Review on the Management of Coffee Berry Disease (colletotrichum kahawae) in Ethiopia

Abstract

Coffee (Coffae Arabica L.) is the major source of currency for Ethiopia and contributes more than 35% of the total export earnings. It is originated in Ethiopia. Coffee belongs to the family Rubiacea and the genus Coffea. The two main species of coffee cultivated on a world scale are Arabica coffee (Coffea arabica L.) and Robusta coffee (Coffea anaphora L.), which account for about 98-99% of the world coffee production. Even if the high production potential and economic importance of coffee production and productivity of crop is still limited due to its major disease; that is coffee berry disease which caused by Colletotrichum kahawae .It was first detected in 1922 in Kenya and covered all the main coffee growing areas of the country by 1951. The disease has been recorded to cause up to 80% yield loss, but on susceptible cultivar under favorable environment, 100% loose occur.  Because of the seriousness of the problem two control measures under taken to coffee berry disease in Ethiopia, namely fungicide spraying and planting coffee varieties resistance to coffee berry disease. Therefore, the main objective of this seminar paper is to review on the management of coffee berry disease (colletotrichum kahawae) under Ethiopian condition.