Coffee Weed Management Review in South West Ethiopia

Abstract

In Ethiopia, coffee grows at various altitudes, ranging from 500 – 2600 m and coffee production system is broadly grouped into four on the basis of biological diversity of the species and level of management, namely, forest, semi-forest, garden and plantation coffee. The coffee growing areas characterized by high rainfall and suitable temperatures and edaphic condition encourage the growth of diverse weed species ranging from abundant seed producing annuals, to hard-to-control rhizomatous and stoloniferous perennial grasses and sedges. As a result, coffee yield and quality is seriously reduced and weed control is one of the major cultural operations, which entail high cost. Coffee can seriously suffer from weed competition and result obtained from loss assessment studies have revealed that yield loss can reach as high as 65% depending on the type of weeds and the frequency of weeding operations. According to surveys results showed that more than 63 species from 23 families of weeds were identified. In spite of the divergent ecologies and production systems under which coffee is grown, weed control practices are more or less the same in all coffee growing areas and include manual slashing and digging, mulching, shading, cover cropping using leguminous crops and application of synthetic herbicides. Mostly slashing using the bushman knife usually wounds the coffee tree predisposing it to a fungal disease caused by Gibberella xylarioides, which ultimately kills the coffee tree. Growing cover crops such as Desmodium sp. is recommended for the management of coffee wilt disease as it is very efficient in suppressing weeds. Integrated Weed Management (IWM) is however, the most appreciated and recommended practice for controlling weeds and tracheomycosis in coffee, because it is environmentally sound, economically viable and socially acceptable practice for sustainable coffee production.

Keywords: Coffee, Coffee weed species, weeds management, coffee wilt disease.