Incidence of Coffee Pests in Open and Shaded Systems
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Abstract
A survey of coffee pest under various coffee growing systems in northern Thailand was carried out to comfirm that coffee could be cultivated in agroforestry system. It could be categorised according to level of shading into 3 systems comprising: open (0% shading), medium (10-50%) and heavy (more than 50%) shadings. In open system, berry blight, stem borer, brown eye leaf spot, Fe/ Zn deficiency and sooty mold prevailed. On the other hand, in shaded system; Mg deficiency, agal leaf spot and chewing insects were more common. Dieback as well as scale insects were present in all shade levels while incidence of rust was controversial. In general, coffee in medium shading system showed lower level of infestation for all pests except wilt. Exposure caused higher incedence of severe pests than milder ones. Growing of resistant cultivars and proper shading should be recommended to prevent these destructive agents.
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References
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