ranked second due to causing approximately 700,000 deaths per year through diseases like malaria and chikungunya.
  • Human Beings:
    • Ranked first, causing more deaths than mosquitoes.

Factors Contributing to Insects Becoming Pests

  • Loss of Biodiversity:
    • Worldwide, there are around 400,000 plant species, with just 70 tropical fruits out of 3,000 being cultivated.
    • Only seven cereal species are cultivated out of 9,000, resulting in a loss of plant crop biodiversity.
  • Monoculture:
    • Growing a single crop or variety creates ideal conditions for insects to become pests due to abundant food.
    • Examples include banana plantations in Honduras and coffee monoculture in Brazil.
    • Monoculture leads to loss of organic matter, nitrogen leaching, soil erosion, and loss of soil fertility.
  • Accidental Introduction:
    • Insects introduced to new areas lack natural enemies and can become pests.
    • Example: Halyomorpha halys (stink bug) from China affecting crops in Europe.
    • Coffee berry borer originated in Africa and spread to new coffee cultivation areas.

Climate Change Impact

  • Climate change leads to:
    • Reduced number of beneficial insects.
    • Increased number of pests.
    • Potential increase in pesticide use.

Resistance to Pesticides

  • Overuse of insecticides leads to resistance.
  • Example: Chlorpyrifos, a strong insecticide banned in Europe, is still used in many countries, leading to resistant insects.

Indiscriminate Use of Broad-Spectrum Pesticides

  • Broad-spectrum pesticides kill all insects, including beneficial ones, disrupting the ecosystem.
  • Neonicotinoid pesticides (Imidacloprid, Acetamiprid, Thiacloprid) are effective against pests but also kill bees and beneficial insects.

Ecosystem Changes and Land Use

  • Deforestation leads to a loss of natural habitats for beneficial insects.
  • Ecosystem changes can cause new pests to affect coffee and other crops.

Crops Planted in New Areas

  • Example: Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Colorado potato beetle) became a pest when farmers started cultivating potatoes in North America.
  • Tea mosquito bug (Helopeltis theivora) is now a significant pest in Vietnam, affecting both tea and coffee.

Summary of Factors Turning Insects into Pests

  • Loss of biodiversity.
  • Excessive monoculture.
  • Accidental introduction to new areas.
  • Climate change effects.
  • Pesticide resistance and agrochemical impact on natural enemies.
  • Ecosystem change due to deforestation.

Potato Taste Defect

  • The potato taste defect is caused by Antestia bugs, which are present in East African countries like Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, and Ethiopia.
  • These bugs pierce cherries, flowers, and leaves, releasing bacteria that cause a potato taste.
  • Pruning techniques and natural insecticides like neem, chili, and tephrosia can be used to decrease them.

Addressing Concerns About Pesticides

  • Illycafe has a problem with final consumers being scared about insecticides and pesticides.
  • It's important to reduce the gap between scientists and farmers and to support farms to find more sustainable solutions.
  • Also important to help farmers and the final consumers to understand that any tree, like us can get sick and it needs solutions.

Methods for Insect Protection

  • Exclusion: Prevent pests from entering a farm or area.
  • Eragication: Use strong methods to illiminate pests on a specific area. Italy is undergoing this to fight Xylella Fastidiosa, a bacteria in olive trees.
  • Adequate tree distrbution/shade management: Helps protect from pests and diseases.
  • Manage the pruning/ renovation: Fundamental to keep trees young a healthy.
  • Integrated weed management can replace herbicides: Mechanical or manual control can increase beneficial insects.
  • Protect the biodiversity: Increase plant trees, agroforestry, and the decrease the use of hurticides can give less chance of pest attack.
  • Rely on different variations.
  • A well nourish tree, without mineral definciency can fight diseases better. Regular Monitoring is key. Soil and foliar analysis is key to this.