Evaluation of East Wollega Coffee Germ Plasms for Coffee Berry and Coffee Leaf Rust Diseases at Haru West Ethiopia

Abstract

With the objectives of developing disease resistant landrace coffee varieties and boost the yield with their intrinsic cup quality, a multidisciplinary research program have been designed and implemented at Jimma agricultural research center. Towards such over all goals, local land race development program has been implemented for East Wollega coffee producing areas. To meet this goal, local land race development program of East Wollega coffee collections were started in 2009 and 111 coffee accessions were collected and planted in 2010 at Haru research sub centre. Accordingly 111 coffee accessions were evaluated for their resistance to CBD and CLR using visual assessment and laboratory inoculation test. There were significant differences among the East Wollega coffee collections evaluated for resistance to coffee berry disease. The range was from 0% (Ew103/09) – 96.7% (Ew59/09) most of East Wollega coffee accessions show resistant reaction for CBD but some of the accessions show high susceptibility. Coffee collections were also evaluated for their resistance to coffee leaf rust under field condition at Haru research sub center. There existed highly significant difference among coffee cultivars in percent coffee leaf rust severity. Coffee leaf rust disease severity varied between 0.00% (Ew105/09) – 100% (Ew10/09).

Keywords: East Wollega Coffee Collections, Disease resistant, Colletotrichum kahawae, Hemileia vastatrix