COFFEE HANDBOOKMichiel Kuit; EDE Consulting for Coffee – Asia-Pacific
Don M. Jansen; Plant Research International
Nguyen Van Thiet; Tan Lam Agricultural Product Joint Stock Company

Manual for Arabica
cultivation

TAN LAM AGRICULTURAL PRODUCT JOINT STO CK COMPANY&
PPP PRO JECT “IMPROVEMENT O F COFFEE QUALITY AND SUSTAINABILITY OF COFFEEPRODUCTION IN VIETNAM”

Manual for Arabica cultivation

 Tan Lam Agricultural Product Joint Stock Company
Highway 9, km 19 • Cam Lo, Quang Tri
Talaco@dng.vnn.vn

ForewordT

his manual aims to introduce Good Agricultural Practices to farmers. The
purpose is to improve coffee quality and sustainability in Arabica production.
It is a compilation of the joint experiences of the PPP project “Improvementof Coffee Quality and Sustainability of Coffee Production in Vietnam”, theTan Lam Agricultural Product Joint Stock Company and the farmers from Huong
Hoa district, Quang Tri province that participated in this project.
The project team would like to thank the Douwe Egebrts Foundations which
provided funding for the project. We would also like to thank all the farmers from
Huong Hoa who worked with us and provided us with an insight in their
management procedures and gave excellent feedback on the technical contents of themanual.
Michiel Kuit, Nguyen Van Thiet & Don Jansen
Khe Sanh, 31-12-2004.

i

Table ofContents
Foreword

1i

Cutting

4

History of Arabica coffee

28

Soil identification andimprovement

Discovery

1

Soil requirements for coffee

29

Movement of Arabica

2

Soil identification

29

Development of coffee in Vietnam

5

Plant nutrients30

Texture and structure of soil

30

Positive and negative charged elements

36

Cation Exchange Capacity

39

Soil organic matter

41
41

2

Introduction to Arabica

Growing conditions

7

Soil pH and liming

Classification

7

Structure

8

Flowering9

Cherries

10

5

Leaves11

Considerations

45

Root system

12

Soil preparation

46

Planting

50

3Propagation

6

Land preparation andplanting

Windbreaks, shadowtrees
and covercrops

Introduction

17

Propagation by seed18

Shadow trees

55

Harvesting and processing

19

Intercropping

62

Seedling development

20

Intercropping for soil coverage

62

Vegetative propagation

25

Intercropping with food crops

67

Top grafting26

Windbreaks

53

7

Plant nutrition andfertilisation

Personal safety during handling andapplication

124

Pesticides and health

126

11

Importance of fertilising

68

Nutrients and their functions

69

Fertilizers and their nutrient contents

73

Application rates

76

Timing of applications

82

Introduction

129

Application methods

83

Variety

129

Climate

130

Soil

131

Nutrients

131

Harvesting131

Calculation examples

133

8
9

Composting

Composting coffee pulp and husk

86

12

Pruning and stumping

Harvesting andquality

Fieldbook

Objectives of pruning

91

Rationale

136

Growth shapes

91

Approach136

Pruning requirements and techniques

94

Results

137

Stumping

102

Final notes

141

10

13

Pest and diseaseindentification andprevention

Investment
calculation

Pest and disease types

106

Approach142

Coffee Leaf Rust

107

Calculation example

142

Brown eye spot disease111

Dieback

112

Black Spot Disease

114

Pests

115

14

Brown scale

115

Rationale

148

Green Scale

116

Question

149

Coffee Mealy Bug

116

Hypothesis

151

Coffee Stem Borer

118

Design152

Pesticide application procedures

120

Observation

155

Spraying equipment

123

Analysis

157

Farmers' researchEvaluation

15

159

Coffee world market

Introduction

161

Coffee market

161

Consumption

163

Coffee price164

National level price influences

166

Regional level

167

16

Certificates

Development of coffee certificates

168

Major certificates169

Industry’s response

170

17

After export

Quality control

177

Roasting

178

Quality perceptions of different countries 180
Consumption

181

preparation

182

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C U L T I V A T I O NrHistory of Arabica coffee
This chapter describes the history, origins and subsequent spreadof Arabica coffee over the world.
Discovery
ccording to legend the rise of coffee began in the year 600 with the discovery
of Arabica. The story goes that a goat herder by the name of Kaldi was
herding his goats in the mountain forests of what is now called Ethiopia.
Kaldi was having a nap and his goats wandered of. When Kaldi awoke hours
later his goats had disappeared. Kaldi panicked and went looking for his animals.
When he finally found them, the strangest thing caught his eye. His goats were very
active, dancing on their hind-legs. Further investigation showed that they had been
eating from a strange tree with red cherries (Figure 1). Kaldi worried even more now
and was afraid his goats might get
sick after eating the funnycherries.

A

It took Kaldi quite some time, but
finally he managed to gather hisanimals and take them home.
Kaldi didn’t tell anything to his
parents, but the next day when hetook his goats out, they
immediately went back to thesame bush and started eating
again! Kaldi, seeing that thecherries didn’t seem to harm hisgoats, took some cherries as well.
He noticed the effect immediately
and felt energetic and very awake!
Figure 1: Kaldi and his goats (Source:
www.ineedcoffee.com)
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To cut a long story short, Kaldi took the cherries home and showed them to his
parents, which gave them to some monks in a nearby monastery. These were very
happy with the strange cherries, because chewing them kept them awake during longpraying sessions. The monks started drying the cherries so that they could betransported to distant monasteries. There the monks added water to the dried cherries,
ate the fruit and drank the liquid (1).
Movement of Arabica
fter Kaldi discovered the cherries, word about the refreshing cherries spreadthrough the middle-east (Figure 2). Coffee cherries moved from Ethiopia to
the Arabian peninsula and were cultivated in what is now called Yemen. In
Yemen the people used the skin of the cherry to make a sort of tea. It was
not until it reached Turkey where people started to roast the coffee beans that coffee
as we know it now was discovered.

A

During that time the Arabs tried to guard the secret of coffee. Nobody was allowed totravel with live coffee cherries or beans. Only in roasted form was coffee allowed to betransported. Although coffee was already available in roasted form in England andother European countries around 1640, live seeds and plants had yet to be seen by
non-Arabs.
It was not until early 1700
that the Dutch managed tosmuggle a coffee plant from
Yemen and the world truly
became familiar with coffee.
The Dutch introduced it firstin Java, Indonesia and fromthere it spread quickly.

1550
1500

1500

750

Coffee houses quickly spread
across Europe, becoming
centersfor
intellectual
exchange (Figure 3). In the
1700's, coffee found its way
700
to the Americas by means ofa French infantry captain600
who nurtured one small
plant on its long journey
across the Atlantic. This
single plant, transplanted to
the Caribbean Island of
Martinique, became thepredecessor of over 19 Figure 2: Origin and early spread of Arabica. The bold
numbers represent the estimated year of arrival of coffee in
million trees on the island that country.

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within 50 years. It was from this humble beginning that the coffee plant found its way
to the rest of the tropical regions of South and Central America.
Coffee was declared thenational drink of the thencolonized United States by
the Continental Congress, inprotest of the excessive tax
on tea levied by the British
crown.
Today, coffee is a global
industry employing morethan 20 million people. It
ranks second to petroleum interms of worldwide trade.

Figure 3: European coffee house early 1700s

With over 400 billion cups consumed every year, coffee is the world's most popularbeverage. Presently, coffee is grown in over 80 countries (Figure 4).

Figure 4: Coffee producing countries in 2003, the world’s largest producers (in terms of volume) arecolored red, lighter colors represent smaller producers (Source of data: ICO )Commercially grown types of coffee are of the Robusta (Coffea canephora) and Arabica(Coffea Arabica) varieties (Figure 5 to Figure 8). In some countries Liberica coffee(Coffea exelsa) is grown as well, but market demand for this variety is limited (Figure 9
and Figure 10).

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The Arabica tree in Figure 5 is of
the Catimor variety. This is a socalled dwarf variety. Catimor is across between the varieties
Hybrido de Timor and Caturra.
This variety was created in the
1980s and is Coffee Leaf Rust
resistant. Catimor can reach aheight of up to 2.5m. The beansof Catimor produce a lower
quality coffee brew than otherArabica coffees because of lower
acidity and body (2 important
taste and quality characteristics).
Figure 7 shows a Robusta tree.
The leaves of Robusta are bigger
than Arabica and the tree canremain productive for a longer
time. Cherries and beans of
Robusta are easily distinguishedfrom Arabica because their shapeis more rounded. Robusta canreach a height of 7-10m. The
beans of Robusta produce a
bitter coffee brew, in somemarkets this is appreciated, butless so in others. It is often usedin blends with Arabica.

Figure 5: Arabica tree

Figure 6: Arabica leaves andcherries

Figure 7: Robusta tree

Figure 8: Robusta leaves andcherries

Figure 9 shows a Liberica tree. The
leaves of Liberica are bigger andmore rounded than Arabica andRobusta. Liberica trees can reachheights of over 10m. Their yields
are typically low. The coffee brewof Liberica beans is very bitter andsour. The inconvenience of
harvesting tall trees and the lowquantity and quality of the crop has
Figure 9: Liberica tree
reduced the amount of Liberica.

4

Figure 10: Liberica leaves andcherriesM A N U A L

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C U L T I V A T I O NDevelopment of coffee in Vietnam
offee was first introduced in Vietnam by the French around 1850. By early
1900 several plantations were established in northern provinces like Tuyen
Quang, Lang Son and Ninh Binh. Also in the south Arabica appeared, forexample in Nghe An and Ha Tinh province. Although Vietnam started with
Arabica, many of the plantations used Liberica coffee. It wasn’t until much later that
the French started plantations in what is now the Central Highlands (Tay Nguyen).

C

Originally, plantations in the Central highlands grew Arabica, but these were plaguedby severe leaf rust out breaks. Eventually, most of these plantations were converted to
Robusta and Liberica.
In Quang Tri, coffee was also first cultivated by the French. This coffee was mostly of
the Liberica type.
From the early 90s onwards the production of coffee in Vietnam developed very
rapidly (Figure 11).
16
14

Nr of 60kg bags (million)

12
10
8
6
4
2
0
83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04
Year

Figure 11: Vietnamese production in million 60kg bags green bean from 1983 to 2004 (Source of data:
ICO)

Figure 5 shows the years from 1983 to 2004 on the horizontal axis and the production
in million bags green bean of 60kg each on the vertical axis. The major increase of thelate 90-ties can be attributed to:
1. implementation of land allocation to farmers;5

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2. High coffee prices in 1994 and 1996-1998; and3. Resettlement schemes moving people from the lowlands to the highlands.
The largest expansion took place in the Central Highlands. Most of the newly planted
coffee during this period was Robusta coffee. The central province of Dak Lak saw
the largest expansion and is now responsible for around 50% of Vietnams production.
Ha Giang
Lai ChauY en bai
Son LaThanh Hoa
Nghe A n

Quang Binh

VN Coffee Areas 2003
Quang Tri
Thua Thien - Hue

118,000- 167,000
ha
118,000
to 167,000

65,000to ha
118,000
65,000- 118,000
25,000toha 65,000
25,000- 65,000
8,0008,000- 25,000toha

25,000
to 8,000
1,0001,000- 8,000 ha
1,000<1,000 ha 0 to

Kon TumBinh Dinh
Gia Lai
Phu Y en

Dak Lak
Khanh Hoa
Dak Nong
Binh Phuoc Lam Dong
Binh Duong

Binh Thuan

Ba Ria - V ung Tau

Figure 12: Vietnam production areas 2003 in ha (Source of data: GSO)

Presently, Vietnam ranks as second exporter in terms of volume after Brazil and has
an estimated market share of 13%.

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ChapterIntroduction to Arabica
This chapter gives a general description of Arabica coffee in termsof physiology and ecological requirements.
Growing conditions
rabica coffee originated from the mountain forests of Ethiopia. There it was
growing under shadow of the forest canopy. The original Arabica tree is ashadow loving type. However, years of breeding have resulted in varietiesthat give good yields in full light conditions such as Catimor. Arabica is grownin tropical regions with an altitude of over 500m, but preferably from 1000-1500m.
Higher altitudes generally produce a better quality crop. Some 1200-2000mm ofannual rainfall should be well-distributed. Arabica can not stand frost and theminimum temperature should be above 4-5°C. Optimum temperature for Arabica
cultivation range from 18-25°C. Flowering is initiated after the first rains andmaturation of cherries requires a dry period that can be up to 5 months.

A

Arabica has a deep root system and requires well-drained deep soils rich in organic
matter. The organic matter is important as it buffers the crop against fluctuations inavailable moisture and nutrients. The optimum pH range is from 5.4 to 6.0.
Classification
rabica coffee is part of the Rubiaceae family. This family contains over 70
species. Only 2 are commercially grown in large numbers: Arabica andRobusta. Others like Liberica and Excelsa are also commercially grown but insuch low quantities that their importance is limited. Each of the species has
numerous varieties.

A

In Huong Hoa, Arabica of the Catimor variety is grown, however, there are still somescattered plots with Liberica and leftover Robusta trees.
Besides Catimor, several Brasilian Caturra and Catuai varieties are presently being
tested in Huong Phung (Figure 13, 14, 15 and 16) in the Tan Lam coffee variety trial.
Although previous experiences with these varieties in Quang Tri did not turn out well7

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C U L T I V A T I O N(2004, personal communication with farmers) due to Coffee Leaf Rust infections thepresent test looks promising. Tested varieties show more vigor than the local Catimor
in the same trial and have more stable yields.
Structure
he structure of acoffee tree refers
to the growthshape of thetree. The stem goesstraight up and is called
orthotropic(whichmeans vertical) (Figure17). Multiple stems
within a tree, grownfrom suckers, can alsobefound.
Lateralbranches (Figure 17)spring on opposite sidesof the stem and arecalledplagiotropic(whichmeans
horizontal).

T
Figure 13: Arabica catimor (red)Figure 14:(yellow)

ArabicaFigure 15: Arabica catuai

Figure 16: Arabica cattura

catimor

Auxiliary buds (buds arranged around an axle, i.e. a stem or a branch) on the stem

consist of a primary bud that can grow into a lateral branch, and several buds thatdevelop into suckers and inflorescences (that is where the flowers grow from). The
primary branches can be further divided in secondary and tertiary branches (Figure
18).

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Terminal bud
Auxiliary bud

Inflorescence,developing into
flowerLateral branchSecondary andtertiary branches
SuckerLateral branch,ending in
Serial bud
terminal bud

Figure 18: Detailed structure of Arabica tree
Figure 17: Structure of Arabica tree

Flowering
lowering takes place on lateral and secondary branches. Full development fromthe flower buds to the inflorescences takes around 2.5 months. The
inflorescences (Figure 19) that develop into flowers are found on 1-year old
wood. The flower buds are dormant until the first rains initiate blossoming (Figure 20).
However, if rains come directly after the harvest the buds can develop into branches.
Initiation of flowering typically takes a week to 10 days after the first rains. There may
be several flowering periods, each triggered by sudden rains. For the flower to develop
into a fruit it has to be pollinated (pollination is the process where pollen from one
flower is transferred to the stigmata of another by wind, insects and gravity). Arabica islargely self-pollinating (this means that flowers from a particular tree can pollinate
each other, i.e. there is no differentiation between male and female flowers).

F

Each flower has 2 so-called loculi. When fertile pollen comes in touch with theloculus the plant is feritlised (Figure 21) and two beans will develop as a result.
However, only a relatively small proportion of fertilized flowers (16-20%) result in ripecherries because some flowers are attacked by pests (e.g. aphids) and drop down.

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Figure 20: Flowering coffee

Figure 19: Flower buds about to blossom

Loculus
Stigmata, containing
pollenFigure 21: Detail of stigmata and loculus

Deformed flowers sometimes occur, called starflowers. Such flowers are sterile, thismeans pollination can not take place. Therefore, no cherries will grow from them.
Common reasons for the occurrence of starflowers are: too high temperatures andinsufficient difference between seasons.
Cherries
fter flowering the development of cherries enters the pinhead stage (Figure
22, Figure 23). This period takes approximately 6-8 weeks and is marked byvery slow growth of the cherries. In the next period cherries grow strongly
for 8-10 weeks (Figure 24). In Huong Hoa this generally takes up to 12
weeks, although exact duration of these periods may vary with climatic conditions. It isduring this time that cherry drop can occur. Cherry drop is instigated by moisturestress, poor nutrient status of the crop and linked to overall tree health. At the end of
this period of rapid growth the potential of the year’s crop has been determined. After

A

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the rapid growth period ripening of the cherries starts (Figure 25). When the cherries
are red, or yellow for some varieties, they are ready to be harvested.

Figure 22: Flowering

Figure 23: Pinhead (sizeof pinheads is around
2-4mm)

Figure 24: Filling

Figure 25: Ripening

The majority of cherries contain two beans. The beans have a thin layer called thesilver skin and this is surrounded by a hard layer called the parchment. Around theparchment is the pulp. The pulp is covered by the skin (Figure 26). Although a cherrynormally contains two beans deformations happen. The most important deformationsin Huong Hoa are pea berries and floaters. A pea berry forms when only one loculus isfertilized.
During which
stage of cherry
development doyou think is thenutritionrequirement of
the treegreatest?

Some people say that pea berries have better
taste characteristics than normal beans but others
disagree. Whatever the case is, the major roasting
companies do not want to have pea berries.
Because of their different shape pea berries havea shorter roasting time than normal beans of thesame size. This leads to unevenly roasted coffee.
On the other hand several specialty coffee stores
sell pea berry coffees to connoisseurs.
Floaters are cherries in which one or both of thebeans is an empty shell. This is caused by genetic
as well as physiological factors such as poor
nutrient status of the tree and extended drought.

Figure 26: Cross-section coffee cherry

Leaveshe leaves of a coffee tree are shiny and waxy and dark green or brownish incolor. The colour and thickness of the leaves varies with age, variety andnutrient status. Leaves form opposite pairs. True Catimor has brown leaves at
the tip of the branch whereas degenerated Catimor does not have thischaracteristic (Figure 27, Figure 28).

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M A N U A L

Given the factthat Robusta
can grow at
lower altitudes
than Arabica,
what would be
the difference instomata density
between the
two?

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Coffeeisanevergreen tree. Leafdropoccurscontinuously, but isstronger in dry
periods and after
heavy crops (overbearing and dieback) as a result of
Figure 27: True catimor
Figure 28: Degenerated catimor
excessive nutrientand sugar movement from the leaves and roots to fill the cherries. The underside ofthe leaf has microscopically small openings, called stomata, for gas exchange with theatmosphere. Through these openings the plant can take up CO2 and release O2 andwater vapour. The upper side of the leaf also has stomata, but relatively few comparedto the underside. This partly explains why Coffee Leaf Rust is found at the undersideof leaves. The Coffee leaf rust fungus needs the stomata to “feed” on the leaf.
Root system
he function of the root system is to ensure the plant is firmly anchored to theground and receives its supply of water and minerals. Arabica has a deep rootsystem (Figure 29: Seedling Figure 30: Seedling root & Figure 31: Mature rootsystem) that consists of:T A central taproot that extends 40-60cm, depending on the porosity of the soil thetaproot can reach up to 2m depth.

 Vertically growing coaxial roots, usually 4-8 of them
 Downward growing lateral roots, with numerous root hairs that absorb water andnutrients. These are particularly found in the top 30cm of the soil where the organic
matter is concentrated and form up to 80% of the total root volume.

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Figure 30: Seedling
root

90 cm

20 cm

25 cm

Figure 29:
Seedling

Figure 31: Mature root system

Proper development of the root system is vital. Trees with underdeveloped rootsystems can perform well during the first 3-5 years but will have problems later on,
especially during years of heavy crops and/or little rain. Proper root development
starts already in the nursery through selection of strong seedlings with straight taproots(see also section Preparation of soil and planting bags
When you areplanting, how
can you preventthe developmentof crooked
taproots inmature trees?

). Sufficiently deep planting holes are important. This is to ensure that the taproot canactually penetrate the deeper soil layers.
Coffee plants require several factors for growing and producing cherries (Figure 32).
Coffee, like all green plants, needs light as a source for energy that allows it to convert
carbon-dioxide or CO2 from the air into sugar. CO2 is abundant in the air, and isbreathed out by human beings and animals. When converting CO2, into sugar, theplants need water and release oxygen or O2. The oxygen is breathed in by humanbeings and animals.

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Light
O2
CO2

Sugars

Water

Nutrients

Figure 32: Requirements for growth

Nutrients are needed to allow conversion of sugar into other substances, such as thetissues that leaves are made of and the wood of the stems. That is why the coffee
requires Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium and many other nutrients for growth.
Apart from leaves and stems, the coffee plants also produce hormones. These aresubstances that in certain combinations and concentrations induce the crop to dosomething specific, such as formation of flowering buds. Internal characteristics, suchas the age and size of the crop, but also external conditions, such as rainfall, often
stimulate or hamper the production of hormones. This is why young plants do not
flower, and why flowering in older plants is stimulated by rainfall.
The conversion of light and CO2 into sugar takes mainly place in the leaves, althoughalso somewhat in the green cherries. Transforming sugar into other substances is done
both in the leaves and in the roots. Both processes are affected by the temperature of
the air and of the soil. Generally there is a range of temperatures (between 15-25°C)
where these processes are done fastest. When plants grow in temperatures outside thisrange, either in cooler or warmer temperatures, the speed of the processes will belower, even when enough light and CO2 are available. This will result in slower growth.
At very low (below 4°C) and very high temperatures (above 40°C), these processes are
not possible anymore and the plant will not grow. Apart from having effects on the
speed of the processes, very low and very high temperatures may cause dying oftissues, especially leaves and roots. To a certain extend, the plant can control its
temperature through transpiration of water. This can be increased to lower thetemperature of the plant when there is strong sunshine or high air temperatures, or be
decreased when there is not so much light and the temperature is low. You can checkthe fact that plants transpire water by putting a plastic bag around some leaves. Whenyou do this while the plant is in broad daylight, you will soon see water being formedat the inside of the plastic bag. At night, hardly any water will be formed in this way.

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During which
commonly founddisease does
blocking ofstomata occur?

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The plant absorbs light on its leaf surface, and plants with a small leaf surface will growslowly, while those with a large leaf surface may grow fast (when other conditions are
optimal). The plant breathes CO2 in and oxygen and water out through small mouthlike openings in the leaves. These openings are called stomata. Blocking these stomata,e.g. when some fungus grow into them, will hamper the breathing of the leaves andthe plant will reduce and eventually stop growing. The required nutrients and water are
mainly taken up by the roots, although some nutrients and some water may be taken
up by the leaves, which is why foliar application of fertilizers may work. From theroots, the water and nutrients, as well as some substances produced in the roots, aretransported to the leaves in tiny tubes called xylem within
the plant. These lay in the woody part of the stem andshoots. Sugar and other substances are transported withinsome water to the roots, among others to provide energy
and building material for the substances produced in theroots. This flow takes place in tiny tubes called phloem inthe bark of the stem and shoots. Since these tubes are insoft tissue and close to the surface of the plant organs,some insects like aphids can suck the sugary liquid out ofthese tubes, which results in the roots to get lesssubstances than required and hence to a lower growth andproduction of the crop. Often, aphids suck too much of
the sugar and release the excess (Figure 33). This is why
places with a lot of aphids are often quite sticky. Fungi
Figure 33: Aphids feeding on
may grow on the excreted sugar, which causes the spots
plant sugarwith excreted sugar to become black.
The fact that phloem lies close to the surface of the stem is also used by humans when
they want to kill a tree by removing the bark. Then the flow of substances to the roots
is completely shut of and the tree dies in a short time.

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Why would thetree give
preference tofilling cherriesrather thanmaintaining
leaves whenwater ornutrients are in
short supply?

F O R

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The produced sugar and other substances are distributed from leaves and roots toother parts of the plant, such as stem, shoot, flower, cherry, but also to themselves.
This is needed to allow the leaves and roots to maintain their structure and tissue. Thiscan be compared to the maintenance required by motorbikes: when they are used alot, parts of the engine are weakened and break down and new parts are needed.
When the cherries are growing, they get preference of these flows. When there are notenough leaves to feed the cherries, the leaves will suffer, because they do not getenough sugar and substances to maintain themselves and eventually they will die, as
well as the shoot on which they grow. This is called dieback. Since these dead shoots
can not produce new flowers or new shoots, the production in next year will be lower.

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Chapter

Propagation
This chapter describes two commonly used forms of propagation; byseed and by vegetative parts. Nursery management is also discussed.
Introduction
he use of a suitable variety in relation to the agro-ecological conditions is ofgreat importance for sustainable production. Suitable varieties in Vietnam arecommonly distributed by research institutes and extension centers. However
not every coffee growing province is reached by these institutes. Therefore
this chapter is included so you can learn how to propagate on the farm.

T

Propagation can be done in numerous ways. The two most common ones,
propagation by seed and vegetative propagation, are discussed here.
Propagation by seed uses ripe cherries. Cherries are formed after flowers have beenpollinated, which means that genetic information from a male part of a flower (called
pollen) is mixed with that of a female part of the flower (called ‘egg’ or ovule). With
Arabic coffee, this mixing can be from parts of one specific flower, of different flowers
from one plant, or from flowers from different plants. In any case, the resultant
embryo has genetic information that is a mix of that in the male and the female part.
Even when male and female parts come from one plant, but more likely when theycome from different plants, the resulting embryo may have another combination ofgenetic information than that of the original plants. Each specific combination ofgenetic information is called a genotype which is a specific combination of a large setof genes. Sometimes, a specific combination of genes can be seen as the plant grows.

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How could you
avoid thedeviation fromthe genetic baseof the motherplant when
propagating?

F O R

A R A B I C A

C U L T I V A T I O N

For example all trees with a true Catimor genotype have brown top leaves, while ripecherries of Cattura Arabica have a yellow color while most other varieties have redcherries. Using seeds for propagation can result in new genotypes that have different
characteristics than the mother trees. This may be beneficial, when the new
combination results in a plant with, for example, better resistance to Coffee Leaf Rust.
When using seeds from a good variety however, it generally results in a part of theplants that are not as good as the parents. This we see happening in Huong Hoa,
where several “Catimor” plants are not resistant to Coffee Leaf Rust ,do not havebrown top leaves or have different ways of growing than the real Catimor.
In vegetative propagation a leaf or shoot of the mother tree is used to create a newtree. As there is no pollination involved the genotype of the new tree will be exactly thesame as the genotype of the mother tree. The new tree will have all the traits of themother tree.
Propagation by seedropagation by seed starts with careful selection of seed trees. In Huong Hoa afirst criteria for selection is the year of planting of the mother tree. Trees thatwere planted between 1993 and 1995 are cloned and of known origin andthese trees have a true Catimor genotype. Trees that were planted later comefrom various sources and the exact variety is in most cases not clear. Therefore, whenstarting propagation ensure you take seed from trees planted between 1993 and 1995.

P

Seed tree selection

During seed tree selection it is important to observe your potential seed trees over along period of time. Therefore, the first step in selection is at least 1 year before you
intend to start actual propagation.
After the harvest in December select trees that look healthy and vigorous. The trees
can be marked by loosely tying a piece of string around the stem. Simultaneously, write
down the position of the tree in the field (row number and number of the tree in therow) for reference.

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After 8 months, just before the new harvest, a second evaluation takes place. Locate
the trees that were marked the first time and check if they are performing well. Select a
final number of trees that you intend to use and remove the markers of the others thatwere discarded.

Do the leaves at
the tip of theshoots also give
you an indicationof the truenessof the Catimor
variety?

Harvesting and processing
herries that are ripe during the peak of the harvest are usually the best for
propagation purposes. When harvesting the cherries for propagation only pickthe big, healthy red cherries, thereby increasing the chance of successful
germination and propagation. Cherries from the middle part of the tree are
preferable over those from the bottom and top part of the tree as these developed in alightly shaded environment leading to better quality.

C

As soon as possible after harvesting the cherries should be processed.
First put all the cherries you harvested in water and skim the floaters from the surface.
If the cherries contain some green ones you should
remove them now.
Processing can be done hand. Squeeze the ripe cherries
by hand until the beans pop out. Then sort out thebeans. Pulping does not remove all the pulp. Finalcleaning of the parchment is done by fermentation.
After pulping pack the beans in plastic bags (Figure 34),
close them, and leave them overnight (approximately 10hours). After fermentation the beans should be washed Figure 34: Packing parchment for
2 -3 times with clean water to remove all remaining pulp. fermentation
The next step is drying. The beans (or parchment coffee as it is called after
fermentation and washing) can be dried in the sun. From 9am to 3pm the sun is toostrong and the parchment should be moved to the shadow to ensure even drying.
Spread the parchment in a layer of 2cm deep on a clean surface and turn the beans
every second hour on the first day. At night and during
rain the parchment should be moved into the house to
avoid rewetting.

Figure 35: Parchment, 25%
moisture content

On the second day the parchment should be turned
every third hour. The following days the parchment
should be turned every 4 hours. At around 25%
moisture content the drying is finished (Figure 35). The
parchment now looks white and is tight around thebeans. The color of the beans is bluish.

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The final step ofprocessing is theremovalofpeaberries, broken andinsectinvestedparchment as well asparchment with morethan 2 beans (Figure
36,
Figure37).
Parchment is ideally
sowed now, but
preservation to a later
date is also possible.

C U L T I V A T I O N

Figure 36: Pea berries

Figure 37: Broken parchment

For preservation the parchment can be packed, but the thickness of the layer should
not exceed 10cm and it should be stored in a light airy place at room temperature to
avoid fungus development. The parchment should be turned every day. To avoid
fungus also fungicides like Benomyl or Vibenci can be mixed in (instructions forapplication can be found on the package and should be followed!).
Seedling development
eedling development can be done on two ways. The first is to sow theparchment in a nursery bed, taking care to have the flat side of each bean facing
downwards. Just before or shortly after the first leaf pair appears the seedlings
can transplanted to soil-filled plastic bags. This method allows for a selection
process, where seedlings with abnormal root development can be discarded. The
second method is to sow directly in plastic bags, again with the flat side of the beanfacing downwards. Although this method saves time it is not recommended because
the lack of selection results in poorly developed root systems of about 20% of all trees
planted. In the past farmers in Huong Hoa used the second method and this can still
be seen in the field (Figure 42, Figure 43).

S

Nursery preparation

A nursery plot consists of a raised piece of land. Ideally it should be 1.2m wide and20cm deep. The bed consists of fertile topsoil (50%)
mixed with sand (50%). The soil should be clean, so
remove any old roots, sticks and stones. Before
sowing, the parchment should be submerged in waterof 50-60°C (at this temperature the water is justbearable to touch) with 2% of lime (add 20g of lime
to 1l water), stir it well and leave it for 24h. Lime will
increase the pH level of the water, stimulating
germination.
The parchment should be sown at a
Figure 38: Shaded nursery
depth of 1cm. Distance between the parchment
should be 2-3 cm, and the distance between the rows is 3cm. The first 20 days the20M A N U A L

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nursery can be kept dark. After this initial stage the nursery should be shaded tocontrol light intensity, temperature and humidity. In Huong Hoa one should aim for
70% sun light penetration of the nursery canopy (Figure 38, Figure 45). The seedlings
should also be protected from strong winds.
After sowing it takes 1-2 weeks before the root penetrates the parchment. In colder
weather this can take longer, up to 3 weeks. Another 2 weeks will see the young plant
emerge from the soil with the parchment still covering the top. This is called epigeal
germination. When the parchment is shed the first two leafs will appear. There areoval-shaped and called the bracteoles. Together with the bracteoles the terminal bud
appears.
Preparation of soil and planting bags

Just before or shortly after the emergence of the bracteoles it is time to transplant theseedlings to plastic bags. To ensure good root development the bags should be
sufficiently large with a diameter of minimum 17cm and a depth of 25cm or more.
Shorter bags can inhibit proper root development, and more narrow bags will result ina too close spacing of the seedlings, which then will become long and thin. These are
more susceptible to wind damage after transplanting the seedlings to the field. Eachbag should have some holes in the bottom to allow for drainage.

Why is itrecommended touse topsoil andnot soil fromdeeper down?

The plastic bags are filled with fertile top soil (80%) and 20% organic manure. Per m3of soil-manure mixture 10kg of Phosphate fertilizer (16.5% P2O5) should be added tostimulate root development. 1m3 of soil-manure mixture fills around 180 bags. Whenfilling the bags the soil-manure mixture should be moist but not wet. If you take ahand of mixture and squeeze it, water should not run out between your fingers. Careshould also be taken to compact the soil in the bags. Too loose soil dries out the roots
and too much compaction results in stunted roots. The right amount of compaction isreached when you can still penetrate the soil with your finger.
Transplanting

The seedlings are gently removed from the nursery. Before planting a root inspection
will determine whether the seedling is to be maintained or discarded. Seedlings withdouble taproots can be maintained, but one root should be removed. Other than that
only seedlings with a straight taproot should be used. Any others can result in lagging
development later on (Figure 39 to Figure 43).

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Figure 39:
Twistedtaproot

Figure 40:
Taproot
deformation

C U L T I V A T I O N

Figure 41: 8 years Figure 42: Close up of figure 41
old tree with 25 cm
taproot

Figure 43: Treeof Figure 41
and 42A stick can be used to push a planting hole in the soil of the bag. The planting holes
should be around 10cm deep. The seedling should be gently lowered into the bag,making sure that the taproot goes down straight. The
collar (the collar is a slight thickening where the root
becomes stem, marked by the red circle in Figure 44) of
the seedling should be positioned at soil level and thesoil should gently be compacted in three steps of 5 cm
each. This is to make sure that there are no open spaces
surrounding the roots. Such open spaces can dry out
the roots leading to premature dying off.
The first 2 days after transplanting the nursery should
be watered to facilitate good establishment of theseedlings in their new environment.

Figure 44: Root collar position

In 10-12 weeks after sowing, the terminal bud will develop into a pair of primaryleaves. Every new pair of primary leaves takes 3-4 weeks to emerge (Figure 45). Whentransplanting seedlings to the field it should have 5-7 of pairs of leaves and an overall
height of 20-30cm.

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Seedling development
stage

Time

2-3 weeks10-12 weeks 4 months

4.5 months

5 months

Shadow requirements

90%

70%

30%

0%

50%

Root development
stage

Figure 45: Seedling development and light requirements

Figure 46 shows a time-line of seedling development in relation to rainfall.
Unfortunately, only rainfall data from Khe Sanh is available, as Huong Phung does nothave a weather station. Experience has taught that typically rains start and stop one
month earlier in Huong Phung. Timing of seedling development should be such thatthe seedlings are ready for transplanting to the field at the start of the rainy season.
Two options are available to farmers: either you can start in February and plant in June,or you can start in December and plant in April. The first option is preferable because
the rainy period following planting lasts longer.

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C U L T I V A T I O N

700Monthly rain (mm)

600
500
400
300
200
100
0
ry
ua
br

y
ar

J

u
an

Fe

M

ch
ar

ril

Ap

M

ay

e

n
Ju

l
Ju

t
us

y
g
Au

em

pt

Se

r
be

r

r

be

o
ct
O

em
ov
N

r

be

ec
D

be
em

Khe Sanh,
option 1

Khe Sanh,
option 2

Figure 46: Time-line seedling development in relation to rainfall (average data for years 1995 to 1999)
Nursing the seedlings

During development of the seedlings, shadow requirements decrease (Figure 45). Leaf
spots are an indication of too much light penetration. In propagation timing isessential. The whole process can take up to 6 months and planting in the field should
not take place during the dry season.
The growth speed of the seedling in the nursery thus influences the timing. Therefore
regulation is very important. This can be done by using fertilizers:
 To speed up growth in anticipation of coming rain spray water with 1% Urea (10gof urea per 1 l of water). This can only be done in the late afternoon, heavy sunshine
can scorch the leaves when they have been sprayed with this mixture. As an
additional precaution against scorching Urea application should be followed
immediately by a spraying of plain water;

 To slow down growth water with 5% Phosphate (50g of phosphate, 16.5% P2O5, on

1 l water) can be used.

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C U L T I V A T I O NWater application with Urea or Phosphate for growth regulation can be done 2-3
times, up to a month before planting. The timing for application is dictated by seedling
health, and application is done if and when deficiency symptoms are spotted. If you
notice that the soil becomes hard after spraying, it can be turned lightly around theseedling with a small stick. This facilitates air and water flow in the soil.
How can you
identify
seedlings thathave received
too muchnitrogen?

The seedlings will not all develop at the same speed (Figure 47), and seedlings which
are lagging in their development can be removed. Make sure the other seedlings are
not moved at all at the risk of unwittingly damaging the roots. Initially, theunderdeveloped seedlings can be kept in a separate part of the nursery where more
intense treatment can be administered. If this does not yield results, these seedlings
should be discarded.
If pests occur a manual (removal of the insects by hand) or chemical control can be
done. Fungus development can occur where the stem collar makes contact with thesoil. If an infected tree is spotted it should be removed as soon as possible to contain
fungus spread. Additionally fungus development can be prevented by spraying copperbased products once a month (also refer to the chapter on Pest and disease
identification and prevention).
Another important activity is weed removal, which
is best done as soon as weeds appear in the bags.
Normal watering should be aimed at keeping thesoil in the bags moist.

Which nutrient
related disease
is oftenobserved innurseries?

Figure 47: Irregular seedling stock

When the seedlings have 5-7 pairs of leaves they
can planted out in the field. (also refer to thechapteronLand preparation and planting).

Vegetative propagation
egetative propagation can be done in two ways: via grafting and cutting. Bothwill be discussed here. The purpose of grafting is to combine several traits ofdifferent trees into one. For example, some trees have very good rootsystems, but have low yields. Other trees have good quality characteristics
whereas their root system is mediocre. Combining a good root system with a decent
quality yielding tree can result in a better overall performance in the field. A potential
advantage of vegetative propagation is that the new trees will have the same genetic
characteristics as the mother tree.

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Top grafting
reviously, grafting of coffee trees in Vietnam was performed with the receiving
tree at an age of 8-12 months. However, the survival rates of these grafts wererather disappointing. Subsequent research at the Tay Nguyen research instituteproved that the optimal age for grafting is when the receiving tree is from 4-6
months old. By far the easiest method of grafting is called top grafting. This is what
will be discussed in this chapter.

P

Timing of grafting is very important and depends largely on the weather. The best time
to start grafting is at the beginning of the minor rainy season (May and June). During
this time the weather is cool and relative humidity high. Such weather conditions
improve the survival rate of the grafts.
The first step in grafting is to carefully assess which varieties and species could be usedin the local conditions. Considerations to be taken into account are climate, soil, watersupply and soil borne diseases, such as nematodes (Table 1).
Table 1: Available coffee species and varieties in Huong Hoa

Based on theconditions in
Huong Hoa,
which
combination of
species andvarieties would
be suitable forgrafting?

Species
Arabica Catimor

Plus

Minus

 High productivity
 Reasonable to good Sensitive to drought Less extensive root

quality

Arabica Caturra Leaf rust resistant High productivity
 Good quality

system Sensitive to nematodes
 Uncertain performancein Huong Hoa

Robusta High productivity
 Extensive root system

 Sensitive to leafrust Sensitive to nematodes
 Not adapted to Huong

Liberica

 Extensive root system
 Resistant to nematodes

 Low yields
 Unappreciated quality

Hoa conditions

In conclusion, a suitable combination in Huong Hoa seems to be a Catimor top
grafted on a Liberica root system. The Catimor variety is leaf rust resistant, while themore extensive root system of Liberica increases drought tolerance of the tree.
However, this has only been tried out a limited scale, therefore be advised toexperiment first before engaging in wide-spread planting!
Grafting procedure

Besides suitable trees and shoots one needs a pruning scissor, razor blades, plastic bags
and some thin string.
Selecting trees from which to take cuttings for grafting is the same as selecting seed
trees in propagation by seed (Propagation by seed). Suckers are used to take cuttings

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C U L T I V A T I O Nfrom that can be grafted on the receiving tree. To increase the number of suckers on asuitable mother tree it can be bended over and fixed in that position. The area of thestem that is exposed to sun light will grow new suckers. To further increase theexposed area the stem can be pruned clear of branches on the top side.
If one wants to introduce new root systems to the garden, grafting can be done in thenursery. For this purpose specially grown seedlings with desirable root characteristics
have to be grown (see Propagation by seed). The receiving seedlings should be 4 to 6
months old, and have 3 to 5 pairs of leaves. The top pair of leaves is cut away in such a
way that the stem sticks out 3 to 4 cm above the first primary leaves. The part of thestem that sticks out should be cleft for 2 to 3 cm (Figure 48). After making the cleft thegraft should be inserted and tied off as soon as possible. If the exposed inner tissue ofthe cleft or the graft dries out changes of a
successful graft are reduced.

What is theadvantage ofgrafting overpropagation by
seed from adiseaseresistancy pointof view?

The part that is going to be grafted in theseedling is the tip of a sucker or top of
another seedling or tree. Care should betaken that the diameter of the stems of thereceiving seedling and the new cutting are as
equal as possible. Cutting of grafts is best
done before 9 am when the sun is not too
strong. The cutting is 4 to 5 cm in lengthwith the top leave pair not yet opened. The Figure 48: Receiving seedling with top cleft
leaf area of the opened leaves has to be
reduced by at least 50%. This is to decrease evaporation and facilitates higher survival
rates. The bottom end is sharpened in such a way that it forms a V-shape. This canthen be inserted in the cleft of the receiving seedling and secured by means of some
soft plastic line (Figure 49 to Figure 51). Grafts should be used immediately after
cutting them. Waiting too long will dry out the cut and decrease the chance of survivalof the new graft, the same holds true for the cleft.

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F O RFigure 49: Top graft

A R A B I C A

C U L T I V A T I O N

Figure 50: Insertion of graft

Figure 51: Securing the graft

After fixing the graft as in Figure 51, the top of the tree is covered by a plastic bag.
This will increase the humidity around the graft and improves the survival rate of thegrafts. After 7 to 10 days the plastic bag can be removed.
Alternatively, grafting can be done in the field on newly grown suckers of stumped
trees. The procedure is similar to grafting in the nursery, only now shadow has to becreated by placing some palm or banana leaves around the new graft.
Cutting
ropagation by cuttings is another technique. For this method of propagation
similar cuttings as in top grafting can be used. After cutting, they should be put
in water immediately and transferred as soon as possible to a nursery bed. The
best time to do this is in January and February when the weather is cool.

P

The nursery bed is similar to that for propagating by seed (see Nursery preparation).
However less light should be allowed to penetrate the nursery canopy (80% as
opposed to 70% for propagation by seed) to avoid excessive evapotranspiration(similar to sweating in humans, evapotranspiration refers to plants loosing moisturewhile exposed to heat and light). 400 to 500 cuttings can be placed on 1m2, theseshould be covered with a clear plastic sheet. The cuttings should be aired by carefully
removing the plastic sheet twice per day for a period of 1 hour per time. During
aeration water can applied, 2 to 3l per m2 twice per day, except when it is raining during
aeration. After 2 weeks, watering once per day will suffice. After 6 weeks watering onceper 3 days is enough. The entire process takes 2.5 to 3 months and by then the cuttings
can be transferred to plastic bags, similar to seedlings (Propagation by seed). Another 6
to 7 months will result in 5 to 7 pairs of leaves and the cuttings can be transplanted to
the field.
Generally, root systems developed from cuttings are less vigorous or well-developed astrees propagated by seed. Therefore, this technique should not be used in areas where
drought is likely to occur.

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Chapter

Soil identification andimprovement
Soil is one of the most importantissues incoffee cultivation. Thischapter will help
you to asses the suitability of your soil for coffee cultivationand suggest ways on
how to improve it.
Soil requirements for coffee
rabica has specific soil requirements, although it can perform well on
different types of soil. Numerous examples show that it grows well on soilsof volcanic origin, such as in Khe Sanh, but also on granite-based soils asfound in Huong Phung. Although the type of soil is of less importance, thetexture and structure are decisive for the performance of a tree. The pH should befrom 4.5 to 6, but excellent plantations can also be found on neutral (pH 7) soils [2].
Soil organic matter should be from 2 to 4%. On most soils in Huong Hoa coffee canbe grown successfully. However, it is important to realize that different soils requiredifferent management.

A

Soil identification
efore we can decide whether a soil is suitable for coffee we have to identify thesoil type and understand more about soil properties and how these interact
with the performance of a crop.

B

To understand soil productivity, soil-tree relations must be taken into account. Several
external factors that influence the performance of a tree are: air, heat (air and soil
temperature), mechanical support, light, nutrients and water. For most, the coffee
plants depend on the soil to provide these. Most of the factors are linked. For example
sufficient moisture in the soil will facilitate uptake of nutrients by the tree.
Soil fertility is a very dynamic process. Nutrients are constantly being removed fromthe soil in the form of coffee cherries. Others can be lost by leaching or erosion. Again
others can be tied into the soil by clay particles and remain present but hardly available

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to the tree. If coffee production was a closed system, the balance of nutrients might berelatively stable. However, this is not the case as cherries (and the nutrients they
contain) are removed and sold during every harvest. Therefore, understanding theprinciples of soil fertility and how removed nutrients that have to be replaced byfertilizers and compost behave is vital to efficient crop production.
Apart fromfertilizer andcompostapplication whatothermechanisms
contributenutrients to the
soil?

Plant nutrientsssential for plant growth are nutrients. In total, seventeen nutrients (orchemical elements) are known in relation to tree growth. These are divided in
two groups: non- mineral and mineral.

E

Non-mineral nutrients are: CO2 (part of the air) and H2O (water). Under normal
conditions these are freely available and are absorbed by the tree through leaves androots. Although water availability might be insufficient during dry spells.
Fourteen mineral nutrients can be divided in three groups (Table 2).
Table 2: Mineral nutrients

Primary nutrients

Primary
nutrients areused in large
quanities, what
does this imply
for foliar
fertilizer
application?

Secondarynutrients

Micronutrients

Nitrogen (N)Calcium (Ca)Boron (B)Manganese (Mn)

Phosphorus (P)Magnesium (Mg)

Chloride (Cl)

Molybdenum (Mo)

Potassium (K)Sulfur (S)Copper (Cu)Nickel (Ni)Iron (Fe)Zinc (Zn)Primary nutrients are called such because they are present in the tree in larger
quantities. The secondary and micronutrients are present in much lower
concentrations. Usually, the tree will show deficiencies of primary nutrients, although
after the harvest Calcium and Magnesium deficiencies can be observed in coffee trees.
In general the tree uses large amounts of primary nutrients and only smaller amountsof secondary- and micronutrients. Still the second and third groups are just as
important to the tree.
Texture and structure of soil
oil texture describes the porosity of a soil. This is determined by the relative
share of each of the primary soil particles and the organic matter content.
Primary soil particles are sand, silt and clay. Primary soil particles differ in size
(Table 3). Secondary soil particles are mainly organic matter.

S

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For texture, the general rule is that a clay soil has smaller particles. Conversely, a soil
sandy soil has larger particles.
Table 3: Soil particles

Type
Sand

Size
0.06 – 2mm

Silt

0.002 - 0.06mm

Clay<0.002mm

A soil high in sand content is definedin texture as “sand”

When small amounts of silt or clay
are present the soil becomes either aloamy sand or sandy loam.



Soils composed mostly of clays are“clay”

When sand, silt and clay are present in equal proportions the soil is called“loam”.

Soil texture and structure influence the amount of air and water available to the plant.
Particle size is important because:

Smaller clay particles can be fitted more tightly together. This results in smaller
pores for water and air.

An equal volume of soil with small particles has greater surface area than a soil
with large particles. As surface area increases the amount of nutrients that canbe absorbed also increases.

Water in the soil is mainly located in the pores between the soil particles. When the
pores are big, a lot of water can be stored in these pores, and it is easy for the water toenter and leave these pores. This explains why sandy soils, which have large pores, canhold a lot of water, but are prone to drought since the water is also easily lost throughdrainage into deeper soil layers. Since the drained water also takes nutrients with it thatare dissolved in it, sandy soils are also prone to lose nutrients rather fast.
Give theimportance ofpore size for tree
development,
which would bebetter:mechanical or
manual land
preparation?

Clay absorbs per volume generally less water than sand, but holds on to it in the small
pores and can withstand the gravity so not so much water is lost through drainage.
Given the different properties of different soils, it is important for farmers to be able toidentify what kind of soil they have. The examples given in the previous section showsthat on a loamy or clay soil the farmer can benefit from some rainfall after fertilizing. A
farmer on sandy soil however, will quickly lose any nutrients because his soil will drain
the rain water, in which nutrients (especially Nitrogen) dissolve, quickly.
Two simple tests are available to the farmer to identify his soil (Figure 52, Table 4).
A ball is formed of about 2.5 cm diameter from 1 spoon of fine soil;

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C U L T I V A T I O NWater is slowly dripped onto the soil until the soil becomes sticky. I.e. it juststicks to the hand;The extent to the moist soil can be shaped is indicative of its texture (Figure
52, Table 4).

B

A

C

D

E

F

G

Figure 52: Soil test (Source: Agricultural Compendium)
Table 4: Soil test key (Source: Agricultural Compendium)

A

Sand

the soil remains loose and single-grained and can only beheaped into a pyramid

B

Loamy
sand

The soil contains sufficient silt and clay to become
somewhat cohesive and can be shaped into a ball that easily
falls apart

CSilt loam As for loamy sand, but the soil can be shaped into a shortthick cylinder

D

Loam

Because of about equal sand, silt and clay content the soil
can be rolled into a cylinder of about 15cm long that breaks
when bent

E

Clay
loam

As for loam, although the soil can be bent into a “U”, but
no further without being broken

F

Light
clay

The soil can be bent into a circle that shows cracks

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G

Heavy
clay

F O R

A R A B I C A

C U L T I V A T I O N

The soil can be bent into a circle without showing cracks

Secondly, soil can be mixed with water to separate the primary and secondary soil
particles.
First, a small amount of soil (around 0.2kg) taken from the top 10cm of the soil
surface. Mix it thoroughly with a 0.5l of water in a transparent canister (e.g. a La Viebottle). After around 60 minutes the soil particles have separated. On the surface of thewater you will find organic matter, the next layer consist of clay and loam and thebottom layer is sand. This can be repeated for deeper layers, taking 10cm soil depth ata time.

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C U L T I V A T I O NTable 5: Soil analysis Huong Phung, take care that this sample is not representative for the wholecommuneDepth (cm)Fieldsituation

Sample (0-10cm on the left, 10-20cm on the right)

FigureField

Figure 54: Soil sample
Huong Phung, depth 010cm

Clay
Sand

Sand

Silt

Silt Clay

10 cm

Hardly any clay and organic
matter!

Very fine clay and organic mattersuspended

0 cm

20 cm

Observation

53:

Figure 55: Idem Figure
54, depth 10-20cm

The bottom layer in the bottle contains heavy soil particles, the sandfraction. The second layer contains lighter particles, the silt fraction.
The third layer contains the clay fraction. Organic matter floats on thesurface of the water. Suspended materials are organic matter andunsettled clay particles. Using Figure 59 we can classify this soil as a silt
loam.
Note that at a depth of 10-20cm there is hardly any organic matter!
Also the top layer contains much more clay.

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Soils from Khe Sanh are quite different (Table 6).
Table 6: Soil analysis Khe Sanh, again take note that this sample is not representative for the wholecommuneDepth (cm)Fieldsituation

Sample (0-10cm on the left, 10-20cm on the right)

FigureField

Figure 57: Soil sample
Khe Sanh, depth 010cm

Sand

Sand

Silt

Silt

Clay

Clay

10 cm

Hardly any silt and organic
matter!

Very fine silt and organic mattersuspended

0 cm

20 cm

Observation

56:

Figure 58: Idem Figure
57, depth 10-20cm

The bottom layer in the bottle contains heavy soil particles, the sandfraction. The second layer contains lighter particles, the silt fraction.
The third layer contains the clay fraction. Organic matter floats on thesurface of the water. Suspended materials are organic matter and clay.
Using Figure 59 we can classify this soil as a clay loam.
Note that the sample from Khe Sanh has more organic matter which isalso more evenly distributed between the two layers.

Using Figure 59 allows you to name your soil.

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Figure 59: Soil texture classes (Source: Soil Fertility Manual)

Furthermore, it may be noted that when dry, loam or silt will give off fine powdery
dust if scratched or blown upon, but a clayey soil will not. Silt is extremely powdery
because of its very low clay content.
A loam when wet feels soapy and more or less plastic, when rubbed between thefingers it leaves dust on the skin, clay does not.
When digging a hole, clay that has a slightly moist condition displays shiny faces, aloam does not.
Positive and negative charged elements
oils originate from so-called parent material. Parent material consists of thetypes of rock that during a process of weathering (decomposition of rock under
the influence of water and wind erosion) formed the main component of thesoil. In Khe Sanh the parent material is of basaltic origin, whereas in Huong
Phung the parent material is granite. Different types of rocks have different

S

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C U L T I V A T I O Ncharacteristics, also after weathering. This explains differences in soil types between
areas.
During the weathering process rock and soil minerals are broken down to extremely
small particles. Clay minerals are the smallest particles. The amount of clay minerals ina soil depends on the parent material (for example parent material of volcanic origin
will give more clay minerals than granite parent material). Clay minerals have a socalled negative electric charge, this implies that they can retain positively charged
particles. The same holds true for organic matter, this is also negatively charged.
Looking at thesurrounding
landscape what
seems a likely
origin of thebasaltic parent
material in Khe
Sanh?

Elements, as found in fertilisers and compost, also have an electrical charge, somepositive (called cations), others negative (called anions). Similar to magnets, soil
particles and nutrition elements function of opposite charge attract each other.
Similarly charged particles and elements repel. (Figure 60)

+

+

- +

-

-

+ -

Figure 60: Magnets illustrating attraction and repulsion

As we saw that the clay minerals and organic matter are per definition negatively
charged it follows that positively charged elements will be retained by the clay particles
and organic matter in the soil (Table 7) whereas negatively charged elements can belost easily through leaching and drainage of water.
Table 7: Cations, their ionic forms and the fertilisers in which they are present

CationIonic form

Found in…

Potassium

K+

Kali, NPK

Ammonium

NH4+

Urea

SodiumNa+

NPK, foliar fertilizers

HydrogenH+

Ammonium sulphate

Magnesium

Mg+

NPK, foliar fertilizers

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Ca2+

Calcium

NPK, foliar fertilizers

Negatively charged elements are called anions (Table 8).
Table 8: Anions, their ionic forms and the fertilizers in which they are present

Anion

Ionic form

Found in…

Chloride

Cl-

Kali

NitrateNO3-

Ammonium nitrate

SulfateSO42-

Ammonium sulphate (SA)Phosphate

HPO42- ; H2PO42-

Phosphate, NPK

The negative and positive charges of elements explain why some can be better held by
the soil (and utilised by the plant) than others
Figure 61).
Ca2+
NO3-

Mg2+

-

Na

Which particle
will bond morestrongly with theclay particle
Mg2+ or K+?

SO42-

+

Ca2+

-

-

-

Clay particle

-

NH4+

K+

Cl-

Figure 61: Cation attraction by clay particles and organic matter, repulsion of anions that will be solved in
the groundwater and lost easily

When fertilising nitrogen in the form of Urea, the nitrogen becomes available to thetree as NH4+ while applications of SA result in NO3- becoming available to the tree.
The latter is more easily leached from the soil then NH4+ from Urea. However, trees
prefer to absorb NO3-. Over time, NH4+ is slowly converted into NO3-.

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Phosphate is easily bonded by Aluminum and Iron particles. Soils in Khe Sanh andHuong Phung are rich in both and available Phosphate is low. Both Aluminum andIron particles are positively charged and form bonds with phosphate. The resulting
substances can not be dissolved in water and can therefore not be taken up by the tree.
In acid soils, such as in Huong Phung and Khe Sanh, this process is intensified.
However, around roots of plants often some small fungi grow, that facilitate the uptakeof phosphate by the plants. This may be the reason that generally speaking, there is not
so much deficiency to P in coffee plants in Huong Hoa district.
Cation Exchange Capacity
n important indicator for soil fertility is the so-called Cation Exchange
Capacity (CEC). The higher the CEC of a soil the more cations it can holdand the more fertile the soil may be (Figure 62). Exchange of cations takes
place with all soil particles but the CEC of sand and silt is very small and forpractical purposes can be ignored. Clay can be an important source of exchangeable
cations, but this depends very much on the type of clay present in the soil.

AHigh clay and organic
matter content
More clay and organic
matter particles, morepositions to hold cations

Ca2+
Can you think ofmore reasons
than the one
mentioned why
it’s better to give
several small
fertilizer
applications
rather than one
or two large
ones?

H+

Low clay and organic
matter content
Less clay, fewer positions to holdcations

H+
Mg2+

Ca2+

NH4+

Clay

Ca2+

Sandy loam
NH4+

K+

Na+

2+

Na+

Mg

K+
CEC 50High O.M.

CEC range

CEC <5
Sand

Figure 62: Comparing CEC and soil fertility for a clay and sandy loam

As can be seen in Figure 62 soils with a high organic matter and clay content retain
cations much more than sandy soils with lower clay and/or organic matter contents.
This has implications for fertilizer applications. Generally speaking, soils in Khe Sanhcontain more clay and organic matter than those in Huong Phung. On sandy soils
nutrients, especially Nitrogen and K can be easily lost if substantial rain falls after39

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fertilizing. This is also part of the reason why it is better to apply fertilizers in a several
small applications rather than one or two large ones.

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Soil organic matteroil organic matter consists of plant, animal and microbial residues at various
stages of decay. In Khe Sanh and Huong Phung soils organic matter is average
to low, ranging from 2 to 3%.Soil organic matter has several benefits for the
soil:

S


Increases aeration and infiltration

Reduces soil erosionIncreases water holding capacity



Increases soil CEC

Supplies nutrients to the plants, including N, P and S.

Buffers the soil against rapid changes in pH

Generally speaking organic matter can contain maximally 5% of N on a dry weightbasis and generally less, so it serves as a buffer for the plant. However this N is notfreely available to the plant but tied up in organic matter. As organic matterdecomposes (compare fresh coffee pulp, with pulp that has been lying for a year) thisN becomes slowly available. Organic matter also contains mineral elements such as
Mg, P, Ca and S, these are mineralized (released from their original compounds andturned into cations) and become available to the plant over time.
So, although a soil may have a high organic matter content, additional fertilizer may beneeded to ensure a supply of readily available N for the plant. This is especially the casein intensive cropping systems with high yields such as in Khe Sanh and Huong Phung.

How muchcompostedcoffee pulp indry matter would
be needed toapply 150 kg of
N (assuming a
5% N content)?

Decomposing takes place by micro-organisms in the soil. To break down organic
matter micro-organisms need N to feed themselves (they use N to make proteins). If atype of organic matter contains a high rate of carbon (its main component) in relation
to the amount of N the micro-organisms will consume much of the available N to
decompose the material. Because the N is initially tied up in the bodies of microorganisms it will only become available to the plant after such micro-organisms die.
Examples of materials with a high C/N ratio are un-composted coffee husk, rice straw
and dried grass.
Soil pH and liming
H is an indicator for the relative acidity or alkalinity of a substance. For
example lemon juice is very acid and soap alkaline. The pH scale runs from 0
to 14. A pH value of 7 is neutral. Values above this are alkaline, values below
are acid. Most soils in Khe Sanh range from 4.2 to 5 and are acid. Values for
Huong Phung are lower and therefore even more acid.

P

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An acid is a substance that releases hydrogen ions (H+). When saturated with H+, a soil
behaves as a weak acid. The more H+ held on by the clay and organic matter particles,
the greater a soil’s acidity. Aluminum (Al) also acts as an acidic element and activates
H+. As we could see in Figure 62, the number of positions in a soil particle where
nutrients can be attached is finite. That means that soils with a low pH and more H+
has less positions to which nutrients can be attached and is therefore generally lessfertile.
Soil pH indicates the activity in the soil of H+. Practically this means that each point
down on the pH scale means a ten-fold increase of pH activity. So a soil with pH 6 has
ten times more active H+ then it would have if it was pH 7, and a soil of pH 5 has ahundred times more active H+ (10*10=100).
Influencing soil pH

Soil pH is affected by numerous factors:

Why does pH
generally
increase withsoil depth?

Decompostion of organic matter. Soil organic matter is continuously being
decomposed by micro-organisms. CO2 (Carbondioxide, a gas that forms
during combustion of organic material) Some of the products from thedecomposition process combine with Mg and Ca that become soluble as aresult. The moment these are soluble they can leach away in the ground water.
As all cations, Mg and Ca were originally bounded to the clay particles. The
places they left open are occupied by H+, this increases soil acidity.

Parent material. Soils developed from acid rocks generally have lower pH
than those developed from basic rocks.



Rainfall. As water from rainfall passes through the soil elements like Mg andCa can be leached. The positions they leave open on the clay and organic
matter particles can be occupied by H+, resulting in increased acidity.



Crops grown. Soils often become more acid when annual crops are grown.
For example legumes contain higher levels of alkaline compounds than grasses
and result in more acidification of the soil. Perennial crops like coffee have
limited influence on soil pH, but management of coffee has, especially as aresult of Nitrogen fertilization.

Nitrogen fertilisation. Nitrogen, whether from fertilizers, organic manure or
legume fixation increase acidity (see section on Plant nutrition and fertilisation
for more details).



Soil depth. Generally, soil pH increases with soil depth. Therefore, the loss of
top soil by erosion can lead to decreased acidity in the top layer of the soil
where the roots grow.

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Soil pH as such does not necessarily decrease crop yield. Many crops are well-adapted
to low pH levels. However, with lower pH nutrient availability can decrease and Al
toxicity can occur. Al toxicity implies that levels of Al are of such a level that it impairs
root growth and development of the plant.
Al toxicity decreases with higher pH. At low pH levels Al toxicity can limit root growthof the coffee tree. Al toxicity can be revealed by soil testing, but this might not be
feasible for most farmers. As a rule of thumb ferrallitic soils, such as the red soils in
Khe Sanh area, with a pH lower than 5.5 are likely to have Al toxicity.
Usually, Al toxicity is more pronounced in the sub soil. As it limits root growth, plants
can not scavenge for water in the subsoil during dry-spells. In the field this can appear
as wilting after even a short dry period.
LimingLiming is commonly used to increase pH and thereby reduce Al toxicity. Alternatively,organic material can be used. 1 ton of organic material has roughly the same pH
increasing effect as 100 kg of lime. Because the neutralising effect of organic material
wears of as it decomposes fresh material has to be added every 1-2 years to maintain alasting effect.
The effect of liming to reduce Al toxicity lasts longer, up to 5 years if applied in large
quantities of around 3 Mt/ha. Roughly, each Mt of Calcium carbonate leads to anincrease of 0.2-03 pH points. Different liming materials can be used, some more
effective than others (Table 9).
Table 9: Liming materials and their relative neutralising value as compared to Calcium carbonate

Liming material

Relative neutralising value

Calcium carbonate (CaCo3)

100

Dolomitic lime

95-108

Calcitic lime

85-100Burned lime

150-175

Wood ashes

40-80

Another important parameter when deciding which material to use is the granule sizeof the liming material. The finer it is, the greater the neutralising effect.

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Applying lime

The effectiveness of lime is heavily influenced
by the placement of the liming material in thesoil. Liming material should be worked into thesoil, there where rooting is expected to takeplace. The neutralising effect of lime can only
take place in the presence of water. Therefore,
the soil should be moist at the time of
application.
In Khe Sanh animal traction can be used forlime application (Figure 63). In this case aplough has been used to make a furrow inwhich the pulp and lime is deposited.
Figure 63: Liming in combination withcoffee pulp application, soil still has to becovered44

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Chapter

Land preparation andplanting
Field design and planting techniques are of major influence of thepotential of acoffee garden. Thischapter will detail proper techniques for these activities.
Considerations
ssuming the designated soil is suitable for coffee as outlined in chapter Soil
identification and improvement some additional considerations should be
made. These are:A

How todetermine theslope of a field?



Deep soils are preferable over shallow ones

The soil should be well-draining, such thatno water logging occurs (Figure 64)Organic matter content should be 2.5% orhigher

If the slope of the land exceeds 5% contour Figure 64: Water-logged planting hole
planting should be practiced

Planting density

In Huong Hoa planting densities vary from 3,000 to 5,000 trees per ha (Table 10).
Planting density is dictated by the soil type, the variety grown and the desired stumping
cycle.

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C U L T I V A T I O NTable 10: Plant spacing
Higher planting densities will
have shorter stumping cycles.
Distance tree Distance row
In Huong Hoa, a planting
to tree (m)to row (m)density of 5,000 trees/ha
results in stumping after 10-12
1.6
2.0
years. On the poorer soils of
Huong Phung, where rainfall is
1.4
1.8
also less it can be beneficial towork with lower densities per
1.2
2.0
ha and use more shadow. A
suitable density for Catimor
1.3
1.8
and Caturra would be anythingfrom 3,000 to 4,000 trees per
1.0
2.0
ha. In Khe Sanh where thesoils are more fertile densities
of up to 5,000 trees are the standard.

Nr of trees
per ha
3,000
3,968
4,160
4,270
5,000

Soil preparation
he most suitable time for soil preparation in Huong Hoa is from January to
April, in between the two rainy periods. This will see the soil ready just before
the onset of the coming rainy period during which planting can be done. This
will ensure a good success rate of the
new trees. Land preparation can bedone mechanically but manual
preparation is preferable because thiswill cause less damage to thestructure of the soil (Figure 65).
Heavy machinery can compact thesoil, which will make it more difficult
for the roots of the young trees topenetrate to deeper soil layers.

T

The first step is to remove a numberof trees, if any. If the trees present in
the new field are useful as shadow

Figure 65: Manual land preparation

trees a number of them can be newly planted(Figure 66) or maintained (Figure 67). The next
step is to clean weed the entire area. Then, two
methods of planting can be followed dependingon the slope of the land.

Figure 66: Newly established field with
Leucena shadow trees46

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Flat to 5% slope

On this type of land no special preparations
have to be taken. The rows can set out on
the field using a string according to thedesired row spacing. A useful tool is then tohave a stick, the length of which represents
the tree to tree distance. Follow the line byover-turning the stick and plant a marker inthe soil at every turn. These will be theplanting holes.
Each planting hole should be 0.5*0.5*0.5m. Figure 67: Plantation where trees have not been
The top 20cm of the soil should be kept removed during establishment
separate during the digging (Figure 68). Thiscan later be mixed with fertilizers and manure or compost before it is returned to thehole.
After digging the planting holes 1.5 to 3 Mtof lime per ha should be evenly divided
over the holes. Each planting hole should
also receive 5kg of manure or compost. A
phosphate fertilizer should be distributed
as well, approximately 0.3 kg per hole.

Figure 68: Preparing planting holes, the topsoil is
kept separate in front of the lady
Why is it
important to use
top soil in theplanting mix?

rain impact (Figure 69).

All these ingredients should now be mixed
up with the topsoil that was kept separate
and returned to the hole. The remaining
soil from the hole is spread out around thehole, but not inside it. Old weeds can belaid on top of the holes to protect it fromThe holes should now be left for around 2 weeks and after 1 or 2 rain showers planting
can start.
Sloping land

On sloping land with steepness exceeding
5% contour planting should be practiced(Figure 72 & Figure 73). This is to prevent
excessive loss of fertility and nutrients by
erosion. Rain water that runs straight down
steep land will wash out fertile topsoil (hence
the large amount of silt on low-lying fields
like the sample in Figure 54), organic matterand nutrients. These end up at the bottom of47

Figure 69: Old weeds being collected for later
use as soil cover around the young tree

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the valley in the stream and are lost for the farmers. Amounts of fertile topsoil lost on
sloping fields that are not contour-planted can amount to 30 Mt/ha/year or more

(Figure 70 and Figure 71).
To further reduce erosion the contours can be planted with Vetiver grass (see section:
Intercropping for soil coverage) in combination with shadow trees (see section:
Permanent shade).

Assuming a bulk
density of 900
kg/m3 for the soilin Figure 70 towhat depth is
the soil eroded if
the total amount
lost is 30Mt/ha?
Figure 70: Severe soil erosion in Dak Lak, note thatentire coffee trees have been washed away!
(Courtesy: Dave D'Haeze)

Figure 71: Idem Figure 70, but in close-up

Figure 72: Contour planting

Figure 73: Mechanical land preparation, noncontour planted

In contour planting the trick is to keep the rows level over the field. This means thatthe rows will follow the contours of the land rather than going straight.
Most farmers in Huong Hoa lay out new rows of coffee on sloping land visually.
Although this can work, the use of an A-frame will increase accuracy and thereby
reduce erosion potential.

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The A-frame consists of 3 poles lashed together. The
two standing legs of the “A” should equal the in-row
planting distance (Figure 74).

Equals in-row
planting
distance

A piece of string is tied to the top of the “A”. The
string should extend past the horizontal bar. Tie astone to the endof the string.

The
A-frameshould now becalibrated. Keep it
upright on a level surface and mark the position of
the two legs on the surface. Now mark the position
where the string bisects the horizontal bar (Figure
75).
Figure 74: A-frame construction

Turn the frame around so that each leg stands
exactly where the other has stood. Mark the Figure 75: Calibrating the A-frame
position again where the string bisects thehorizontal bar. You now have two marks on thehorizontal bar. Halfway between these marks is where the frame stands level, mark thisposition as well.
In the field select the place on the slope
where you want the first row to start(Figure 76).
Level the A-frame by moving one leg up or
down the slope until the string lines up
with the central mark on the horizontal
bar.
Figure 76: Using an A-frame

The positions of the legs indicate the places where
the first two coffee trees will be planted.
Now pivot the frame whilst maintaining thesecond leg firmly on the surface (Figure 77).
Move the frame again until the string lines up withthe mark on the horizontal bar.

Figure 77: Using the A-frame, continued49

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C U L T I V A T I O NContinue pivoting the frame and marking the positions of the legs until you reach theend of the field. The row follows the contours, move up the desired row spacing andrepeat the procedure.
Planting
he best time to plant coffee in Huong Hoa is from May to July for Huong
Phung and from June to August for Khe Sanh. At the time of planting theweather should ideally be dry and cloudy with some rain during the previous
days. Strong sun during planting decreases the success rate, which will lead tomore work replacing ailing young trees.

T

Young trees from the nursery should have 5 to 6 pairs of primary leaves and be free ofpests and diseases.
Use a hoe to dig down into the planting hole and loosen up the soil to 50cm depth.
The soil level in the hole should be around 10cm lower than the surrounding area.
Now take the bag and carefully compact the soil by squeezing the bag. Put the bag inyour left hand with the young tree parallel to your arm and use a knife to cut thebottom 3cm of the bag perpendicular to its length (Figure 78).
Why is it
important toloosen the soil inthe planting holesufficiently
deep?

A second cut is made over the length of the bag, the plastic is carefully removed andthe young tree can be lowered into the planting hole. Fill the planting hole with the top
soil that was prepared earlier, and gently put your feet on each side of the seedling tocompact the soil (Figure 79).

Figure 78: Cutting the bag

Figure 79: Compressing the soil around a newly
planted tree

Nursing the first year after planting

The planting holes of the young trees have been covered with old weeds or othermaterial such as coffee pulp, husk or straw (Figure 80). This will lessen the impact ofrain on the soil, and maintain better soil moisture content.

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In between the rows a cover crop can beplanted. This is strongly recommended
as it will provide soil cover and can beused as green manure (Windbreaks,
shadow trees and covercrops).
How doescovering the soil
prevent
excessive
moisture loss?

Generally, the garden should be visitedoften, at least for three months after
planting. Recurring tasks are checking for
insect infestations and removing them
Figure 80: Mulching

manually if they occur and do damage.
The soil around the trees should bechecked for compactness, soil that is tooloose directly around the stem will allow
the stem to wriggle in the wind and candamage the bark. After heavy rains thesoil in the planting hole may need to beloosened with a small stick (Figure 81).
Do take care not to damage the roots inthe process.

Figure 81: Loosening the soil after heavy rain

After about three weeks a small amount of fertilizer is needed. In total approximately
16g of Nitrogen per tree should be given. When using Urea 46% this translates into:
16/46% = 35g per tree.
For SA 21% this would be:
16/21% = 76g per tree.
Two months after planting a second application is given, this time including phosphate
to stimulate root development. When using NPK 10:10:5 apply 100g per tree. Thatmeans: 10g N, 10g P and 5g K.
For single fertilizers use:
21g of Urea 46% or 48g of SA 21%;60g P2O5 16.5%; and9g of K2O 58%

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Weeding is important during the first year to avoid nutrient competition. However,with a decent cover crop, this work will be limited to cleaning the planting holes bimonthly.
Pest and disease prevention can be necessary during the first year, but is normallylimited to Brown eye spot and nutrient deficiencies. The latter occurs during dry spells
shortly after planting when the young roots have not sufficiently developed yet. Also
refer to chapter “Pest and disease identification and prevention”.

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Chapter

Windbreaks, shadow
trees and cover crops
A major part of field designis thee layout and species selectionfor windbreaks,
shadow trees andintercrops, or cover crops. This chapter will deal with theseissues.
Windbreaks
indbreaks are an essential part of the garden. They provide shadow, but
most importantly limit the damage from strong winds to the coffee trees.
Additionally, the use of windbreaks can conserve soil moisture, limit
erosion (especially in cultivation systems where clean weeding is practiced).
This is why on sloping land the spacing between windbreaks should be closer.
Additionally, windbreaks can increase biodiversity.

W

Windbreaks are positioned perpendicular to the prevailing wind direction. So if theprevailing wind direction is west, then the windbreak should run north-south. If thearea suffers from very strong or dry winds additional windbreaks in the field itself
might be required. As a rule of thumb a windbreak is needed every 30-50m (Figure 82& Figure 83). Optimally the windbreaks are planted at least one year before coffee
planting starts.

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Figure 82: Windbreak function on sloping land, spacing between the 2 windbreaks is 30m, the fluid line
represents air movement

Figure 83: Idem, but on flat land, note that windbreak spacing is increased to 50m
Windbreak species selection

Suitable species depend on the location, in Huong Hoa the commonly used Acacia(Acacia auliculiformis) performs quite well. When establishing a windbreak there are someconsiderations with regard to species selection, The resulting trees should:
1. not exceed 15m in height when mature for ease of later firewood collection
and felling;
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3. be moderate at most in water use (avoid Eucalyptus);
4. preferably return relatively high levels of nitrogen to the soil from leaf dropwith leaves that relatively easy break down (avoid Eucalyptus); and5. provide marketable timber and or fruit

Why would one
prefer deep
rooting
windbreaktrees?

Ideally a windbreak should have a minimum of two species. One grows tall until
around 10 to 12m, the other stays smaller (Table 11). Together they form a shieldprotecting the coffee. Additionally, using more species increases bio-diversity, because
different tree species attract different insects, birds and other organisims. Typically, awindbreak is around 4 -5m wide, incorporating two rows of trees. Depending on thepreference of the farmer, the two species can either be planted in separate rows ormixed. Initially the trees can be spaced 1m apart with 2m between the rows. After 4-6
years, depending on the development of the windbreak every second tree should be
felled to create enough space for the remaining trees to develop.
Table 11: Suitable windbreak species

Top storey

Lower storey

SpeciesAdvantage

Disadvanta Species
geAdvantage

DisadvantageAcacia confusa

Grows fast

Dai loantuong tu

Returns
nitrogenSensitive towind damage

Wrightia
annamensis

Mediumsized

Pruningwounds rot
easilyMuc trungboGrows wellon widerange of soils

Seedlings are
not shadetolerant

Broad crowndiameter

Leucenaleucocephala

EasilyplantedKeo dau

Also onpoorer soils

Deep rooting
Acaciaauriculiformis
Keo bongvang

Grows fast
Returns
nitrogen to
soil
Very deeproot system

Edible seed

Shadow trees
s discussed in the section History of Arabica coffee, the Arabica tree
originates from the mountain forests in Ethiopia. Coffee being a small tree, it
was growing in the lower canopy layer of the forest and received a lot shade.
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beneficial for coffee, because shading reflects the natural habitat of the coffee tree.
Again other sources state that intensive breeding and selection over the last 1500 years
have resulted in varieties that perform very well under full-sun or only very light shadeconditions. So far there has been, to the best of our knowledge, no conclusive researchwhere actual light reception levels by the coffee tree were compared in different
shading systems with parameters like flowering, yield and farm income. However,based on field observation it can be stated that shade is beneficial for coffee undercertain conditions.
Effects of shadeSome research has been done on the influence of shade on the quality of coffee andtrials in Costa Rica found that the body and acidity of Catimor improved under shade,whereas aroma was slightly reduced. Bean size also increased as did overall appearanceof the green bean. A similar experiment was done for Caturra, but there the effects
were much lower [3]. These results can be considered important for Huong Hoa
because the environmental conditions on the test site closely match as does the variety.
In more intensive cropping systems shade is used to regulate yields. That means whencoffee prices are low, the farmers leave the shadow trees to grow because more shade
will reduce the amount of nutrients needed as yields will be lower. When the coffee
price increases or is expected to increase the farmers prune the shadow trees heavily
resulting in more light for photosynthesis and therefore higher yields, which requirethen higher applications of fertilizers.
Apart fromreducing
evapotranspirati
on, what orher
effects canshade have on
moisture?

In relatively dry, or low lying areas with high temperatures (such as Huong Hoa) shade
can be beneficial because it reduces evapotranspiration. This enables shaded trees towithstand longer periods of drought without adverse effects as compared to fully sungrown trees. Shadow trees also play a role in efficiency of nutrient applications bytaking up leached nutrients that are outside the reach of the coffee tree and returningthese nutrients to the topsoil through litter fall (Figure 84).

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Litter fall
returns
nutrients totopsoil

Litter fall
returns
nutrients totopsoil

Leachednutrients
can not bereached by
the coffee
but areabsorbedby theshadowtree roots

Permanently lost nutrients

Figure 84: Nutrient cycling by shadow trees

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Furthermore, the occurrence and vigour of weeds is reduced by shade. Finally, it
reduces the intensity of wind speeds and soil erosion.

Figure 85: Tree after heavy cropand dry year in sunny part of thegardenFigure 86: Tree in the samegarden as Figure 85 but withshade

Figure 87: Shaded garden

On the other hand, higher relative humidity resulting from shadow in the garden isfavourable for disease development such as Coffee Leaf Rust. Shadow trees maycompete for moisture and nutrients with coffee. Managing shadow trees can lead toincreased labour requirements for pruning, although this effect might be off-set by
reduced labour needs for harvesting.

How can you in
the design ofyour coffee field
limit thepotential amountof competition
for water andnutrients
between shade
and coffee
trees?

Figure 88: Garden with shadow, note that the coffee
in the centre the figure does not receive muchshadow, foliage is a shade lighter green.

For Huong Hoa, and especially for
Huong Phung shade can beconsidered beneficial. The climate in
the district is suitable for coffee but
not very. A well-managed shade cover
can to some extend reduce
temperatures associated with the suboptimal altitude at which coffee isgrown in Huong Hoa. In 2003 thisbecame very clear when a heavy cropand below average rainfall resulted in
massive dieback. In most gardens, only
those trees under shadow retained
their leaves and yielded reasonably wellin 2004 (Figure 88).

Temporary shade

Most new fields will not have ready to use shade covers in an appropriate planting
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shadow trees. However, it may take several years before the shadow trees provide
sufficient shadow. To overcome this temporary shade can be used in new plantations(Figure 89).

What is stillneeded in Figure
89 to optimize
conditions forthe newly
planted coffee
trees?

The crop used in Figure 89 is a nitrogen
fixing species. It does not have any
marketable products, but does greatly
contribute to improved soil properties (seesection Intercropping). After around 10-12
months the crop can be cut down, leaving
the residues in the field. After the third or
fourth year the shadow trees that wereplanted before or during fieldestablishment will be sufficiently developed
and cover cropping is not necessary
anymore.
Permanent shade

Several species can be used for shadow.
The main consideration is that the species
used are Legumonisae and that the rootsystem penetrates either very deep or is notvery extensive to avoid excessive Figure 89: Temporary shade with Mu Vang
competition for water and nutrients withthe coffee. An income generating strategy that can be followed is plant double thenumber of shadow trees needed. When the crowns of the trees touch after some years
alternating rows or trees can be felled and the lumber sold (Figure 92).
Spacing depends very much on the canopy shape of the shadow trees. Some species
form broad canopies, whereas others spread out less. The first type needs a wider
spacing than the latter. In Khe Sanh, using Leucena (keo) a spacing of 10 to 12m
between rows and 8 to 12m in the row is suitable (Figure 90).

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Figure 90: Shadow projection and shadow tree planting density in Khe Sanh

Temperatures in Huong Phung are higher and rainfall distribution is less optimal.
Therefore planting density of shadow trees in Huong Phung should be denser at 8 to
10m between rows and 6 to 8m in the row (Figure 91).

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Figure 91: Shadow projection and shadow tree planting density in Huong Phuong, note that shadow tree
spacing is more dense than in Khe SanhManaging permanent shade

Managing shade in the garden is very
important to ensure that the coffee
does not flower excessively but alsothat yields are not too low. Thisbalance is difficult to find and theamount of shade needed will vary withclimatic conditions, soil type andnutrient
applicationlevel.
Unfortunately, there are no clear cut
recommendations, only a few rules of
thumb:

Figure 92: Closely spaced shadow trees in newly
established garden

1. lower branches of the shadow
tree should be at least 3m above the top of the coffee trees to allow sufficient
air circulation; and2. Light penetration can be controlled by pruning the canopy (during times whencoffee prices are expected to increase it might be interesting to prune shadow
trees more intensively, leading to more light penetration and higher yields).

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On fertile soils with adequate moisture content shadow can be quite light. In
comparison with un-shaded areas the shade level should be from 10-20%. However,no clear guidelines are available and the farmer should experiment on his field withpruning techniques and canopy densities to identify options that suit their management
style.
Intercroppingn this section the growing of other crops in the coffee field is discussed.
Distinction is made between intercropping with the purpose of covering soil andintercropping to grow additional food and/or marketable products. However,
one should realize that these functions
can overlap.

I

Figure 93: Beans used as cover crop in newly planted
coffee field, Huong Phung (Xa Ri)

Intercropping for soil coverage
tour of Huong Hoa coffee area often shows newly established fields that areclean weeded. In older fields with closed, or nearly closed canopies thispractice is quite common. Especially during fertilizer applications, as clean
weeding avoids nutrient competition for the coffee from weeds. However, in
recently planted fields clean weeding is not recommended because it:A
If cover cropping
is not an option
in a newly
established field,
how could weed
control bepracticed
without
resorting toclean weeding?

1. increases erosion from wind and water;
2. promotes leaching of nutrients;
3. increases surface temperature; and4. results in lower available soil moisture.
To avoid weed pressure, without the negative effects of clean weeding, cover crops canbe used.

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Properties of cover crops

Cover crops have influence on many soil characteristics and processes (Table 12).
Table 12: Influence of cover crops on soil properties

Soil
characteristic orprocess

Influence of cover crop

ErosionCover crops increase vegetative and residue cover during periods
when erosion potential is high, especially when main crops do not
furnish adequate soil cover. Additionally, root systems of acovercrop increase porosity of the soil which increases infiltration
rate of rain water thus reducing erosion.

Compaction

Increased biomass, when decomposed, increases organic matterpromoting increased microbial activity and aggregation of soil
particles. This increases soil porosity

Soil aggregationin the top layer

Aggregate stability will increase with the addition of and thedecomposition of organic material by micro organisms

Infiltration

Surface cover reduces erosion and run –off. Cover crop root
channels and animal activities such as earthworm, form macropores that increase aggregate stability and improve infiltration

Nutrient loss

Decomposition of increased biomass provides a slow release ofnutrients to the root zone. Legume cover crops fix atmosphericnitrogen and provide nitrogen for the crop

Biological activity

Cover and green manure crop increase the available food supply
for micro organisms resulting in increased biological activity.

Weeds

Increased soil cover reduces weeds

Cover crop species

Several crop species can be used as cover crop (Table 13). All of them are nitrogen
fixing plants and facilitate improvements as listed in Table 12. Planting is best done at
the start of the rainy season in the end of April or the end of August.

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C U L T I V A T I O NTable 13: Cover crop species (all pictures in this table from www.ecocrop.fao.org, unless stated otherwise)
Dau MaLablab
purpureus

Figure 95: Lablab purpurea, whole plant

Figure 94: Lablab pupurea, close-up

Use

It is not particular to soil type as long as they are well drained. Reported
soil pH range for growth is 4.5-8 with the optimum between 5-7.5. It
can grow in infertile soils but will not withstand salinity.
With a dense growth, the lower leaves are shed. These form an excellent
mulch and provide nitrogen upon decomposition.

Co Stylo
Stylosanthes
gracillis

Figure 96: Stylosanthes spec, close-up(Source: www.biology.smsu.edu)

UseFigure 97: Stylosanthes spec, whole plant

Stylosanthes is slow-growing up to six weeks and then rapid, theincreased growth coinciding with the increase in nodule size. The older
nodules are more effective than the young ones. Its growth during thewet season is good. If uncut, it collapses and new shoots arise from thecollapsed stems. In this way it has a valuable suppressive effect on
weeds. It can tolerate highly acid soils, and nodulates at pH 4.0. Soil pH
range is reported to be 4.0-7.7 with the optimum between 4.5-6.0.

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Dau Dua
Centrosema
pubescens

Figure 98: Centrosema pubescens, close-up

Use

Dau
Tay

Figure 99: Centrosema pubescens, whole plant

Centrosema is a creeping perennial that doesn’t form any wooden
growth It is fairly drought resistant and can be cut back for mulching. Its
creeping nature makes it well suited for weed suppression.
Son

Flemingia spec.

Figure 100: Flemingia spec, close-up of leaf
(Source: www.hktree.com)

Use

Figure 101: Flemingia spec, whole plant

Flemingia can easily be integrated in the existing crop system, especiallyalong borders. It can thrive in acid soil and is drought resistant. It isparticularly used in hedges to provide and for soil amelioration and soil
erosion control in hilly areas.
Leafs of Flemingia make ideal mulch. Rich in nitrogen they decompose
slowly, effectively suppressing weeds.

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Dau Sang
Cajanus cajan

Figure 102: Cajanus cajan, close up of
flowerandleafs(Source:www.kitada.com)

Use

Figure 103: Cajanus cajan, whole plant(Source: www.cornell.edu)

Cajanus has a strongly developed taproot and can survive for up to 4
years. It has the advantage of improving the soil as it is legume crop andthereby providing mulch through production of leaves with the throughnitrogen fixation with the help of rhizobia
Young leaves, shoots and pods can be eaten. Ripe seeds are also edible.

Vetiver

Figure 104: Vetiver
www.vetiver.com)

Use:

grass

(Source:

Figure 105: Field planted with Vetiver
hedgerows (Source: idem previous)

Vetiver is a grass that is used around the world for soil reclamation,
erosion control and foraging. Especially the potential of Vetiver in
erosion control is useful in Huong Hoa. Vetiver’s extensive root-systemeffectively holds the soil in place. On sloping land Vetiver should beplanted along contour lines. After some years natural terracing will
occur.

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C U L T I V A T I O NIntercropping with food crops
any coffee farmers worldwide intercrop their coffee with food crops. An
advantage is that it reduces the negative effects in household income fromfluctuating coffee prices. On most farms in Huong Hoa intercropping
opportunities are very limited. Most fields have high planting densities of
up to 5,000 trees per ha. This limits the window of opportunity for intercropping to
the first 2 years after field establishment and during a year of stumping. However, theintensity of field management and consequent high yields might render a sole focus
during the available period on cover-cropping (for soil coverage) more sensible.

M

High planting densities also limit species choice to annuals. Some observed practices
have shown stumped and newly planted coffee intercropped with maize, vegetables
and ginger.
A small number of farmers intercrop coffee with pepper. This can be successful, butcare has to be taken to space coffee and pepper sufficiently apart in the field. Coffee
trees within a range of 2m of pepper typically lead to problems with the pepper after 45 years (yellow leafs as a result of competition for nutrients and water).

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Chapter

Plant nutrition andfertilisation
Together with hired labour, fertilizer is the largest investment on most coffee farms.
Fieldbook dataindicates that many farmerscanmake improvements inthe
efficiency of fertilizer applications and thus save money. This chapter explains themechanisms underlying efficient fertilizer application
Importance of fertilisingll plants need nutrients for growth. In a closed system where no nutrients are
removed, shortages of nutrients will hardly occur. A fine example of this is a
primary forest. In agriculture this is however not the case. Agricultural
systems inherently loose nutrients by harvesting, but also by erosion, andleaching as a result of limited soil cover.

A

To maintain a balanced nutrient situation in which crops can prosper fertilisation isnecessary. Fertilisation can be done by applying compost, organic fertilisers, chemicalfertilisers, animal manure, green manure, etc.
Coffee generally responds quite well to fertiliser applications. When applying fertilizers,
one has to realize that various factors determine the maximum possible yield: climate,variety and age of the coffee tree. Whether this maximum yield may be reacheddepends partially on the management of the crop, where important activities are
pruning and stumping and weed, pest and disease control. If these practices are notdone in a correct form, the maximum attainable yield will be lower than the maximum
possible yield. Whether the maximum attainable yield can be reached, depends on theavailability of nutrients to the crop. The soil type has a strong effect on this (as well as
planting techniques, see chapter Soil requirements for coffee) but fertilisation can be
instrumental in overcoming deficiencies of nutrients in the soil. Fertilisation, however,can NOT overcome ‘faulty’ management practices, e.g. when weeding or pruning is68

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not done properly. This means that to make optimal use of the expensive nutrients,
one should take care to apply the amounts of nutrients that are required for the
maximum attainable yield and NOT for the maximum possible yield. To do so, goodyield estimates are needed to determine the amount of nutrients that should be applied
to achieve the maximum attainable yield under the conditions of soil, climatic andmanagement conditions.
Nutrients and their functions
utrients are utilised by the plant for different functions. Some are vital forthe uptake of water from the soils, whereas others have a function in thedevelopment of leaves or fruits. A closer look at the functions of nutrientsand the symptoms the tree shows during shortages serves to improve thebasis for fertiliser selection and correct applications (Table 14).

N

Table 14: Primary nutrients, their functions and deficiency symptoms (pictures courtesy of Keith
Chapman)Primary Used by the tree for… Deficiency symptoms
nutrientsN
Why do leaves
discolour under
N deficiency?

formation ofchlorophyllwater uptake

Deficiency shows by:

Leaf dropDiscoloration(yellowing) androlling up ofleaves (startingwith older
ones)



Dieback of tips

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PDuring which
stage of its live
are phosphorus
applications
most important?

F O R

A R A B I C A

C U L T I V A T I O NPhotosysnthesis

Respiration

Energy storage

Cell division

Deficiency shows by:K

Stunted growthPale leaves(starting withyounger ones)

PhotosynthesisProteinsynthesis

Deficiency shows by:

Discoloration

Necrosisleaf edgeson

Although primary nutrients are usually the ones lacking most, secondary nutrients canalso be in short supply (Table 15).

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C U L T I V A T I O NTable 15: Secondary nutrients, their functions and deficiency symptoms (pictures courtesy of Keith
Chapman)Secondarynutrients
Calcium(Ca)

Used by the tree for…



Root and leaf
development

Affects uptakeof other
nutrients

Deficiency symptoms

Deficiency shows by:

Magnesium (Mg)



Leaf colour
yellow from thecentre outwards

Central elementof chlorophyllPhotosynthesis

Deficiency shows by:

Brown, bronze
discolourationof leaf sections
from centre toedges

Although this rarely happens, also micro-nutrients can be lacking. This phenomenon ismostly observed in recently planted coffee during dry weather (Table 16).

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C U L T I V A T I O NTable 16: Micro-nutrients, their functions and deficiency symptoms (pictures courtesy of Keith
Chapman)Micro
Used by the tree for…
nutrients
Iron (Fe)How likely do
you think Fe
deficiencies areon the red soils
in Khe Sanh?



Catalyst
chlorophyll
formation

Deficiency symptoms

forDeficiencies show by:

Zinc (Zn)

Initially at young
leafs;



Severe cases show
yellowto
bleached white
discoloration withgreen veins

Necessarychlorophyll
formation;forProduction
sugarsof

Deficiencies show:First atleafs;

Leaf
deformations; andYellow
discoloration

young

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Boron
(B)

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C U L T I V A T I O NGermination
pollenofTransport
sugar
formation
proteins

of
and
of

Deficiencies show by:

Stunted growth ofyoung leaves;



Light
green
discoloration ofyoung leavesReducedflowering

Fertilizers and their nutrient contentsutrients, like N, P and K occur in many chemical forms. This can be in socalled organic forms or in an-organic or artificial forms.

N

Organic forms are produced by living organisms, where for example
Nitrogen can be in the form of proteins (meat, egg-white, pulses), partiallydecomposed material (dung) or ureum (in urine). Another example is Calcium (Ca)that can be found in shells (of eggs or snails), in bones and in milk.
An-organic or artificial forms are created in chemical factories. Nitrogen, for example
is taken from the air (which consists of about 80% of N) and by use of a lot of energy
made into Ammonium-Nitrate, Ammonium-Sulphate (found in SA21%), Urea andvarious other forms.

How do energy
prices influence
the price offertilizers?

Apart from occurring in different forms, the nutrients can also be in different
concentrations, i.e. the amount of a nutrient that comes with a certain amount of
fertilizer. In artificial fertilizers, the concentration of nutrients are indicated on the
package, and sometimes reflected in the name. In most organic fertilizers, there is nosuch indication and concentrations may vary strongly, because of the origin of the
product and of the way it was stored. In general concentrations of nutrients in organic
matter are much less than in artificial fertilizers, partly because the organic matter
contains a lot of water while artificial fertilizers are almost completely dry.

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For historical reasons, the concentration of Nitrogen refers to single N, whereas for
Phosphorus (P) the concentrations of the chemical form P2O5 are given and for
Potassium (K) of the form K2O. In urea, generally 46% of N is found or 46 kg N per
100 kg of urea. In Ammonium-Sulphate 21%, this is 21 kg N per 100 kg of SA. In
Phosphate 16.5%, there is 16.5 kg of P2O5 per 100 kg, and in Kali 58% 58 kg of K2O
per 100 kg.
To make matters even more complex, nutrient contents of agricultural products, likecoffee-cherries, are expressed in single nutrients, thus N, P and K. When using crop
nutrient requirements for calculating required fertilizer applications, it is needed toexpress all nutrients in the same unit. This requires to know that there is 0.44 kg P in 1
kg of P2O5 and 0.83 kg K in 1 kg of K2O. This means that in 100 kg of Phosphate
16.5% there is only 7.2 kg of P, while in 100 kg of Kali 58% there is 48.1 kg of K. In
Table 17 a list of contents of N, P2O5, P, K2O and K for some fertilizers is given.
Table 17: Contents of nutrients in various fertilisers
Fertilizer

NPK (10-10-5)
NPK (16-8-16)
NPK (16-16-8-13S)
NPK (16-8-16-13S)
NPK (10-12-5)
Sa 21%
Urea 46%
Phosphate
16,5%Kali 58%
Compost(estimate)
Coffee pulp
(turned)Coffee pulp
(untreated)
Dung

Nitrogen (kgper 100 kg
fertilizer)
N
10
16
16
16
10
21
46
0

Phosphorus (kg per
100 kg fertilizer)

Potassium (kg per
100 kg fertilizer)

P2O5
10
8
16
8
12
0
0
16.5

P
4.4
3.6
7.2
3.6
5.2
0
0
7.2

K2O
5
16
8
16
5
0
0
0

K
4.1
13.3
6.6
13.3
4.1
0.
0.
0

0
0.5

0
0.06

0
0.03

58
0.4

48.1
0.33

0.23

0.018

0.008

0.25

0.21

0.17

0.026

0.011

0.16

0.13

0.45

0.55

0.24

0.61

0.51

Information about the contents of nutrients in fertilizer, together with their price, canbe used to calculate the cost of 1 kg of each nutrient. This information can be used to
calculate the cheapest way to fertilize a certain amount of nutrients. Choosing from
NPK 16-8-16 at a price of 3,500 VND per kg, Urea 46% at 3,500 VND per kg,
Phosphate 16.5% at 1,200 VND per kg and Kali 58% at 3,300 VND per kg, what
would be the cheapest way to apply 150 kg of N, 10 kg of P and 170 kg of K?

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C U L T I V A T I O NFirst calculate the amount of fertilizer that is needed to fulfill the requirements of all
the nutrients:
Scenario 1: Fertilising with NPK 16-8-16

From NPK 16-8-16 it is needed to apply:
150 / 0.16 = 937 kg for the N requirements;
10 / (0.08 * 0.44) = 568 kg for P; and170 / (0.16 *0.83) = 1,280 for K.
Choosing the highest amount, because only then the requirements of all nutrients are
fulfilled, the costs of fertilization would be 1,280 * 3,500 = 4.48 million VND.
Scenario 2: Fertilising with single fertilisers

If all N should come from Urea, then150 / 0.46 = 326 kg is needed, at a cost of 326 * 3,500 VND = 1.14 million VND.
If all P should come from Phosphate 16.5%, then10/(0.165*0.44) = 275 kg is needed, costing 275 * 1,200 = 0.33 million VND.
If all K should come from Kali 58%, then170/(0.58*0.83) = 353 kg is needed, costing 353*3,300 = 1.16 million VND.
Using single fertilizers the costs of fertilization would be: 1.14 + 0.33 + 1.16 million =2.64 million VND

If the choice would be to fertilize only NPK 16-8-16 or Urea + Phosphate16.5% +Kali58%, then total costs would be 4.48 million VND for NPK16-8-16 and 2.64
million VND for the combination of Urea, Phosphate and Kali. This difference is to alarge extent caused by over-fertilization when using 1,280 kg of NPK 16-8-16. This
causes oversupply of (1,280 – 937) * 0.16 = 54.8 kg N and of (1,280-568) * (0.08*0.44)= 25 kg P.
Is there a cheaper way to fertilize? To check this, calculate for the situation where there
is no oversupply of any fertilizer when using NPK 16-8-16 and add the lacking
nutrients from the single sources Urea, Phosphate and Kali.
Scenario 3: Fertilising with a combination of NPK and single fertilisers

The lowest amount of NPK that should be supplied is 568 kg for fulfilling the P
requirements, costing 1.99 million VND. This means that only N and K are neededfrom other sources.

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At 568 kg NPK 16-8-16, 568*0.16 = 90.1 kg N is applied; and568*0.16*0.83 = 75.5 kg K,
leaving still 150-90.1 = 59.9 kg N to be applied; and170-75.5 = 94.5 kg K.
This means 59.9/0.46 = 129.4 kg of Urea, costing 129.4 * 3,500 = 0.45 million VND,
plus
94.5/(0.83*0.58) = 196.4 kg Kali 58%, costing 0.65 million VND.
In total, costs would be 1.99 + 0.45 + 0.65 = 3.09 million VND.
This is still more costly than the 2.64 million VND when not using NPK 16-8-16.
Apparently the costs per kg of nutrient from compound NPK 16-8-16 are higher thanthat from the single nutrient fertilizers. Mind you, this is an example only. For eachsituation regarding nutrient requirements and prices and contents of fertilizers thecalculation should be performed again.
Reasons for applying organic fertilizers.

When using organic fertilizers to apply the required nutrients of the example above,
large amounts are needed. Looking only at Nitrogen, for example, a requirement of
150 kg N per ha would need an application of
150 / 0.005 = 30,000 kg of Compost;

Why ismaintaining anadequate CEC
level soimportant, andhow can this bedone?

or more than 65,000 kg turned coffee pulp and more than 88,000 kg unturned coffee
pulp. This requires a lot of expenses in labour and in transport. From the point of viewof nutrients therefore, it makes financially much more sense to apply artificial thanorganic fertilizers. So why apply organic fertilizers? The main reason for doing so lies in
the need to maintain a high enough percentage of organic matter in the soil which isneeded to buffer the pH of the soil, to keep the CEC high and to keep the physicalstructure of the soil in good condition (see section Soil organic matter).
Application rates
offee nutrient requirements depend on several factors. Concerning the tree
itself, requirements are influenced by variety, age and expected yield. Soil,
weather, and shading conditions also play an important role. Therefore, theadvice given in this section should not be considered as a blue print for
fertilization. Rather it aims to serve as a guideline for determining required amounts.

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C U L T I V A T I O NApplication during the first three years

During planting, a first application of manure or compost and fertilizer is required togive the new tree a good start. Especially Phosphate is important for root development
during this phase.
During the first year no yield should be allowed on the tree. The tree needs all its
energy to establish a sound structure and root system to start a productive live.
After the second year a small harvest is permissible, but care should be taken that thiscrop is not too big, say no more than 1.5 kg fresh cherry/tree.
Production starts from the third year onwards and nutrient requirements change
according to expected yield levels. As yield levels can be expected to vary between
fields and crop years, so should nutrient applications.
If you decide touse NPK in thefirst 2 years
after planting,what would be asuitablecomposition?

Table 18 shows the recommended application schedule for the first three years.
Table 18: Nutrient requirements (kg/tree) during planting and the first three years afterwards

Year

Manure(kg/tree)N(g/tree)

P2O5(g/tree)

K2O(g/tree)Lime(g/tree)Duringplanting

5

9.2

49.5

5.8

300

1

0

23

16.5

11.6

2

5

36.8

9.9

23

3

0

46

16.5

52.2

200

Take care that the data in Table 18 represents nutrients not fertilizers. Table 21
explains how to calculate amounts of nutrients needed into amount of fertilizer to be
applied.
After year 3 a set of general guidelines serves to calculate needed amounts of nutrients.
General guidelines

The first section of this chapter described how the influence of fertilizers on yields isonly part of the story and that high yields are also the result of good husbandry andfavorable climatic conditions. Taking this into account it makes sense to fertilize
according to expected nutrient removal during yield and anticipated losses (i.e. thosenutrients that do not end up in the cherry) after the tree reaches an age of 3 years. The
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1. a reliable yield estimation method;
2. knowledge of nutrient removal during harvest;
3. knowledge of nutrients needed for sustenance of the tree, that is growth of allplant parts but cherries, and losses incurred through eg leaching; and4. ability to identify suitable field conditions for nutrient application
Yield estimation

Making an accurate estimation of yields is a painstaking job that involves counting thecherries on the trees. Unfortunately no reliable shortcuts are available. The best time tomake yield estimate is just after the flowering and before the first fertilizer application
when the trees are in the pinhead stage. Table 19 gives an example using 6 trees,
however, to make a reliable estimation at least 30 randomly selected trees per ha should
be assessed.

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C U L T I V A T I O NTable 19: Yield estimation example

How to selecttrees randomly?

Location

Fresh cherry weight (kg/1,000 cherries)

Huong Phung

0.96

Khe Sanh

0.99

Example for a farm in Khe Sanh with 4,000 trees/ha:
Tree nr

Nr of cherries

1

4,254

2

5489

3

3,890

4

4,710

5

5,316

6

5,120

Average nr of 4,797 (=sum of all observations divided by number of counted
cherries/tree
trees)
Estimated
yield

4,797 / 1000 * 0.99 = 4.75 kg/tree ;4,000 trees / ha * 4.75 kg / tree = 19,000 kg cherry/haNutrient removal

Analyses of over 500 samples over a period of two years in Khe Sanh and Huong
Phung (Pinkert, 2002) have given good insight in the removal of nutrients during
harvest (Table 20).

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C U L T I V A T I O NTable 20: Nutrient removal during harvesting in Khe Sanh and Huong Phung

LocationN(kg/100kg P2O5 (kg/100kg K2O (kg/100kg
fresh cherry)fresh cherry)fresh cherry)

Khe Sanh

0.5

0.089

0.75

Huong Phung

0.55

0.089

0.75

Example:Farmer A in Khe Sanh expects a yield of 19,000 kg fresh cherry/ha
100 kg removes 0.5 kg of N
19,000 kg cherry/100kg = 190
190*0.5kg N = 95 kg N removed

From Table 20 one can calculate how much a farmer with an expected yield of 19 Mt
of fresh cherry per ha should at least apply to maintain a balanced nutrient status withregard to nutrient removal from cherries (Table 21).
Table 21: Minimum fertiliser application based on yield level, but excluding sustenance fertilizationand losses

Kg/100kg
cherryCalculation

AmountneededN per 100 kg 0.5
cherry(19,000/100) *0.5=

Urea 46%

95 kg N

95 /0.46= 207 kg

P2O5 per 100 0.089
kg cherry(19,000/100) * 0.089=

Phosphate 16.5%

16.9 kg P2O5

17/0.165= 102 kg

K2O per 100 0.75
kg cherry(19,000/100) * 0.75=

Kali 58%

142.5 kg K2O

142.5/0.58= 246 kg

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Sustenance fertilization and nutrient losses

Fertilisation for sustenance refers to those nutrients needed to maintain the tree. We
already know how much nutrients are removed during the harvest, but we should also
take into account how much of which nutrient is needed for the tree to maintainhealthy leaves, branches and roots.
No hard data from Khe Sanh and Huong Phung on levels of sustenance needed andlosses incurred are available. Information from other coffee producing areas indicatesthat the two combined can require up to 60% more on top of the calculated removal
during harvest, depending on soil and weather conditions.
Table 22: Multiplication factors

Nutrient Multiplication factor
N

1.375

P

1

K

1.235

For Khe Sanh and Huong Phung several
assumptions (see Annex I) have led to a
multiplication factor for N, P and K to
calculate how much of each nutrient is neededon top of the amount that should be applied
to compensate for nutrient removal fromharvesting (Table 22).

In Table 20 the minimum amount of fertilizer
is calculated. When we include themultiplication factors for N, P and K toaccount for sustenance, efficiency of application and nutrient recycling the amounts tobe applied look different (Table 23).
Table 23: Fertiliser application needed to compensate for nutrient removal during harvest andtree sustenance

Kg/100kg
cherryCalculation

Multiplicati
on factor

Amountoffertiliser neededN
per 0.5
100 kgcherry(19,000/100)*0.5= 95 kg N

1.375

Urea 46%

P2O5 per 0.089
100 kgcherry(19,000/100)
0.089=

95 * 1.375 /0.46=
238 kg* 1

Phosphate 16.5%
17 * 1 / 0.165 =102 kg16.9 kg P2O5

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K2O per 0.75
100 kgcherryA R A B I C A

C U L T I V A T I O N(19,000/100)
0.75=* 1.235

Kali 58%
142.5 * 1.235 / 0.58
= 303 kg

142.5 kg K2O

Field conditions

An important factor is to decide when to fertilise, based on field conditions. A
checklist can be used for this (Table 24).
Table 24: Fetiliser checklist for field conditions

Field condition

Indicator

Yes

No

Soil humidity

In Khe Sanh: Can I make a ball ofsoil by hand that doesn’t fall apart?

□

□

□

□

□
Is the field clean of weeds, or have□weeds been cut down?

□
□

□

□

In Huong Phung: Can I penetrate
the soil with my finger?
Outsidetemperature

Below 30ºC?

Rain

Dry, but cloudy weather?

Weed infestation
Flowering

The tree has flowered already or will
not start flowering in the coming
two weeks?

A yes to all of these questions indicates suitable field conditions for fertilizer
application. Of course not all conditions might occur at the same time. In that case atleast soil humidity and temperature conditions should be met during nutrient
application.
Timing of applications
eeds of the coffee tree vary over the year and depend on the age of the tree,
expected harvest and weather conditions. For example, nutrient
requirements will be greater during the filling stage then during the pinhead
stage. Also, the type of nutrients in greatest demand vary with the seasons(Table 25).

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C U L T I V A T I O NTable 25: Seasonal nutrient application schedule for mature Arabica coffee

Month

1-2

3-4

5-6

7-8

9-10

11-12

Growthstage

Percentage of annual application

50%
40%
30%
20%
10%

LegendPhosphate

Nitrogen

Potassium

Application methods
lready we calculated the total amount of nutrients needed for the whole field.
However, we should also know how much we should apply per tree (Table
26).

A

Table 26: Calculation of amount of Urea per tree, based on yield removal calculation of Table 21

Total yield and Nr of trees per haamount of Urea
neededAmount of Urea Amount of Urea
per tree (kg)
per tree (g)19 Mt/ha of cherry 5,000 trees/harequires 238 kg of
Urea

238/5,000 =0.048kg/tree83

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Of course, one can not weigh the fertilizer for each individual tree. A good method toapply the right amount per tree is to take an old can and use a scale to determine how
full the can should be to apply the required amount per tree.
When applying fertilizers or other sources of nutrients it is important to realize that thetree takes up nutrients with the hair roots. These roots are mostly found on the ends ofthe root system. The end of the root system roughly follows the canopy circumference.
Therefore the actual position of the application changes over time according thedevelopment of the tree’s canopy and root system (Figure 106).
Year 1

Year 2

20 cm

30 cm

10 cm

20 cm

Year 3 and later

The brown band represents
the area where nutrients areapplied. The tree isschematically positioned in
the centre of the green area.
Initially, applications canencircle the tree, but as the
canopy develops
applications will follow therow contours and not crossthem, as represented by thewhite area in year 3 andlater.

50 cm

30 cm

Figure 106: Nutrient application methods

In the field the application procedure consists of 4 steps (Figure 107). Step 1 consistsof digging a shallow furrow following the contours of the canopy of the tree. The

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furrow is around 10cm deep. Step 2 is to apply the required amount of fertilizer. While
step 3 consists of mixing soil and fertilizer before the furrow is covered in step 4.

Step 1: Creating a shallow furrow that Step 2: Apply fertilizer
follows the contours of the canopy

Step 3: Mix soil and fertiliser to get an Step 4: Cover the furrow
even distribution
Figure 107: Nutrient application with fertiliser

Alternatively, fertilizer applications can be done using animal traction. A cow is thenused to plow a shallow furrow in between the rows close to the canopy. This will
greatly reduce the amount of labour needed in step 1. However, care must be taken to
avoid ploughing too deep as this might damage the root system.

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Chapter

CompostingThis section deals with composting techniques. Described techniquesare such thatit allows farmers to produce compost from coffee pulp andcoffee husk, on-farmwith small financial investments.

M

ost coffee fields in Huong Hoa are medium to low on organic matter
content in the topsoil. The importance of organic matter has been
discussed in the chapter Soil requirements for coffee. Composting coffee
pulp and applying it to the field is one of several ways to improve organic
matter content, the others being the use of shadow trees and cover cropping.
Composting is the process whereby natural decomposition of organic materials is
accelerated under controlled conditions.
Compost also has limitations. Intensive cultivation with high yields removes a lot of
nutrients from the field during harvest. Although compost contains nutrients such as
N, P and k and several secondary elements, the contents of these are too low tocompletely replace fertilizers. For example calculations show that a farmer in Khe Sanhwith 20Mt of cherry per ha needs to apply around 30Mt of compost to balance thenutrient status of his field after harvesting.

What is thedifference
betweencompost andorganic
material?

Therefore, in intensive cultivation systems, compost should be seen as an addition to
fertilizers aimed at enhancing soil properties such as moisture holding capacity,
structure and nutrient buffering capacity (CEC), not as a fertilizer replacement.
Composting coffee pulp and husk
ach year in Huong Hoa 20 to 30,000Mt of fresh cherry is produced andprocessed. This amount of cherry contains around 3.5 to 5,000 Mt of green
bean that are being sold both on the domestic market and for export.
Therefore, coffee pulp that can be used for composting amounts to 16.5 to
25,000 Mt per year.

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C U L T I V A T I O NCare should be taken however, thatcompost is produced in an appropriatemanner. Simply applying discarded
coffee pulp to the field is not a good idea.
This material may still containpathogens (pathogens are organismsthat cause diseases, for example theCoffee Leaf Rust fungus) that can affectthe coffee tree. During composting thepulp is heaped. The breakdown processincreases temperatures in the heap up to
70°C, killing a large portion of thepathogens. Additionally, organic acids from the fresh pulp may damage coffee roots if
applied directly in the field.
Figure 108: Coffee pulp

The structure of the heap is important to achieve optimum decomposition. The heap
should consist of several layers (Figure 109 to Figure 114):

What kind ofdamage could
the organic
acids from raw
pulp do to theroots of the
tree?

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1. The ground is first coveredby a sheet of plastic or alayer of banana leafs toprevent excessive leachingof nutrients from the heap;

Figure 109: layer of banana leafs

2. a layer of small branches isdeposited on top of theplastic/leafs to improve
aeration (aeration is theentry of air into the heap).
This layer is around 10cm
thick;

Figure 110: Layer of leafs and branches for aeration

3. this is followed by a layerof fresh coffee pulp of 25
cm thick;

Figure 111: First layer of pulp

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4. Sprinkle NPK, or single
fertilisers and lime (anytype will do) to speed up
decomposition(microorganisms responsible fordecompositionuse
especially N);

Figure 112: Lime, Urea, Phosphate and Pottasium havebeen added

5. Optionally one can now
deposit a layer of coffee
husk, rice straw or grass;This will give a bit morestructure to the heap andprevent it from fallingapart.

Figure 113: Layer of grassy material

6. Apply another layer of fresh pulp, 25cm thick, sprinkled with NPK and lime;
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8. cover the heap with plastic
or banana leafs to prevent
rewetting of the compost.
Note that each 3 layers oflime and fertilizer are
visible.

Figure 114: Finished heap with banana leafs as cover

After around 2 weeks the heap can be turned, leaving the branches of step 2 in place
and putting the cover of step 8 back in place. From this moment onwards the heap
should be turned once a month. After 3-5 months the pulp has been composted andcan be applied in the field.
Similar to fertilizing the compost should be applied in a band around the tree andlightly worked in the soil. Alternatively, animal traction can be used to work thecompost in a furrow. This can save considerable time.
Depending on the transportation distance, most farmers in Huong Hoa need around 1
day for the application of 1 m3 compost. Utilisation of animal traction can reduce theapplication time by as much as 30%.

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ChapterPruning and stumping
Pruningis an essential task to maintain strong and healthy trees.This chapter
will tell you how to do it. Inaddition stumping will be discussed.
Objectives of pruning
enerally speaking the goal of pruning is to create well-structured, healthy
trees that give good cherry yields over a long period of time. Or, torejuvenate old trees by stumping. In more detail: the objectives are:G

1. to avoid unnecessary competition for nutrients by removing unproductivewood;
2. to remove weak branches that will not yield, or only a little;
3. to avoid high humidity and fungus development through better air circulation;
4. to create better access to the core of the tree when spraying pesticide; and5. to decrease the risk of the damage to the coffee trees’ canopy during periods ofheavy rain and/or wind.

Growth shapes
ith pruning we try to reach a desired shape of the tree. Two main shapes
are commonly found, single stem and multiple stem trees. Each has its
distinct characteristics.

W

Single stem

This is the prevailing system in Quang Tri, favoured by many farmers because it yields
high quantities of cherries over a longer period of time, requires less labour than themultiple stem system and allows for easier application of pesticides. The single stem
system is primarily used for Arabica coffee (Figure 115).

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C U L T I V A T I O NMultiple stem system

The multiple stem system is used by some Arabica farmers (Figure 116), but is morecommonly found in Robusta coffee. Use of the multiple stem system in Arabica is thatin the first 3 to 4 years yields are higher than in the single stem system. However, yields
from multiple stem trees will decline more rapidly after the initial peak.
Additionally, the commonly found planting density of up to 5,000 trees per hectare in
Huong Hoa is not very suitable for the multiple stem system. When working with twostems per tree the maximum planting density for Arabica Catimor is around 3,000 trees
per hectare. An advantage of the multiple stem system is that you can keep a minimum
yield when the time for stumping (rejuvenating) has arrived. This is done by stumping
a tree in two phases. In phase 1 one of the two stems is stumped. Two years later,when the stumped stem has been replaced by vigorous suckers which will be about togive fruit, the second stem is removed. Although low, a yield will be had every year.

Figure 115: Single stem tree

Figure 116: Multiple stem tree

The focus here will be on the single stem system, as this is the most commonly used.
Types of branches

The coffee tree has 2 types of branches that can be further subdivided (Figure 117):
1. Lateral branches:
Lateral branches grow outwards from the main stem. These branches are the only
branches that bear fruit. Lateral branches can be subdivided in two types:

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a. Primary branches:
Primary branches are directly connected to the main stem. These branches
are not regenerative.
b. Secondary branches:
Secondary branches are attached to the primary branches. Each primarybranch has many buds, some will develop in flowers, others into
secondary branches. The secondary branches also have buds that develop
into flowers or more branches still. These branches are called tertiarybranches.
2. Suckers
When pruning,which type ofbranches would
you favour overothers?

Suckers are branches that grow from dormant buds on the main stem. They growquickly and vertically and do not bear fruit. Suckers, as their name indicates suckaway copious amounts of water and nutrients that is not being put to any
productive use. De-suckering is therefore an important pruning operation.
SuckerLateral branchPrimary branchSecondary branch
Main stem

Figure 117: Branche types

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C U L T I V A T I O NPruning requirements and techniques
hroughout it’s entire life-cycle the coffee trees have pruning requirements.
Requirements will change with increased age of the tree.

TFirst year

Pruning requirements in the first year after
planting are very low and consist only of
removing unnecessary suckers (Figure 118). Like
their name indicates they suck a lot of moistureand nutrients away from the tree.
Why is it
advisable to use
pruning sissors?

Suckers can appear at any given time of the year.
Removing them is a recurring job that can bedone at any time of the year. To avoid excessivecompetition for nutrients and water, suckers
should be removed timely.
If any crop appears on one-year old trees thecherries should be stripped immediately for thesame reasons as removing the suckers.

Figure 118: De-suckering 1-year old
tree, the red mark indicates where to cut

Second year

Pruning activities in the second year determine the shape of the tree in the years tocome. Closely linked with the shape is the potential for production and ease of
harvesting. Pruning activities in this year are crucial and should not be skipped.
Several interventions may be needed at this stage:
Remove all drooping primaries touching
the soil up to a height of 30cm above thesoil level (Figure 119).
Also all suckers should be removed to
avoid unproductive nutrient and watercompetition with the primary andsecondary branches (Figure 121).

Figure 119: Removal of branches touching the soil,
red marks indicate where to cut

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Figure 120: Removing secondary branches close to
the main stem

Figure 121: Removing suckers

The next step is to remove any secondary branches that are within 20cm of the mainstem. Secondary branches so close to the stem receive little light and are typically lowor nonproductive. Additionally, removing them will create a “chimney” around thestem that facilitates ventilation (Figure 120).
A limited crop can be safely allowed on two-year old trees.
Third and following years

During the third and following years the basic shape that has been determined in thefirst and second year is being maintained by:

Remove all drooping primaries touching the ground up to 40cm above the soil
level;



Remove all the suckers;Remove the top at the desired height, commonly around 1.6m (Figure 122);

What is the best
time of the year
to prune?

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Figure 122: Removal of primaries, suckers and top

Any long, drooping primary branches should be cut back to the nearest
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Figure 123: Removal of long primary branchesPrimary branches in the top section should spaced at around 10cm (Figure
124);

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Figure 124: Spacing primary branches and removing the top

A maximum of 5 well-spaced secondary branches is allowed on each primarybranch (Figure 124); and98

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Figure 125: Removing excessive secondary branchesFinally all dead and weak branches are removed (Figure 126).

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Figure 126: Removing weak and dead branches

After removal of weak and dead branches on the tree in Figure 126 there will not bemany productive branches left. In this case it is better to rejuvenate the entire tree. Thisis done by selecting a sucker at the base of the tree that will be maintained and after ayear can replace the main stem (Figure 127).

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Figure 127: Rejuvenating the tree by using a sucker, the yellow circle indicates the sucker that will replace
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Stumpinground 8 to 10 years after planting the vigour of the tree to produce new
bearing wood decreases and it is time to start stumping. Traditional Arabica
varieties can sustain yields for a much longer time of up to 20 years.
However, highly productive varieties like Catimor loose vigour much earlier.
With low pruning inputs or wrong pruning techniques, or low nutrient inputs thispoint may be reached after 5 to 6 years already (Figure 128, Figure 129 & Figure 130).

A

Figure 128: Low pruning
inputsFigure129:
Wrongpruning techniques

Figure 130: Low nutrient availability

Several approaches to stumping can be followed, each with its own merits anddrawbacks.
Phased stumping

With phased stumping the tree is stumped over a two year period. At an age of around
6 to 7 years all branches on one side of the tree, preferably the eastern side, areremoved. Of the newly developing suckers on that side two vigorous ones aremaintained. After three months the most promising of these 2 suckers is kept and theother removed.

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Two years after pruning all the primary branches on the east side of the tree the newsucker has developed sufficiently and will bear a first crop. At his point the old mainstem can be completely removed. Make sure the stem is cut at an angle of around 45
degrees to avoid water penetration of the stump which can stimulate fungal andbacterial infections.
Why would one
remove thebranches on theeastern side of
the tree and noton the westernside?

The advantage of this system is that the tree continues to bear fruit throughout thetransition from old to new bearing wood. However it requires more labour than the
direct stumping approach.

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Direct stumping

With direct stumping the entire stem isremoved in one time. Again the stem should be
cut at an angle of 45 degrees for the reasonsmentioned in the previous section. The cut
should be made around 10 to 15cm above thesoil (Figure 131). Literature recommends ataller stump, but in Huong Hoa the seasonal
winds from Laos result in too many broken
sucker if the stump is taller. Stumping closer to Figure 131: Stumped tree, note the slanted
the soil than this can result in increased angle of the cut
infections by fungus and bacteria of the stump
and a general reduction of regenerative capacity (Figure 132).
The advantage of this system over phased stumping is that less labour is required.
However, the field will be out of production for one year. This can be prevented bydirectly stumping a field in two phases. In the first phase, around year 8 to 8 50% of
the field is stumped. In the second year, when the stumped trees start to bear fruit, thesecond 50% is stumped. A major drawback of this system is that the rejuvenated trees
will have an age difference that results e.g. in different fertiliser requirements.
Taking care after stumping

After stumping a light tillage of the soil (notdeeper than 10cm) is recommended for two
reasons:

Figure 132: Stumping too close to the soil
resulting in low regeneration

1.

To cut part of the old root-system. This
will reinstate the balance between roots
and above ground matter. Furthermore it
stimulates the formation of new hairroots; and2.

to loosen the soil that has been
compacted over the years, allowing for a(leguminous) intercrop.

The intercrop can be harvested (Figure133), but in the Huong Hoa area whereorganic matter content of the soil isgenerally low, it is recommended that theintercrop is worked in the soil again.

Figure 133: Coffee with spring onion

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After stumping an abundant number of suckers will growfrom the stump, the majority of these have to be cut (withscissors!) swiftly before they grow too large. Dependingon whether the farmer wants to use the single or multiplestem system one (Figure 134) or more (Figure 135)
vigorous suckers have to be selected.
With the prevailing winds come from the north, it is best
too select a sucker on the north side of the stump to
reduce the potential damage to the suckers from strong
winds.
Figure 134: Sucker being
maintained after stumping

Immediately after stumping the field receives considerable
more sunlight. Farmers who have not planted shadow
trees and desire to do so, will find this a suitable period.

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Chapter

Pest and disease
identification andprevention
In Huong Hoa occurrence of pests and diseasesis still fairly limited. Only leaf
rust (Hemileia vastatrix) presents aseriousproblem, butnot even every year.
Other diseases occur, but theireconomic impact is up tonow negligible. This
chapter deals with the most common pests and diseases in Huong Hoa distirct.
Pest and disease types
our groups of pests and diseases can be distinguished, although the number
will vary with the division criteria one applies. In this book the grouping criteriaare:F

1. Fungal diseases;
2. Bacterial diseases;
3. Nematodes; and4. Insects and other pests

However, nematodes are not a problem in Huong Hoa, hence these will not be
discussed here.
In some books nutrition deficiencies are also regarded as a disease. Although pests anddiseases will occur more frequently in weakened trees that suffer from nutrition
deficiencies, their direct link with fertilisation places these in the chapter Plant nutrition
and fertilisation.

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Successful pest and disease prevention starts at planting. A plantation that has beencreated carefully will be less susceptible to pests and diseases. Careful establishment
centers amongst others on soil selection (Soil identification and improvement) but also
planting distances have influence (Land preparation and planting) as well as fertilisation(Plant nutrition and fertilisation and Composting).
Three main fungus diseases occurring in Huong Hoa are, in order of frequency ofoccurrence: Coffee Leaf Rust (CLR), Brown eye disease and Black Spot Disease.

How could theselection oftaproots during
propagation andplanting
influence future
pest and diseaseproblems?

Coffee Leaf Rusttree infected by Coffee Leaf Rust shows symptoms on the leafs. If theconditions are right Coffee Leaf Rust can spread very quick and its
economic impact in Huong Hoa and then especially in Huong Phung can besevere. The severance of the economic impact depends to a large extend on
the time of infection and the overall health and vigour of the trees. Weak trees, such a
caused by overbearing or under-fertilization, will display more problems. Coffee Leaf
Rust was first described in present-day Sri Lanka in 1861. As a result of Coffee Leaf
Rust outbreaks Arabica growing was abandoned in Sri Lanka 1867! Since those days
Coffee Leaf Rust has spread around the world and is found in every coffee producing
area, except Australia and Hawaii.

A

Symptoms

The first symptoms of Coffee Leaf Rust are yellowy circular spots on the underside ofthe leaves, after about a week these are covered by an orange powdery substance(Figure 137). Slowly these spots form larger circles. The upside of the leaf showsbrown/yellow spots (Figure 136). On older leaves, the entire leaf area may be covered,but usually the leaf drops down before that stage is reached. Severe infections in
combination with a poor nutrient supply can cause massive leaf shedding and enhancedie-back. Other fungi can also develop on the leaf rust infected areas, for example
Verticillium lecanii (Figure 138).

Figure 136: Coffee Leaf Rust infected leaf, upside

Figure 137: Coffee Leaf Rust infected leaf,
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Figure 138: Verticillium lecanii on Coffee Leaf Rust
infected area, an indicator of a humid climate

Like all fungi, Coffee Leaf Rust spreads
through spores (the yellow powdery
substance found on the underside of
infected leafs). Spores can be spread bywind, but also by any moving
organisms in the field (including
farmers!). For the spores to germinate
liquid water is required. This explains
why Coffee Leaf Rust hardly occurs
during the dry season. The optimum
temperature for germination is 2025°C, with a maximum of 28°C.
During temperatures below 15°C

Coffee Leaf Rust does not develop.

Why is it
important towash clothes
that have beenworn in a field
infected withCoffee Leaf Rust
before using
them again?

Suitable conditions for development of Coffee Leaf Rust are therefore wet days
interspersed with dry and sunny spells, or foggy weather. Relative humidity should bearound 80% or higher. In such conditions the germination process will take place inapproximately 12 hours. The germ tube of the spore will extend into stomata (leafopenings, see also Leaves in Introduction to Arabica) of medium to old leaves (young
leaves are not susceptible to infection) (Figure 139.4) Sporulation (dispersal of “seeds”
of the fungal growth. Those “seeds” are called spores) of the new infection can occur
already after 2 weeks (Figure 139.8). This is exacerbated by the relative low altitude of
the growing area in Huong Hoa. If left unchecked and under highly suitable conditions
Coffee Leaf Rust can infect huge areas in 1.5 to 3 months (Figure 140).

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1. Spore

8. Dispersal of
spores

Chapte2. Water

3. Germination
tube

6. Spreading on
surface

4. Germination
tube entering leaf

5. Development ofsucking organ

Figure 139: Fungus development

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C U L T I V A T I O NPrevention and treatment

The entire Arabica genus is susceptible toCoffee Leaf Rust. However, true to type
Catimor is fairly resistant. This does notmean Coffee Leaf Rust can not occur in
Catimor, only that when it does occur,
the effects will be less severe ascompared to other Arabica varieties.
The best way to prevent Coffee Leaf
Rust from occurring is to have strong
Figure 140: Result of severe Coffee Leaf Rust
healthy trees. This attained by applying
outbreak in Huong Phung, 2001
correct techniques of propagation,
planting, weeding, fertilisation andpruning as described in previous chapters. If Coffee Leaf Rust still appears a firstassessment of the severity is needed. In an otherwise strong plantation of trees small
symptoms of Coffee Leaf Rust are not a reason to worry, but close observation on abi-weekly basis is essential.

What does theleafrust infectionin Huong Phungin 2002 tell you
about
propagation
practices?

When the conditions are particularly suitable for Coffee Leaf Rust development, that is
between 20 and 25°C with a high relative humidity, a preventive treatment with acopper based fungicide can be done. Copper based fungicides are only effective infrom stage 1 to 3 (Figure 139). However, Coffee Leaf Rust only becomes visible to thehuman eye from stage 6 to 8 (Figure 139). In Huong Hoa, the time for application isfrom May to September. When spraying, care should be taken that especially theunderside of the leaves is reached (farmers who pruned regularly will notice thebenefits since pruning makes reaching the underside of the leaves easier!). In addition,
the soils in Huong Hoa seem to have a low copper availability, so the application does
more than only treat Coffee Leaf Rust.
If the disease becomes visible and continues to spread, and copper has no, or a limited
effect, other fungicides can be used (Table 27). Also refer to section Pesticide
application procedures for information on application methods and safety precautions
to be taken.

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C U L T I V A T I O NTable 27: Fungicides, active ingredients and their use

Active ingredientCommercial name

Copper Oxychloride

Copper oxychlorua 30 BTN/WP

UseChampion 77 WP,
Copper Hydrocide
Funguran-OH 59 BHN (WP)
Benomyl 25% +Viben C 50 BTN
Copper Oxychloride 25%
Kasugamycin 0.6% + Basic
Cupric Chloride 16%

New Kasuran BTN

Zineb 20% + Copper
Oxychloride 30%

Vizincop 50 BTN

Diniconazole

Sumi-Eight 12.5 WP

Epiconazole

Opus 125 EC

Hexaconazole

Anvil 5 SC
Bayfidan 25 EC

Triadimenol

Prevention and in soils poorin copper some trace-element
fertilization effect can be
expected.

These fungicides should only
be used when the disease has
spread severely

Samet 15 WP
Propiconazole

Tilt 250 EC

Tridemorph

Calixin 75 EC

Brown eye spot disease
imilar to Coffee Leaf Rust, Brown eye spot also manifests itself on the leafs.
Although this disease can also occur on cherries. The disease is caused by thefungus Cercospora coffeicola.

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Symptoms

Brown eye spot symptoms are normallyfound on leaves of young plants in thenursery garden, although it also occurs
in mature trees. Occurrence in Huong
Hoa is very much localised, with noeconomic impact to speak of. Infection
is shown by brown lesions, ranging from
3 to 6mm in diameter (Figure 141).
Massive infections can lead to leaf shed
and loss in vigour of the tree, although
this is only rarely occurs.

Figure 141: Brown Eye Spot infected seedling,
two weeks after transplanting from the nursery

Infections of the fruit are shown as brown lesions on the fruit. In the early stage offruit development the disease shows as a reddish circle on the unripe fruit. A rule ofthumb is that reddish fruits that can hardly be popped open are infected with Brown
Eye Spot disease (Figure 142).
Prevention and treatment

Brown Eye Spot is essentially a nitrogen
deficiency. The deficiency makes the tree more
vulnerable for Cercospora infection, which
thus only highlights the underlying imbalancein fertilisation. Sudden changes in light intensity
received by the tree, for example after
transplanting seedlings from the nursery,
underwrite this. Decent field management isnormally sufficient to prevent Brown Eye Spot
Figure 142: Brown Eye Spot Disease
from occurring. If it does occur a copper
affecting branches and cherries
treatment at the beginning of the rainy season
can be used. However, although the copper treatment will reduce the proliferation of
the fungus it does not remove the underlying cause, i.e. nutrient deficiency or lack of
shade!
Dieback
everal fungi are associated with Dieback. However, none of these is the truecausal agent of the disease. Dieback is mainly a result of one or more suboptimal growing conditions. Most common is a lack of nutrition (Figure 143),
this can be strengthened in years with a heavy crop (Figure 145) or a dry year.
Dieback can also occur as a result of other diseases such as Coffee Leaf Rust, or
excessive exposure to sunlight or heavy fluctuations in temperatures.

S

How doesdrought affectdie-back?

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Symptoms

Branches start dropping leaves and fruits from the branch tips inwards. Usually startingat the middle of the tree and slowly developing downwards and then upwards to the
top of the tree. Finally, the young top-leaves will be shed. Ultimately the tree will die.

How can heavy
crops such as
pictured in
Figure 145 beprevented?

Figure 143: Dieback in progress as a result of lackof nutrition and Brown Eye Spot disease

Figure 144: Dieback in a later stage as a lack ofnutrition and Coffee Leaf Rust

Figure 145: Excessive crop, leading to Dieback
after the harvest

Figure 146: Neglected garden with regenerating
trees after Dieback in previous year

Prevention and treatment

Dieback is caused by poor management, excessive crops as a result of light exposure
without sufficient fertilization, heavy temperature fluctuations, nutrient deficiencies, orsevere moisture stress. All these issues can be handled with proper management in thefield. Important topics are to ensure sufficient nutrient availability, regular pruning andif possible the use of a light shadow to regulate yield levels. In addition, two copper
based fungicide applications can be done at the beginning of the rainy season to ensuresufficient micro-nutrient availability. A foliar fertiliser can also be used after the harvest
in January and once more in February.

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Figure 147: Light shadow cover regulating andstabilizing yields thus reducing occurrence ofDieback

Figure 148: Effects of Dieback, note that the lightly
shaded trees are less severely affectedBlack Spot Diseaselack Spot Disease is an unknown infection of the green bean with small blackspots. Some Vietnamese sources attribute the occurrence of Black Spot
Disease to a Boron deficiency. However, the complete absence of Boron
deficiency signals in the leaves make this somewhat doubtful. Furthermore,
extensive coffee quality research in 2002 (Pinkert, 2002) did not find any relation
between amounts of macro- and micro nutrients in cherries and Black Spot Disease
occurrence.

B

Symptoms

In the field no clear indications reveal if a cherry is infected. Otherwise perfectly
healthy cherries can still contain Black Spot Disease infected green beans.

Figure 149: Black Spot Disease infected bean

Figure 150: Green bean sample with severe Black
Spot

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Economic impact

For the farmer the direct economic impact of Black Spot Disease is limited. No
significant yield reductions have been detected. Indirectly farmers are affectedeconomically. Coffee traders and roasters who buy coffee green bean first look at theappearance of the green bean to determine quality. Even though the brew of Black
Spot Disease infected green bean does not have any additional cupping defects prices
for such coffee will be lower because the green bean doesn’t look nice. Lower export
prices will result in lower local cherry prices.
Prevention and treatment

Presently, two trials are taking place in Huong Hoa, one in Khe Sanh and one in
Huong Phung. As the cherries do not show any outward sign of Black Spot Disease
infection, the hypothesis is that infection takes place during flowering. Therefore,
different types of fungicide have been applied under controlled conditions from preflowering to pinhead stage. Whether this is effective in countering Black Spot Diseasedevelopment has to be seen.
Pests

P

est problems in Huong Hoa are fairly limited with only 3 types of scales
occurring more frequently. Occasionally some Stemborers are spotted.
Although Stemborers are not causing major problems now their development
has to be closely watched. In Kenya in the 1980s 60% of the national coffee
tree population succumbed to Stemborers!
Brown scale
ne of the primary hosts of Brown scale (Sassetia coffea) is coffee (all types are
known to be hosting). Brown Scale is generally found in coffee trees older
than 4-5 years.

O

Symptoms

Brown scale feeds on sap extracted from young
leaves and shoots (Figure 151). It produces honeydew which in turn can attract ants. Ants use thehoney dew as a food source and protect the Brown
Scale from predators. The honey dew is an ideal basefor the development of fungi, resulting in a black
layer covering the affected leaves and shoots. Brown
Scale is not very mobile and moves only from one
plant to the other when the plants are touching [4].
Brown scale prefers hot and dry conditions, the useof shadow in the garden seems to hamper its
development.

Figure 151: Brown scales

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Green Scale
imilar to Brown Scale, Green Scale (Coccus viridis) is found on middle aged toold coffee trees, feeding on sap extracted from leaves and shoots (Figure 152).
Occurrence is year-round but more evident in the dry season. Just as Brown
Scale it prefers hot and dry conditions.

S

Prevention and treatment

Pesticides can be applied to control both Brown andGreen Scales, although typically their economic damage
is limited and does not warrant such an investment..
Furthermore, pesticides may kill natural enemies as well.
In case of uncontrolled expansion that approaches
damaging levels suitable pesticides that can be used are:
Ofatox, Sumithion and Supracide. Only trees underattack should be targeted.
Figure 152: Green Scale

Coffee Mealy Bug
offee Mealy Bug (Planococcus lilacinus) was first described in 1905 in thePhilippines. It primarily lives on fruit trees like coffee, cocoa and citrus. In
Arabica it affects roots, branches, leaves and fruits. Up to now, economic
impact of the Coffee Mealy Bug in Huong Hoa has been very limited (Figure
153).

C

Symptoms

Similar to the Scales, the Coffee Mealy Bug also excretes honey dew (Figure 154). This
attracts ants and can lead to fungus development. When the leaves are attacked they
can deform and growing tips of branches and shoots can die (Figure 155). Cherries arealso vulnerable (Figure 156).

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Figure 153: Coffee Mealy Bugs

Figure 154: Fungal growth on honey dew

Figure 155: Leaf deformation

Figure 156: Affected cherries
Prevention and treatment

Figure 157: 2 Ladybirds looking for mealy bugs

Coffee mealy bug has a wide range ofnatural enemies (Figure 157). Althoughchemical control can be successful,especially with stronger pesticides like Bi
58% (which is banned in Vietnam since
2004!) in principle biological control is still
sufficient in Huong Hoa. Limiting thedevelopment of ants enhances the chancesof success of natural enemies of the Mealy
Bug, therefore clean weeding is
recommended in gardens where Coffee
Mealy Bug (and Scales) is developing.

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Coffee Stem Borer
wo types of Coffee Stem Borer are present in Huong Hoa; red and white.

TRed stemborer (Xylotrechus quadripes) is mostly active in un-shaded gardens
where hot and sunny conditions prevail. Consequently, it is mostly occurringin the dry season. The adult have white wings with black spots. Typically, the adults
emerge from August to October, but in Huong Phung this can be earlier. The adultlays eggs in crevices in the bark. After 6 to 9 days the larvae appear and bore into thetree eating their way to the tree top through the heartwood (Figure 159 & Figure 159).

Figure 158: Red stemborer adult (Picture courtesy Keith Chapman)

Figure 159: Red stemborer larva

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C U L T I V A T I O NWhite stemborer (Zeuzera coffeae) is a black and white beetle. It lays its eggs in the barkof the tree. White larvae feed on bark tissue, which splits as a result. At a later stage
larvae may tunnel to all parts of the tree, including the root system (Figure 160 &Figure 161).

Figure 160: Adult of White stemborer

Figure 161: White stemborer larva (Source: ICO[5])Presently, the Coffee Stem Borer does not have a major economic impact in Huong
Hoa. However, other coffee areas in Vietnam have reported losses of up to 7% and on
neglected plantations in India losses reached 20% [6]!
Symptoms

A clear symptom of Coffee Stem Borer is wilting trees (Figure 163 & Figure 164), or ata later stage of infestation, trees that easily snap just above the point of entry of thelarvae (Figure 162).

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Figure 162: Stemborer entry holeC U L T I V A T I O N

Figure 163: First symptoms of
red stemborer in mature coffee

Figure 164: Red stemborer
damage in young coffee

Prevention and treatment

Cultural control of the Coffee Stem Borer is possible by shading the garden. In
addition infested trees should be cut and burned as soon as possible to control
spreading. Generally, as with all pests and diseases, weak trees seem to more
vulnerable. Hence avoid planting young trees with twisted taproots.

Why doesapplication ofpesticides have
limited effect onstem borers?

Pesticide application procedures
hree types of pesticides are available: herbicides, fungicides and insecticides.
Herbicides are used by some farmers, especially in young coffee. During thefirst years after establishment of a new garden, weed pressure can be quite
high. Herbicides can be divided in 2 groups:

T

1. Selective; and2. Non-selective herbicides.
Selective herbicides work against one particular type of weed, while non-selective
herbicides generally kills all plant growth.
Fungicides and insecticides can be grouped according to their types of action:
1. Preventive; and2. Curative
As the name indicates, the first group is applied in advance of a pest or disease. This isdone when conditions for the pest or disease development are favourable and thepathogen has been observed or is expected to occur (e.g. Coffee Leaf Rust in Huong

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Phung). The second is applied when the pest or disease starts to approachunacceptable levels of damage to the crop.
Understanding the label

In Vietnam over 100 products are traded under different names and often withdifferent characteristics. One thing they all have in common is user-instructions on thelabel (Figure 165). These should be followed at all times!
A product usually has different names:
1. the Common name: this is often a coinage of the name of the active
ingredient, the part in the pesticide that does the job; and2. the Trade name: this is the name under which the product is sold.
The active ingredient describes the chemical compound that makes the pesticide
effective against certain pests and diseases. The amount of active ingredient isindicative for the strength of the pesticide. Do note that a pesticide can have more than
one active ingredient: e.g. Ridozeb contains both Mancozeb and Metalaxyl.
The concentration of the active ingredient is represented by a number with a code:
Fastac 5EC Alpha-Cypermethrin
Fastac:Trade name5:g/ml of active ingredient per kg/l product

EC:

Code that indicates that Fastac is a fluid

Alpha-Cypermethrin:

Name of the active ingredient

EC is not the only code that can be found on the box, bag or bottle. Others are: WP,
BTN, BHN, SC and WG. In this EC and SC are fluid preparations, WP is similar to
BTN and BHN and stands for a powder preparation. WG are granular products [7].

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Commonname:

A RIN 50sc

50:

Active ingredientis 50ml/100ml
productSc:

the product is a
fluid

Activeingredient:

Carbendazim

Productiondate:

24-03-04

Period of use: 3 years after
production date
Crop types:

Coffee isindicated

Purpose:Coffee Leaf Rust

Amount ofproduct
per ha:For coffee: 0.50.8 l/ha; i.e. 5 to
8 bottles

Recommended 7-10ml productconcentration: on 8l water
Amount of
400-600 l/ha
water per ha:
Handling
instructions:Figure 165: Reading pesticide labels

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Spraying equipment
ommonly farmers use small knapsack sprayers to distribute pesticides.
(Figure 166, Figure 167) Although cheap and reliable they tend to deteriorate
rather quickly. Deteriorated sprayers start leaking at the connections and it is
not uncommon to see farmers with wet backs (and this is not only fromsweating!). Needless to say this should be avoided at all cost!

C

Figure 166: Old knapsack sprayer with someleaking connections

Figure 167: New knapsack sprayer

Spraying patterns

Depending on the pest or disease that is targeted the spraying pattern has to beadapted (Figure 168). Spraying pattern refers to the droplet size and the coverage oftrees. Adaptation can be done by adjusting the spraying nozzles (although the Chinese-123

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made sprayers (Figure 167) have very limited adjustability) and by adjusting exposureof individual trees.

Insecticides
Bait sprays(e.g. hormonal)

Very mobile
pestsHigh probabilityof contact required

Herbicides
Large
droplets

Very small
pests

Fungicides
Range ofdroplet size

Smalldroplets

Figure 168: Relative droplet size in relation to pesticides

On the commonly used Chinese sprayer limited spray adjustment is possible by turning
the retaining ring on the nozzles (Figure 169, Figure 170).

Figure 169: Nozzles adjusted to fine droplets

Figure 170: Nozzles adjusted to larger droplets

Figure 169 shows the nozzles adjusted for fungicide application, the spray is as fine aspossible with this type of knapsack sprayer. Figure 170 shows the nozzles adjusted forherbicides and certain insecticides.
Personal safety during handling and application
he most important consideration when working with pesticides is that they
are designed to kill living things. The capacity to kill or hinder thedevelopment of the body by a pesticide is called toxicity. Two types of
toxicity are possible:T

1. Acute toxicity

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2. Chronic toxicity
Acute toxicity means that effects of the contacting or inhaling the pesticide a single
time will be felt shortly afterwards, or at last within 24 hours. This usually translates toirritated skin or burning sensations in the eyes (Figure 171, Figure 172).

How manypeople do you
know that have
had negative
health effects
from applying
pesticides?
Figure 171: Eye damage

Figure 172: Skin problems after exposure topesticide

Chronically toxic pesticides show there effects only after repeated exposure to the
product. These effects can take the shape of cancer, tumors birth defects, etc.
Both types of toxicity can also have systemic effects. A systemic effect is a delayed
illness or injury to the body. Systemic effects usually affect the circulatory system, thenervous system, the kidneys or the liver. Most systemic effects are commonly
associated with the chronic effects of pesticides. Examples of systemic effects include:
blood disorders such as anemia or an inability to clot, nerve or brain disorders
including paralysis, excitation, trembling, blindness, or brain damage, skin disorders,such as rash, irritation, and ulceration, lung and respiratory disorders, such as
emphysema and asthma, liver and kidney disorders, such as jaundice and kidney failure.
Storage of pesticides

Due to their high toxicity pesticides should be stored outof reach from children and animals. A suitable option is tostore pesticides in a separate building that can be locked, iswell ventilated and not exposed to direct sunlight. Even
better is to buy pesticides at the dealer on the day they areneeded, thus avoiding on-farm storage altogether.
Personal protection

The previous sections should have highlighted theimportance of personal protection when applying
pesticides. Naturally, wearing heavy protective clothing ina tropical climate is not very comfortable, but it seems
Figure 173: Fully protected!

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preferable over brain damage.
In many countries users of knapsack sprayer operators are by law required to wear
waterproof one-piece overalls when spraying. As complete over-alls may not always be
available locally raincoats and trousers are a reasonable alternative (Figure 173).
Gloves should also be worn. However, only plastic gloves should be used as leather
and cotton are too porous and don’t fully prevent the pesticide from coming in contact
with the skin.
Boots should be rubber or plastic and the rain trouser has to fall over the boots toavoid entry of spray drip on the boots.
Protection for the head has to be plastic as well. The hood of the raincoat can be used,or else a construction hard hat. The eyes should be completely covered by glasses.
Sunglasses do not suffice because spray drift can enter from the sides!
Which parts ofthe body take up
pesticides mosteasily?

After use all the protective materials should be thoroughly washed with soap and driedin the shade (direct sunlight breaks down the material).
Needless to say during the handling drinking, eating and smoking should be avoided!
During application it is better to walk backwards, thus avoiding any contact between
the body and sprayed foliage.
Pesticides and healthesticides can enter the human body through breathing, drinking, swallowing
and directly through the skin. On parts of the body where the skin is thin, thisdanger is even more acute. Such parts are the insides of elbows and knees,
groin and back. Entry of pesticides through the groin and back is even worse
because several vital organs such as liver and kidneys are located close by. Because of
the ease with which pesticides can enter human bodies, several of the most dangerous
active ingredients have been banned internationally. Table 28 shows those pesticides
that are commonly used in coffee in Vietnam. Listing pesticides according to Trade
name and active ingredient, the table shows 6 characteristics. These are:P
1.

PAN bad actor: PAN stands for Pesticide Action Network. This organsiation2.

Acute Toxicity: This refers to Acute toxicity refers to the immediate effects(0-7 days) of exposure to a pesticide. Highly acutely toxic pesticides can belethal at very low doses. Narrative toxicity categories (Danger, Warning,
Caution) are based on the LD50, the dose (in milligrams of substance per

evaluates dangers of pesticides and informs users and society about it. PAN
bad actors are chemicals that are one or more of the following: highly acutely
toxic, cholinesterase inhibitor, known/probable carcinogen, known
groundwater pollutant or known reproductive or developmental toxicant.

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kilogram of body weight) that kills 50% of the test animals in a standard test,
through either oral or skin exposure routes. For inhalation exposures, the LC50
is used--the concentration in air in mg per liter that kills 50% of the test
animals.
3.

Carcinogenicity: refers to the ability of a pesticide to cause cancer. Absence of

4.

Cholinesterase inhibitor: Proper functioning of the nervous system requires
an enzyme called cholinesterase (ChE), which facilitates the transmission of
nerve impulses. ChE-inhibiting pesticides disable this enzyme, resulting insymptoms of neurotoxicity---tremors, nausea, and weakness at low doses;
paralysis and death at higher doses. Most of these pesticides are insecticides
with a similar mechanism of action in both insects and humans.

5.

Developmental or reproductive toxin: Some pesticides are known to causea pesticide on the carcinogenic list does not necessarily mean it doesn’t cause
cancer, but may signal that it has not yet been evaluated!

birth defects or interfere with normal development
6.

Endocrine disruptor: Many pesticides are capable of interfering with theproper functioning of estrogen, androgen and thyroid hormones in humans
and animals. These substances are called endocrine disruptors. Exposure cancause sterility or decreased fertility, impaired development, birth defects of the
reproductive tract, and metabolic disorders.

Those pesticides listed in bold are the so-called bad actors, these are best avoided
because of potentially severe health effects on humans. Also within Utz Kapeh the useof these pesticides is not recommended, although not prohibited. Utz Kapeh also
states that producers should follow national laws regarding pesticides. This means that
farmers in Vietnam are not allowed to use Bi58 because it is banned nationally.

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C L T I V A T I O NTable 28: Commonly used pesticides and their dangers for human health

Trade name

Activeingredient

PAN BadActor

funguran oh 50
wp
copper hydroxide No
DanawinDifenoconazole No
round upGlyphosate IPA
salt
No
Bi 58
Dimethoate
Yes
Vicarben 50 hp
Carbendazim
No
Dibamirin 5EC Cypermethrin
No
Supracide 40EC Methidathion
Yes
VifosatGlyphosate IPA
salt
No
DiMix-Top
DiazinonYes
DiMix-Top (lso)(l)
Isoprocarb
Yes
Boocdocopper sulphate No
OfatoxFenitrothion
Yes
OfatoxTrichlorfon
Yes
OxitosN.A.
?
Suprathion 40EC Methidathion
Yes
Vidithoate 40ND Dimethoate
Yes
Sunfatdong
copper sulphate No
Ba Sa
Fenobucarb
Yes
Kali 58%
K2O?
Bini 58 40EC
Dimethoate
Yes
Bi 58 40EC
DimethoateYestrebon 10 EC
Etofenprox
No

Toxicity

Carcinogenicit Cholinesterase Developmenta Endocrineyinhibitorl or
disruptor
reproductive
toxinslightslight?
possible

no
no

?
?

?
?

?
high
slight?
high?
possiblepossiblepossiblepossible

no
high
no
no
high

?
high
?
?
?

?
?
suspected?
?

?
moderate

?
?

no
high

?
?

?
?

moderate
moderate
moderate
moderate
?
high
high
moderate
moderate
?
high
high
no

?
?
not likely
high?
possiblepossible?
?
?
possiblepossiblepossible

high
no
high
high
?
high
high
no
high
?
high
high
no

?
?
?
?
?
?
high
?
?
?
high
high
?

?
?
suspected
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?

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ChapterHarvesting and quality
Numerous factors in thefield influencethe quality of acup of coffee. This
chapter discusses the most important factors.
Introduction
igh quality coffee is demanded and well paid for by international traders andcoffee roasters. Generally, Arabica coffee prepared by the wet method
receives the best prices on the world market. Although the final quality of
the green bean depends to a large extend on the processing practice, fieldmanagement also has influence. Here, farmers have an important role to play.
Although a bad quality of green bean may not seem a problem for farmers, but whenthe exported coffee is rejected, the competitive power of the exporting company will
become less, which will make it more difficult to export coffee and obtain a good price.
In the end, this will affect negatively the price that farmers receive.

H

Six main factors that influence coffee quality on field level can be distinguished:
1. Variety
2. Climate
3. Soil
4. Nutrition
5. Pest & disease
6. Harvesting
Variety
he most common Arabica variety in Huong Hoa and the rest of Vietnam is
Catimor. Besides Catimor older varieties like Bourbon and Typica can still befound. However these are seldom grown commercially with farmers

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preferring modern, high yielding varieties. In terms of cup characteristics the oldvarieties are usually considered superior. Some properties of common varieties inVietnam are:
 Catimor: A true to type Catimor tree is resistant to Coffee Leaf Rust and cansurvive extended periods of drought. From a cultivation perspective it is an easy
tree, but with sub-optimal management yields deteriorate rapidly. Its’ acidity, bodyand aroma are lesser valued by traders and roasters than e.g. Caturra and Bourbon
types.
What has been
the mainconsideration for
promoting
Catimor in
Vietnam?

 Caturra: is a mutation of Bourbon with high yields and fair quality. It does require

intensive management, more so than Catimor.

 Bourbon: has lower yields than most other varieties but with excellent cupping

qualities when grown at higher altitudes.

Climatelimate is an important factor in the quality of coffee. The elevation of Huong
Hoa is at around 600m above sea level sub-optimal for Arabica cultivation.
This however, is to some extend compensated by Quang Tri’s latitude of 17°
north. Soil plays an important role in the quality of coffee.

C

Figure 174: Lack of nutrients

Figure 175: Beans from such
cherries

Extended dry periods havea negative influence on thequality of coffee. The tree
can only take up nutrientsin soluble form and a lackof water, especially during
the filling stage will resultin underdeveloped cherries
that take a long time toripen or do not ripen at all(Figure 174, Figure 175).

Similarly, excessive rain
during the final days of ripening also has detrimental effects on quality. It causes thecherries to pop open and speeds up drying on the tree. Besides that, without theprotection of the skin the cherries are easier infested by insects, fungi and bacteria
feeding on the mucilage.
Big differences between day and night temperatures during ripening have a positiveeffect on quality, resulting in less spongy beans.Climate can be influenced by the use of
shadow trees. The use of shadow at the elevation of Huong Hoa results for Catimor inbetter body and acidity, but aroma is influenced negatively. Overall, well-managed
shadow is expected to better cupping quality.

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Soildeally Arabica is grown on a soil with a pH from 5 to 6. In Khe Sanh soil pH isaround 4.8, in Huong Phung pH is even lower at around 4.5. The lower the pH,
the more difficult it is for the tree to take up nutrients. Top soil organic matter
content should be around 3%, in both Khe Sanh and Huong Phung it is lower,
ranging from 2 to 2.5%. Although difficult to pin the effects of this down to quality
aspects, it can be stated that better nutrient uptake will result from improved pH andorganic matter content, leading to less defect beans.

I

Nutrientss outlined in “Soil” and “Climate” shortages of nutrients lead to increased
amounts of defect beans. However, oversupplying nutrients also has anegative effect on quality.

A

Excessive application of N fertiliser (Urea, SA, etc) will not only damage economic
returns on investment, but also result in a higher caffeine contents. This leaves a more
bitter aftertaste of the coffee brew.
Too much Potassium causes a harsh taste of the coffee brew.
In general: to produce good quality coffee, a well balanced mix of nutrients is needed,applied in regular intervals (3 to 4 times a year), rather than large amounts at once. In
the field deficiency signals from the trees already give a good indication of the qualityof the coming crop.
Harvestingarvesting techniques can be grouped into mechanical and manualapproaches. In countries where wages are high such as Australia and Brasil
mechanical harvesters are used, but most producing countries harvest
manually. Manual harvesting can be either selective picking or strip picking.
The use of one technique over the other depends on many factors, availability and costof labour, cherry price and uniformity of flowering and thus in ripening of the crop
being the most important.

H

During harvesting it is important to pick only red cherries. Green, dried and overripe
cherries lead to different quality defects. To stimulate selective picking it would begood if processing companies stimulated farmers by paying premiums for the absenceof defects, rather than applying discounts from a standard price for defects. This isunfortunately not yet the case in Huong Hoa.

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C U L T I V A T I O NRipe cherries

Figure 176: Red and yellow cherries

Figure 177: Parchment

the cherries of that colour are ripe.

Ripecherries
have a red or
yellow
colour,depending on thevariety. Ripenesscan be checkedby squeezing thecherry between
thumb and index
finger, when thebean pops out

Green cherries

Green cherries should not be picked because they are:
1. More difficult to process; and result in
2. light brown bean colour after roasting, green grassy
off-taste and general low quality.
Figure 178: Green
cherries

Under-ripe cherries

Late in the harvesting season, green cherries lose their green
colour without really ripening. These cherries pulp relatively easy, but will also give agreen, grassy off-taste and should therefore not be picked.
Over-ripe cherries

Overripe cherries should not be picked (Figure 179). Often they are already fermenting
on the tree leading to very bad off-tastes. A handful of over-fermented beans can spoil
the quality of an entire container green bean. Ripe cherries that take too long to beprocessed will also lead to over-fermented beans. It is very important to transportcherries to the factory as soon as possible after harvesting. If this is not possible one
can slow down the fermentation rate, and thereby the rate of quality loss, by evenly
spreading out the cherries around 10cm thick. Of course the cherries should not get indirect contact with soil, dogs, chicken, motorbikes, etc.

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Figure 179: Over-ripe cherries

C U L T I V A T I O N

Figure 180: Fermented beansfrom over-ripe cherries

Dried cherries

Dried cherries, either on the tree or fallen down on the soil (Figure 181), should not bepicked. Especially fallen cherries as they pose a health risk because of bacteria infection
and development of moulds and Ochratoxin A which is known to cause cancer.

Figure 181: Dried cherries

Figure 182: Over-fermented
beans from dried cherries

Calculation examples
he calculation examples explain why it makes sense to harvest as selectively as
possible.

T

Scenario 1: Picking green cherries

Generally speaking 1kg of ripe coffee cherry contains 850-900 fruits. 1 kg of green
cherries contains 1150 to 1200 fruits, a difference of around 24%.
Samples in Khe Sanh showed that farmers rarely come below a value of 10% green
cherries in any given shipment of cherries. In the present pricing system, green cherries
are discounted from the total amount and therefore not paid.
Suppose farmer A has a “green percentage” of 14% and a total yield of 20 tonnes (t)that she sold for 1,800VND/kg:

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20t * 14%=C U L T I V A T I O N

2.8t green

Now suppose that 80% of this amount of green cherries
could have been harvested ripe with more selective picking:2.8t * 80%=

2.24t ripe

Extra benefit:
2.24t * 1000=

2,240kg

2,240kg * 1,800=

4,032,000 VND

Form this example the gross increase is 4,032,000 VND. After discounting the extra
labour needed for harvesting 2,352,000VND remains.
2,240kg / 40kg/man-day=

56 man-day

56manday*30,000VND/day=

1,680,000VND extra labour
cost

4,032,000-1,680,000=

2,352,000VND
benefitextra

Scenario 2: Picking over-ripe

Usually another 10-15% of a shipment contains over-ripe cherries. Over-ripe cherries
are around 18-20% lighter than ripe cherries.
Suppose farmer A had another 5% over-ripe:
20t * 5%=

1t over-ripe

Now suppose again that 80% could have been picked ripe:
1t * 80%=

800kg

Extra benefit:
800kg *1,800VND=

1,440,000VND

When we again assume that one worker picks 40kg per man-day the net benefit isconsiderably smaller than in the previous example:134

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800kg / 40kg/man-day=

20 man-day extra labour

20 *
day=

600,000VND extra labour
cost

30,000VND/man-

1,440,000-600,000=

844,000VNd extra benefit

In conclusion, selective picking of cherries is vital for good quality coffee. It does not
only pay because of the better prices received at the factory, but also through, albeit
slightly, increased yields.

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Chapter

Fieldbook
Quantification of management of the field is useful to farmers because it allows
for accurate analyses of performance andcanbe used to identify areas for
improvement. The Fieldbook facilitates quantification and this chapter explains
how.
Rationale
ach year farmers have to make tough decisions on how much to invest whenin the coffee garden. Especially in intensive cultivation systems such as in
Huong Hoa, the levels of investment for fertilizers and labour are
considerable. When such large sums of money are being used it is importantfor farmers to have a reliable and quantitative (a way of describing something so thatit can be counted or measured. For example a high yield is not a quantitative statement,
but a yield of 25Mt/ha is) analysis of their management. The term quantitative is used
for describing something such that it can be counted or measured. For example a highyield is not a quantitative statement, but a yield of 25Mt/ha is. For this purpose theFieldbook can be used.

E

Approach
hen using the Fieldbook a farmer, or group of farmers, records for one ormore fields on a periodic (preferably daily) basis all the inputs in terms ofmaterials (such as fertilizer and pesticides), labour (both from the family
and hired) and equipment and prices paid for each. Also all the outputs(for example fresh coffee cherry) and the price at which they were sold of this field arerecorded.

W

This information can then be put into the computer using a dedicated software
package. After the harvest the software can be used to make an analysis of the year’s
production. This analysis can be done on a per field, per ha or per tree basis and is136

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presented both in tabular form and graphically. A wide variety of analyses can be made,some examples are:

physical relations (for example N-application and yield)Labour use (labour for pruning against yield)



Economic parameters (gross benefit, income, material costs, labour costs
against any other parameter).

Results

W

hile a wide range of results can be analysed, this section will only highlightsome examples in 2 categories.

Biophysical analysis: comparison between forms of management and years

On the fields of three farmers in Quang Tri, comparative experiments take place,where each of these fields is split in two parts. Both are managed by the farmer,
according to his own decisions, with one exception: on one part, an ‘alternative’fertilization is tested, following suggestions by the project team. In the field of one
farmer in Khe Sanh, the alternative management in 2002 gave different resultscompared to the farmer’s management: cherry production was 10 tons per ha higher
and more synchronised in time (compare open circles and closed circles for‘alternative’ and ‘farmer’ management, respectively, in Figure 183).

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Cumulative amount harvested cherries(kg/ha)

30000

25000

20000

Farmer 2002
Farmer 2003
Alternative 2002
Alternative 2003

15000

10000

5000

0
255

275

295

315

335

355

Day in the year

Figure 183: Cumulative amount of harvested fresh cherries according to year (2002, circles; 2003,
triangles) and management (farmer’s fertilization, closed symbols; alternative fertilization, open symbols)
in a particular field in Khe Sanh

Although the farmer enjoyed the higher yield, he disliked the synchronization, as thismade it more difficult for him to do the harvesting in his other fields with the limited
labour force available. In 2003 no big differences were observed in performance of thetwo forms of management (open and closed triangles, Figure 183). This is mainly
related to the smaller differences in amounts and timing of N application between the‘farmer’ and ‘alternative’ management in 2003 (Table 29). Due to drought, thesuggested alternative fertilization schedule could not fully be executed as planned in
2003.

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C U L T I V A T I O NTable 29: Time and amount of Nitrogen fertilization in 2002 and 2003 in the plots with full farmer
manage¬ment (‘Farmer’) and with an alternative fertilization (‘Alternative’), for one specific farmer in
Khe SanhManagement

Farmer

Alternative

2002

2003

Day

N
(kg/ha)Day

N(kg/ha)

≈150

366

142

110

350

77

272

77

≈150

366

225

81

194

57

321

96

266

142

Economic analysis: comparison between farmers

Coffee farmers in Quang Tri are generally profit maximisers: yield is less important
than income. Therefore, they are extremely interested in the economic performance of
their fields. To express this performance, the revenue achieved at each field is
calculated according to: R  G  C  Y  P  C , where R= revenue, G = grossincome, C = total costs of inputs used, Y= yield of cherries, P = price of cherries. In
2002 and less so in 2003, a strong and positive relation existed between yield andrevenue (Figure 184).
40.00
35.00

Revenue (million VND/ha)

30.00
25.00
20.00
15.00
10.00
5.00
0.00
0.00
-5.00

5.00

10.00

15.00

-10.00Cherry yield (Mt/ha)

139

20.00

25.00

30.00

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C U L T I V A T I O N

45.00

Revenue (million VND/ha)

40.00
35.00
30.00
25.00
20.00
15.00
10.00
5.00
0.00
0.00

5.00

10.00

15.00

20.00

25.00

30.00

Cherry yield (Mt/ha)

Figure 184: Revenue of individual fields in relation to cherry yield, for two years (2002, top, and 2003,
bottom) and two locations (Khe Sanh, open dots and Huong Phung, closed dots). Data are shown on a
per ha basis to allow comparison.
30.00

Cherry yield (Mt/ha)

25.00

20.00

15.00

10.00

5.00

0.00
0.00

2.00

4.00

6.00

8.00

10.00

Total material cost (million VND/ha)

140

12.00

14.00

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30.00

Cherry yield (Mt/ha)

25.00

20.00

15.00

10.00

5.00

0.00
0.00

2.00

4.00

6.00

8.00

10.00

12.00

14.00

16.00

18.00

Total material cost (million VND/ha)

Figure 185: As Figure 184 for relation between total costs of materials used and cherry yield.

What could be
an explanation
for the weak link
betweenmaterial costs
and yield (figure
186)?

There is a difference between the two locations: farmers in Huong Phung, with lessfertile soils, younger crops and poorer infrastructure have in general lower yields andlower revenues at similar yields than their colleagues in Khe Sanh. Also, considerable
variation exists in the yield-revenue ratio between farmers within each location:
especially in 2003, some fields with lower yields had higher revenues and different
fields with similar yields showed different revenues. This results mainly from the lackof relation between total costs for material used and yield (Figure 185).
The reasons for this lack of relation are probably twofold:
1. Nutrient management is not always adequate: nutrients are often not applied ina proper mix nor in a proper timing and frequency
2. Other management activities, especially pruning and weeding, are often notconducted properly
Final notes
he Fieldbook software is freely available to anybody who is interested. As of
August 2005 the approach is used in by one company and two projects in
Vietnam and another project in Peru. For more information please refer toour contact details on the cover page of this book.

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Chapter

Investment calculation
The decision to establish a new coffee field should be based on a sound investment
calculations that take not only thedirect establishment costs into account but also
expected investments during the first years of operation and anticipated returns.
This chapter gives someexamples and explains how to make such calculations.
Approach
ny investment analysis should take into account the not only theestablishment costs for the field, but also the maintenance costs during thetrees life. The difference between the costs for establishment andmaintenance and expected returns from yield should be the basis for thedecision whether to plant new coffee or not.

A

Table 30 gives a standard cost calculation for the establishment of 1 ha of Arabica. All
prices are based on the 2004 level in Huong Hoa. Needless to say prices change, so
please check if prices used here are still valid when you are making a calculation.
Calculation example
his example is based on the establishment of 1 ha of Arabica with 5,000 trees
per ha. Windbreaks are not yet present and an additional 1,000m2 is used forthat bringing the total land area to 1.1ha or 11,000 m2. The cost for landpurchase has not been included as prices vary considerably even within a small
area as Huong Hoa. It is assumed that the land used has not been cultivated before andis presently under imperator grass (Imperata cylindrical). A cover crop is incorporated toprevent erosion and supply extra organic matter to the topsoil. All labour has beenvalued, and no distinction has been made between hired and household labour. The
reason for this is that if the farmer had not been working in this field s/he might haveworked at another activity receiving comparable wages.

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C L T I V A T I O NTable 30: Cost calculation for the establishment and first 6 months of maintenance of 1ha Arabica

Nr

InputsUnit

Nr ofunits/

Total nr of
units

Nr of mandays

Cost per
unit
(VND)

Total cost(*1,000
VND)

27.5
5.5
110
4.4
50
2.2
25
3
25

20,00020,00020,00020,00020,00030,00020,00020,00020,000

550
110
2,200
88
1,000
66
500
60
500

man day
I
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
II
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
III
1

Soil preparation
Clearing
Burning
Topsoil turning
Field layout
Digging planting holes (50cm*50cm*50cm)
LimingManure distribution
Phosphate distribution
Mixing fertilizers and manure
Subtotal soil preparation
Planting
Coffee seedling distribution
Planting
Digging planting holes for windbreak(30cm*30cm*30cm)
Transportation, distribution and planting of
windbreakDigging
planting holes for shade trees(30cm*30cm*30cm)
Distribution and planting of shade trees
Planting second windbreak
Planting/sowing cover crop
Subtotal planting
Maintenance during first 6 months
Weeding whole field two times

m2
m2
m2
m2
Hole
m2
m3
Kg
Hole

400
2000
100
2500
100
5000
1
500
200

11,00011,00011,00011,0005,000
11,000
25
1,500
5,000

252.6

5,074

Bag
Bag
Hole

1000
200
250

5,000
5,000
1,000

5
25
4

20,00020,00020,000

100
500
80

Bag
Hole

200
200

1,000
200

5
1

20,00020,000

100
20

Hole
Labor
Labor

200

200

1
4
10

20,00020,00020,000

20
80
200

55

m2

400

11,000

27.5

1,100

20,000550

M A N U A L

2
3
4
5
6
7
IV
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20

F O R

A R A B I C A

C U L T I V A T I O N

Weeding planting holes
Fertilizer application ( N + K )Replacement of dead & weak trees (10%)
Plant hole maintenanceSpraying herbicide
Clearing around field
Subtotal maintenance during first 6 months
Materials and equipment
Bush-hook
Hoe
Other hoe
BasketKnives
Knapsack
Buckets
Other knives
Bags for transport of seedlings
Bags for transport of shade trees
Bags for transport of windbreak trees
Seeds for cover crop / temporary windbreak
ManureLime
Phosphate fertilizer
Nitrogen fertilizer
Potassium fertilizer
CopperGood lime (with copper used as a fungicide)
Sumithion
Subtotal materials and equipment

m2
Hole
Hole
Hole
Labor
m2

500
500
50
200

10,000
6,200
620
5,000

500

2,000

20
12.4
12.4
25
10
4

20,00020,00020,00020,00040,00020,000

111.3

Nr
Nr
Nr
Nr
Nr
Nr
Pair
Nr
Bag
Bag
Bag
Kg
m3
Kg
Kg
Kg
Kg
Kg
Kg
bottle of 0.5l

Total labours days and cost

4
4
4
4
2
1
1
4
5,500
220
1100
3
25
1,500
1,500
100
50
2
2
1

144

2,426

40,00025,00020,00015,00010,00080,00050,00010,000
600
400
400
50,000140,000
50
120
3,000
2,500
25,00010,00080,000

418.9

400
248
248
500
400
80
160
100
80
60
20
80
50
40
3,300
88
440
150
3,500
75
180
300
125
50
20
80
8,898
17,498

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After establishment of the garden an assessment has to be made of the expected benefits during the economic life of the coffee tree. In
this case the assumption has been made that the coffee will remain productive for at least 10 years. Annex II shows the detailed calculation,
while Table 31 summarizes the outcomes. Again all labour has been valued at 20,000VND/day and an average cherry price of
1,900VND/kg has been assumed.
Table 31: Summary of cost benift calculation of 1ha of Arabica, productive lif eof 10 years at a planting density of 5,000 trees/haYear 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6 Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Year 10(*1000(*1000(*1000(*1000(*1000(*1000(*1000(*1000(*1000(*1000
VND)
VND)
VND)
VND)
VND)
VND)
VND)
VND)
VND)
VND)
Costs

Benefits
BalanceLabourMaterials
Subtotal

8,600
8,898
17,498

5,500
2,775
8,275

7,900
6,490
14,390

7,988
1,709
9,697

10,2405,976
16,216

8,105
2,828
10,933

12,117
5,819
17,936

12,696
6,973
19,6698,608
4,388
12,997

13,158
7,082
20,240Cherries
sold

0

2,850

9,500

15,20030,481

26,60031,387

42,636

17,43643,700-17,498-5,425-4,8905,503

14,265

15,667

13,451

22,967

4,439

23,460In this calculation the benefit over a period of 10 years amounts to 71,967,249VND/ha. However, this example does not take any capitalcosts into account, nor the purchase of land. When all capital for the establishment of the field has to be borrowed at 1%/month and theland purchased at 10,000,000VND/ha the outcome is different (Table 32).

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C U L T I V A T I O NTable 32: Cost benefit calculation when all investment capital has been borrowed at a rate of 12% per year.

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6 Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Year 10(*1000(*1000(*1000(*1000(*1000(*1000(*1000(*1000(*1000(*1000
VND)
VND)
VND)
VND)
VND)
VND)
VND)
VND)
VND)
VND)
Costs

CapitalIncomeBalanceLandpurchase

10,000

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

LabourMaterials
Subtotal

8,600
8,898
27,498

5,500
2,775
8,275

7,900
6,490
14,390

7,988
1,709
9,697

10,2405,976
16,216

8,105
2,828
10,933

12,117
5,819
17,936

12,696
6,973
19,6698,608
4,388
12,997

13,158
7,082
20,240

Loan
Interest
Total cost

27,4981,650
29,14837,423
3,994
41,417

52,957
5,491
58,44958,645
6,456
65,101

66,117
6,961
73,07853,5305,768
59,29750,6335,000
55,633

43,915
4,090
48,004

18,365
1,424
19,78922,593
1,497
24,090Reimburse
ment

0

2,850

9,500

15,20030,481

26,60031,387

42,636

17,43643,700

Remainingdebt

29,14838,567

48,94949,901

42,59732,697

24,246

5,369

2,354

0

-29,148-35,717-39,499-34,701-12,116-6,097

7,141

37,26715,0820

In this scenario where all capital has been borrowed at 12% per year, the farmer gets an income only in year 7 when the balance becomes
positive. For each year the farmer has to borrow additional costs to cover the year’s operational expenses. Only the carry-over debt of theprevious year is valued at 12%, the borrowing for the operational costs typically takes place halfway the year when the largest expenditures
take place and is valued at 6%. In conclusion growing coffee when all capital has to be borrowed does not seem like a sound investment.

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The total amount for establishment and maintenance during the first 6 months after
establishment is 17,498,000 VND. To complete the analysis we should now look at
the maintenance costs and expected benefits during the expected lifetime of the coffeetree.

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Chapter

Farmers’ research
Although the implementation and analyses of research is typicallya job forscientists, farmerscan certainly contribute to the generation of knowledge oncoffee.
This chapter will detail how farmers can setupsimple trails intheirown fields toimprove fieldmanagement.
Rationaleuring the first year Farmer Field School training is quite general. In thesecond and last year of the training knowledge and skills are deepened withmore focus on analysis and problem solving approaches for coffee. An
important matter in this respect is the ability of farmers to be able toimplement, execute and analyse experiments on their farm. Although Vietnam has agood infrastructure of coffee related research, these institutions can not always matchthe local conditions of farmers in their field trials. Therefore, farmers who want toimprove their management should be able to investigate alternative practices in theirown fields.

D

What is science

To answer this question it is important to look at some aspects that scientists have incommon, but that are not limited to scientists only. Primarily science is driven by
curiosity to understand the world around us. Also, science is of an observing,
hypothesizing and analysing nature. For this the scientist has several tools at his
disposal, for example: research methods, statistical methods and computers to makecalculations, etc.
Although the farmer often doesn’t have these tools, they often do have the curiosityand drive to understand what is happening in the field.
Principles of farmers’ research

To conduct a field test several steps are necessary (Figure 186).

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C U L T I V A T I O NQuestion

Evaluation

Hypothesis

Analysis

DesignObservation

Figure 186: Learning cycle for on-farm research

The figure represents a learning cycle, adapted for field use. It shows 6 essential steps
when doing a field research.
In more detail:
Questions farmers, before we can be “scientists” we have to observe our fields andformulate questions about things we see but do not understand. To assist informulating these questions after field observations we can use a “Topic
selection matrix

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C U L T I V A T I O NTable 33: Research topic selection matrix

Problem

Current
practice

Potential for
improvement

constraint

Suggested
topicsLeafs drop down
after harvest

2 times fertilising
per yearMore times
fertilising per year

Cost

Compare 2 and3 times fertilising

Extra labour
Drought
Soil seems tobecome hard overtime

Little or no compostor organic manure
applications

Increased
application oforganic materials

Cost
Extra labour
Availability oforganic material

Compare 100%
chemicallyfertilised plot
with organic andchemicallyfertilised plot

People have very
different
applications of
P2O5

Some apply
300kg/ha/year,
others only
50kg/ha/year

Optimising of
P2O5 applications

None

Comparedifferent
amounts of
P2O5 applied

Pruning takes a
lot of labour, not
all trees arepruned properly

Too little pruning

More pruning

Cost

Compare present
pruning
frequency withincreasedfrequency

Extra labour

Etc.

The Topic selection matrix is meant for farmers who wish to conduct a field
experiment, not a detailed study into specific issues such as development of taste
profiles of shade-grown Arabica Catimor.

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A R A B I C A

C U L T I V A T I O NTopic:

Possible effect on:After using the TopicUse ofYield
selection matrix tomore urea
identify a problem that
requires further research,
farmers have to work out a
Weeding
hypothesis. A hypothesis is theidea that you are going to test. For
example, a scientist who will test
the use of urea might have as a
Pruning
hypothesis: “The use of more urea
leads to higher yields”. This is asingle hypothesis and does nottake other connected issues into
Other
account. For example, applicationof more urea can lead to more
weeding, additional labour for Figure 187: Influences of proposed change on other field
application, etc. Changing one issues
aspect of your management
might well have influence on
several other aspects, either directly or indirectly.
When making a hypothesis it is better also to think about other issues that can beaffected by the proposed change (Figure 187).
Using more urea can also lead to more weed growth, resulting in higher labour
requirements for weeding. Or it can lead to stronger growth of shoots, leading to morepruning labour.
To avoid the single hypothesis we can use the “Idea matrix” (Table 34). The “Ideamatrix” is prepared after a topic for research has been identified and considers all thepossible effects of the research. In the first column the farmers write down thepossible influences of the research topic on other aspects. In the second column write
down the source that mentioned the effect and in the third column write down theneed to take this effect into account.

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C U L T I V A T I O NTable 34: Idea matrix on the use of more Urea

Idea

SourceWhat do WE think
about each idea (should
we test it?)

Increase of urea will lead tohigher yields

Extension officer

Not convinced, needs to betested locally

Weeds will increase when using
more urea

Experience of one farmer

Needs to observed

Increased urea leads to moreshoots and more pruning

Other farmers

Probably, need to observe

More labour and money isneeded to apply more urea

Calculation of farmers

Needs to be tested

More urea will lead to pollutionof water

Television

Maybe, but how to observe?

The idea matrix shows us that several other factors can be influenced by theapplication of more urea. Some of these factors we can easily observe or test in thefield, whereas others are outside our skills.
As such the idea matrix serves as a central part of the research, showing us which ideas
we have to take into account. After completion of the study each idea in the matrix isevaluated to see whether or not the idea was correct.
Designhe best design for a field experiment depends on the topic and the local
conditions, hence no standard recipe for design can be given. Therefore, it isimportant to understand the principles of field design to allow for optimal
design in a given condition.

T

Three principles are important when designing field experiments (Figure 188): naturalvariation, bias and simplicity. If you consider these principles you will be able to design
better experiments.

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Natural variation

Natural variation is the variationthat you will find in any field andbetween different plants. Thesevariations can be local differencesin plant health, soil fertility, watertable level, occurrence of shadow
trees, etc.

Bias

Naturalvariation
DesignSimplicity

A field experiment tries to compare
different treatments under thesame natural conditions. For
example: more urea appliedcompared to the normal practice.

Figure 188: Research design considerations

All these variations can influence the experiment. It is very important when selecting aplot to conduct the test to
Often dry
strive to keep the naturalvariation as small as possible.
To determine the amount of
natural variation farmers canobserve the field and draw
simple maps of the variations(Figure 189)

Aa

1. When designing a field
experiment it is of theforemost importance toselect a field as uniform as
possible to minimize
variation.

B

C

b

A

B

C

C

A

B

B

C

A

2. Suppose we select field a,cd
the whole field has a goodmoisture standard, except
the grey area which is Figure 189: Plot design taking natural variation into accountregularly too dry. This is
one obvious source of variation, but there might be several others not so easily
visible.
3. To design a field experiment on the use of urea we could divide the field in threeplots like in figure b: plot A treatment with 100kg urea/ha; plot B treatment with
150kg urea/ha and plot C treatment with 200kg urea/ha. Would this give reliable
test results?

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4. The dry area will negatively influence our results, because the coffee trees will havemore difficulty taking up the urea we apply in that area. It would be better if we
replicated each treatment like in figure c.
Replications of treatments should be distributed evenly over the field (figure d). In thatway the average of the results of each treatment will give a more reliable result. For
small field experiments it is recommended that the treatments do not border eachother.
Bias

Why isreplication so
important toachieve reliable
test results?

A treatment plot that is bordered by a plot with another treatment may well receive
influence from this other treatment (Figure 190). This is called bias.

Unsprayed

SprayedUnsprayedaSprayedb

Figure 190: Biased pesticide application experiment

Bias occurs when one treatment is influencing a neighbouring treatment, causing alower reliability of results.
Figure 190a shows a pesticide spraying experiment, in a setup where the treatments
directly border each other and the unsprayed treatment can easily receive spray drift
from the sprayed treatment.

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To overcome bias we can do several things: we could increase the plot size, such thatwith a similar bias the influence of it on the results would be lower. Large plot size istherefore more important in a spraying experiment than in a pruning experiment. We
could also work with borders along the plots (Figure 190b). We would then only
sample the inside area of each plot and not the border where the influence of bias
would be greatest.
Would you
expect bias in anexperiment on
fertilisers, orplant spacing?

Simplicity

The design of any field experiment should be kept as simple as possible. The morefactors are changed in an experiment the more difficult it becomes to contribute results
to specific changes. For example if we change both urea and kali applications in a test
and find differences in yield we will not know whether this is because of the change inurea application or kali.
The design of a simple test for urea would have to take several factors into account:
First, the experiment should only address one factor at a time, e.g. the influence ofincreased urea application.
Secondly, the number of treatments (that is different applications of urea in theexperiment) should be limited. Only 2 to 4 different treatments should be considered
at a time with one control treatment. The control treatment could be the present
practice, thus allowing to check whether the alternatives are better or worse. Any moretreatments will make the analysis of the results unnecessarily complicated.
Thirdly, the number of replications is important to achieve reliable results because it
will decrease the influence of natural variation. A so-called 3 by 3 experiment, with 3
treatments and 3 replications is a good compromise between reliability, ease ofobservation and variation.
Observation
hat should be observed? How should observations be made? When shouldobservations be made? These considerations require careful planning by
farmers.

W

To determine what should be observed (what kind of observations should be made)we can use the Idea Matrix in which we already identified the different components ofthe field that need to be considered in our study. If we expect that increased urea will
have effect on any other issue (weeds, pruning, etc.) these components should beobserved.

How to make observations depends on what is practical and what is accurate. Growthof new shoots as a result from different urea applications, for example requires
observations of individual trees, while yield measurements are best taken by weighing
the harvest of a treatment. In cases where not all possible observations can be done(such counting all leaves on all trees), a sampling schedule has to be made. For

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example, to indicate which trees will be sampled and on each tree, which branches.
This has to be determined beforehand, because human beings generally have apreference for sampling the situations that are most similar to what we want to get outof an experiment.
Whatever we observe, our samples should give us a reasonably accurate estimate fromeach replicated plot, realising that there is variation between plants, and between the
different parts of each plot. A representative sample consists of a number ofobservations; and this number depends on the type of observation. In case ofindividual plant observations (with clear variations between plants) a sample must
consist of at least 10 plants per treatment in order to be representative. But for large
yield measurements (e.g. 5 x 5 m), it is best to weigh the entire crop from each plot.
When to make observations depends on the type of observations. Yield measurements

are taken at crop maturity or at harvest, while observations on weeds may be mostimportant during the early crop stages. Observations on insects, diseases and plantdevelopment are ideally made weekly during the entire season because their incidence
and condition change.
These three aspects –what, how and when to observe– can be planned using an
Observation Matrix that is based on the Idea Matrix (Table 35).
Table 35: Observation matrix
What should we

How should we observe?

When should we observe?

Yield

Harvest treatment plots separately

At harvestWeeds

50 x 50 cm samples, and Fieldbook Weekly during first 5 weeks afterrecords
application

Nr of new shoots

Observe 5 trees per treatment

WeeklyLabour for pruning

Record in Fieldbook

WeeklyInputsCalculate and record costs from When inputs are madeFieldbookobserve?

Different types of observations produce a complexity of records. Separate records
should be kept per treatment, and records of each sampling occasion should besummarised. At the end of the season, records could be summarised over all samplingoccasions (to produce a seasonal average of, say, pruning labour; or the seasonal
maximum of new shoots) to allow for easy comparison between treatments. The
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For record keeping it is advised to keep a Fieldbook as discussed in the previous
chapter, for each treatment.
Analysis
eplications are necessary to quantify natural variation. Each measurementfrom a replication of the same treatment will give different results because ofvariations in the field. However, the averages of the replications of 1 treatment
can give a reliable result for this treatment.

R

Not only is the average important, it is also vital to understand the differences between
measurement results of the same treatment. If measurements of 1 treatment are spreadover a broad range these results are suspect because they indicate too large an influenceof natural variation.
However, it is quite difficult to decide whether a number of measurements are toomuch spread out. Therefore the overlap test has been developed to compare variance
between test results. Without an analysis of variances we might draw faulty
conclusions. The overlap test allows for statistical analysis by farmers in a very much
simplified manner.
The overlap test has 2 steps:
1. Is the difference between treatments large?
2. Is there any overlap between minimum-maximum ranges of treatments?
In step 1 the averages are calculated of each treatment (Table 36). We can thendetermine whether the differences between treatments are small or large.
Table 36: Yield analysis of urea experiment

Yield kg/ha
Treatment

Replication 1

Replication 2

Replication 3

Average

Urea: 100kg/ha

8,000

11,00011,00010,000

Urea: 150kg/ha

13,00015,00017,00015,000

Urea: 200kg/ha

17,00016,00019,00017,333In step 2 we examine how variable or uniform the treatments are. For each treatment
we determine the minimum and the maximum value of the measurements. If theminimum and maximum between different samples are close together the variance is157

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C U L T I V A T I O Nlimited. If the minimum and maximum are far apart they are likely to overlap with theresults of another treatment. In that case we conclude that the results are not different,
at least there is room to doubt that they are different.
Performing step 2 is easier when one draws the results. For this, draw a horizontal linewith a scale covering the values of the yields of each treatment. Now determine where
the minimum and maximum value for each treatment is located. Connect the points
resembling the minimum and maximum of each treatment with each other. Determine
whether the lines overlap.
At first glance it seems that applying 200kg/ha of urea gives better results thanapplying 150kg/ha. Still, we should check for overlap (Figure 191) and this gives us adifferent result.

min

max

Urea: 200kg/ha
min

max

Urea: 150kg/ha
min

max

Urea: 100kg/ha

2,000

6,000

10,00014,000Kg fresh cherry per hectare
Figure 191: Overlap analysis of yield results

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FromFigure 191 we can conclude that: 150 kg/ha of urea gives a higher yield than 100
kg/ha. However, there is no large enough difference between applying 150kg/ha and
200kg/ha, because the lines connecting the minimum and maximum of these twotreatments overlap. So, even though the average yield in the application of 200kg/ha ishigher than the 150kg/ha treatment the difference is not convincing and might bebecause of natural variation in the field.
Evaluation
part from the yield results the idea matrix contained several other issues thatneeded to be observed such as weed growth, pruning input and growth of
new shoots. The averages or totals of these issues need to be summarised inan evaluation matrix (Table 37). This will help to clarify the impact ofdifferent urea applications beyond that of yield only.

A

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C U L T I V A T I O NTable 37: Evaluation matrix

Results
Ideas to be
Treatment 1: Treatment 2: Treatment 3:
tested100 kg urea 150 kg urea 200 kg urea
(at the start ofper haper haper hathe study)

Conclusion

Increased use of
urea will increase
yield of coffee

10,000kg

15,000kg

17,333kg

Urea increased yield but
no clear difference
between 150 & 200 kg

Weeds increase
with more urea

9 weeds per
sample10 weeds per
sample15 per sample

True, especially at thehighest dosage

Growth of new
shoots will
increase withincreased urea

6 new shoots per 8 new shoots per 11 new shoots
tree
tree
per treeWith increased
Fieldbook records did not indicate a majorurea, moredifference, but next year should also be observed
pruning labour will
be required

Adding more urea
increased nr of new
shootsStudies on pruning are
requiredMore labour and No extra inputs Extra inputs
Most extra inputs required
Extra inputs
money is required
400,000VND/h 700,000VND/ha at 200 kg urea
to apply the extraafertilizer

It is now up to the participants to explain the different results. Do bear in mind thatthe example showed us that applying 200kg/ha of urea did not show a convincingly
different result in yield and therefore the extra costs and benefits from this treatment
do not have to be calculated. Only the treatments of 100 and 150kg/ha showed
difference.
Now that the experiment has been concluded two questions need to be asked:
1. What aspects remain unclear; and2. what additional experiments do we need?
The answers on these two questions can lead to new experimentation.

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Chapter

Coffee world market
A regular statement bycoffee farmers isthat the price of coffee is too low.
Although most farmers in Huong Hoa still make profits, less efficient farmers
and thosein marginal areas have a hard to time tobreak even ontheirproduction costs. This chapter explores theunderlying mechanisms that determine
global coffee prices.
Introduction
lthough hard to influence from farm-level, the world market price for coffee
is certainly influencing the lives of coffee farmers around the world. Despite
its remote location Huong Hoa coffee farmers notice world market influence
as well.

A
C

Coffee market
offee is produced in over 70 countries with Brazil, Vietnam, Columbia being
the largest producers. Of all the coffee traded annually around 65% is Arabica,
the rest is Robusta. Vietnam is the largest Robusta producer with a share of
25% of global production, while Brazil has a share of around 31% of total
production. However only since 1999 did Vietnam gain such importance in the world
market. Previously, Vietnam and the Asia-Pacific region had a much smaller share(Figure 192).

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42C U L T I V A T I O N

25
11

30

25
22

31

14

Figure 192: Production by region in percentage of global production, 1982 on the left and 2001 on theright (Data source: ICO)

There is a clear regional distribution between Arabica and Robusta by region (Figure
193 & Figure 194).
13%
2%1%

30%

BrazilColombia
Central America
Asia
AfricaWhy did theshare of the
Asia-Pacificregion increaseso strong?

54%

Figure 193: Production share by region for Robusta

10%
5%
33%

BrazilColombia
Central America
Asia
Africa39%
13%

Figure 194: Production share by region for Arabica

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C U L T I V A T I O NConsumption
offee is consumed largely in the western world. Different countries havedifferent tastes. In Europe, southern countries mostly drink Robusta, whereas
the countries to the north use more Arabica. Between them, Europe andNorth America (including Canada) consume nearly 80% of the world’s coffee(Figure 195)!

C

Others21%

North America
26%

Europe53%

Figure 195: Coffee imports by region, 2004

As seen in Figure 193 and Figure 194 production of Arabica and Robusta is taking
place in distinctly different regions. South and Central America are typical Arabicacountries, although Brasil’s Robusta production has been increasing lately. Whereas
Africa and Asia are well-known for their Robustas. Consumption follows a similar
pattern. In that specific countries have different perceptions of qualities and tastes(Figure 196).

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100%
8%

14%

90%
80%

9%

56%

41%

19%

70%
60%

2%

35%
18%

50%
40%
27%
30%

56%

27%

49%

20%
24%

10%

15%
1%

0%
Spain

Robusta

Germany

Unwashed Arabicas

United States

American Milds

NorwayAfrican & Asian Milds

Figure 196: Imports of Spain, Germany, United States and Norway by coffee types. Red represemts
Robusta, all other colors are different Arabica types (Source: Jan von Enden).

Coffee pricehe price every coffee farmer receives is influenced by numerous factors. Three
important factors are: the local buying price which is linked to the quality of
the cherries, the amount of coffee available in the area and the demand forthis coffee from local processing companies.

T

The demand from processing companies is in return influenced by the demand fromexporting companies and traders.
The demand from exporters and traders is influenced by the demand of the world
market, i.e. importing countries, and the availability of coffee worldwide to satisfy thisdemand and exporting and importing countries’ policies.
In general the three most important factors influencing world wide availability ofcoffee, and therefore its’ price, are:
1. The production levels of Brasil and Vietnam, the largest producers in theworld;
2. Political agreements on limiting or stimulating production in, or between key
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3. Agreements such as ICA (International Coffee Agreements) which aim to limit
production

8.00

14.00

7.00

12.00

6.00

10.00

5.00
8.00
4.00
6.00
3.00
4.00

2.00

2.00

1.00
0.00

Price (thousand VND/kg fresh cherry)

Green bean production (million Mt/year)

The following graphic shows the linkage between significant events in the last 23 yearsof coffee trading, coffee production and coffee prices.

0.00
80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 '00 '01 '02 '03

Year
Production

Price

Figure 197: Price and production levels for Arabica from 1980 to 2003. Price levels are calculated in
VND per kg fresh cherry with a conversion factor of 6.5 from fresh cherry to green bean where 1USD =15,700VND. (Data source: ICO)

The heavy price fluctuations are closely linked to production and global events:
1978-1981
During this period the Bogota group was active on the futures markets of
London and New York. Brasil and Columbia subscribed to organisation, which aimed
to stabilise coffee prices by buying excess stock on aforementioned markets.
Eventually, a huge production surplus evolved (at this time there were no international
quota in force) and the Bogota group could no longer support prices in this way. The
accumulated stocks were released on the market and the price crashed.
1980-1981
Consuming nations reacted and an international agreement (ICA,
International Coffee Agreement) was put together in 1981, in which the producing
countries were expected to regulate their production and consuming countries paid ahigher price for coffee.

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1985-1998
In 1985 there was a drought in Brasil and prices soared. In the late1980’s the ICO agreement was suspended because it caused overproduction by paying
too high prices to producers. By 1991, prices had declined significantly, because of
producers’ stock being released on the market. Big harvests at the origins added to thepressure. In 1994 the prices rose again due to two big frosts in Brasil. In 1997, theeffects of El Nino send prices up again.
From 1997 onwards a steady production increase and use of new processing
techniques has had a tremendous influence in the price. Three trends were responsible
for this:

In Brasil the coffee tree population increased by 37% over a five-years period
from 1993/’94 onwards.



Vietnam’s production increased 800% in the decade from 1989 to 1999.

Central America increased production with 10% from 1997 to 1999/’00

International roasters have been able to use more and cheaper Robusta in theirblended coffees (see also chapter After export) due to new steaming
techniques that remove part of the harsh flavour of Robustas.

National level price influences
he price at national level is naturally heavily determined by global
developments, e.g. the harvest of Brasil. However, local events are also
important.

T

Generally, the coffee trade in Vietnam seems unbalanced with high shares of theexport values going to farmers (on average the farmagte price for coffee in Vietnam
was 96% of the export value in 2003 [8]!). Reasons are numerous, the most importantare:
1. Exporters in 2003 received 2% export subsidy on the value increase of exports
compared to the previous year;
2. An abundance of local traders that take large risks by betting that prices will
increase further after having bought coffee, especially during periods of highprices. This is illustrated by traders who in 2006 in Huong Hoa are buying
cherries that have dropped during harvest and are picked up weeks or evenmonths later and sold at relatively high prices.
3. For some traders/companies low profit margins on coffee are acceptable toearn foreign exchange. This foreign exchange is than used to import goods(for example motorbikes from Thailand) that can be sold at such profits thatthe losses or low margins on the coffee operations can be easily off-set.

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Regional level
he local coffee price is determined by:T The availability of coffee, i.e. the harvest level:

In a year with less coffee harvested for whatever reason such as coffee leaf rustoutbreak, the local price is likely to increase as the three companies will be outbidding
each other to get the largest possible share of the harvest. This in order to reach their“bonus” quota.
 Exporting and trading position of each of the three companies:

The trading position of each of the companies reflects the price they can afford to pay
to farmers. When a company has good export contacts abroad, the price it receives forits’ product can be higher than a company without these contacts.
 Price discussions between the three companies:

Of course, when the amount of coffee is limiting and companies start bidding against
each other, as happened in Huong Hoa in 2002 and again in 2005 when the price paid
to farmers was actually higher than the calculated world market price for cherries, thecompanies might strike an agreement to maintain a set price and refrain fromincreasing this.
Why is itinteresting forfarmers to sell tomore than one
exporter in the
area?

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Chapter

Certificates
As seen in the previouschapter coffee prices are highly volatile and are next to
impossible to influence from thefield level. Farmers do havesome price increasing
options though. Quality and efficiency has been discussed already. Another option
is certification of coffee, such as the Utz-Kapehcertificate. This chapter discusses
such topics.
Development of coffee certificatess early as the 1960’s several organisations, including Oxfam, started to buy
and sell coffee under terms with producers that would now be referred to as
fair-trade. The fair-trade organisation is a common name for a group oforganisations that share a common purpose. They buy products fromproducers in developing countries at guaranteed minimum prices. These prices areoften much higher than real market prices. However, not everybody can deliver to afair-trade organisation. Only those groups of producers that have a certificate areallowed to sell.

A

During the late 90’s when coffee prices crashed (Figure 197) Non-GovernmentalOrganisations (NGOs) held many media campaigns to make coffee consumers awareof the difficult situation that many coffee farmers faced as a result of these low prices.
In these campaigns the big roasting companies such as SaraLee-Douwe Egberts andKraft were blamed for causing this difficult situation. The NGO’s said that the big
companies paid too low prices to coffee farmers. This resulted in a growing consumer
demand for sustainable coffee, that is a coffee produced without social, environmental
and economical problems as occurred, and continue to occur, during the coffee crisis.
Needless to say coffee prices play a pivotal role in this, without a decent income said
problems will not be solved.
From the example of fair-trade numerous other organisations emerged during thisperiod with various objectives. Some organisations issue certificates that focus on168M A N U A L

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environmental standards, others mainly address social issues and again others have a
combination of these standards.
Major certificates
Utz-Kapeh

Using 5USct/lb
as premium for
Arabica, howmuch would thisbe in VND per kg
fresh cherry?

Utz-Kapeh started in 1997 in Guatamala, Middle-America, as
a collaboration between Guatemalan coffee farmers and
Ahold, a Dutch coffee retailing company with its own coffee
roaster. Utz-Kapeh has their own Code of Conduct
describing the practices to which producers and buyers of
Utz-Kapeh certified coffee should adhere. Improved coffee
prices for producers are not fixed in Utz-Kapeh, but buyers
and sellers who are both registered with the organisation
Figure 198: Utz-Kapehlogo (Source: Utz-Kapeh)
agree to allow a so-called sustainability differential on top of
the world market price. This means that the seller can request
a negotiable premium on its’ coffee when selling, this premium can be up to 7USct/lb
green bean.
Bird-friendly

The Bird-friendly coffee certificate is issued to Latin-American
farmers that grow organic coffee under shadow trees. The idea isthat this production system conserves the environment andprovides a good habitat for birds. Consumers of bird-friendly
coffee, mainly in the USA, pay higher prices for this coffee.
Fair Trade

Figure 199: Birdfriendly coffee logo
(Source: BFC)

Figure 200: Fairtradelogo (Source: FT)Fair Trade Certification is an alternative approach to the coffee market that puts moreof the profit in the hands of coffee farmers. Coffee companies that import and roast
Fair Trade coffee guarantee farmers a minimum "floor price" of $1.26 per pound. Thiscan be as much as a three- or even four-fold increase in what some farmers mightotherwise receive for their crop.
Rainforest Alliance169M A N U A L

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The mission of the Rainforest
Alliance is to protect ecosystems
and the people and wildlife that
depend on them by transforming
land-usepractices,business Figure 201: Rainforest
practices and consumer behavior. Alliance logo (Source: RA)
Through the certification program,the Rainforest Alliance seeks to reverse the intensive management systems required byindustrial coffee hybrids and encourage the sustainable production and harvesting ofbeans.
Industry’s response
fter much negative publicity from NGOs the industry had to react.
Consumers started complaining on a large scale and complaints are bad forbusiness. The industry responded in two ways:A

1. Participation sustainability initiatives such as Common Code for the Coffee
Community (hereafter referred to as 4C and Sustainable Agriculture Initiative(SAI)
2. Start up of coffee pilot projects in different coffee growing areas.
During this time the image of the roasting companies sufferedand consumers became more and more critical of their
behaviour. A famous picture that illustrates the feelings ofconsumers towards the roasting companies at that time camefrom Oxfam (Figure 202). The lady in the picture drinks coffee,
but feels a bitter taste when she thinks about the heavy plight ofproducers

Figure 202: The Oxfam
lady drinking her coffee(Source: Oxfam)

4C

4C is a multi-stakeholder approach
towards improving sustainability ofcoffee. It was initiated by Deutsche
Kaffee Verband (DKV) and GTZ (Figure 203: Some roasting companies participating
in 4C

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Figure 204).

Figure 204: DKV logo

Multi-stakeholder means that numerous companies (Figure 203) and organisations are
participating in the design and implementation of this code. Producing countries are
represented by their coffee boards or associations (Figure 205). And also the NGOs
who raised consumer awareness and forced the industry to act are participating (Figure206). The initiative is expected to lead to a widely accepted understanding andacceptance of sustainable coffee.

Figure 205: Organisations of producing countries

Figure 206: NGOs

Furthermore, the initiative has some extraordinary members who are mainly there tocontribute specific expertise. As a groupthey form the 4C. Most of theorganisations present in 4C are also
working in SAI.

Figure 207: 4C logo
(Source 4c)

Together these organisations try to
determine what sustainable coffee isand what is not. This is importantbecause as we saw before, the consumer
is willing to pay a better price for a

Figure 208: SAI
logo (Source SAI)

sustainable product.
Sustainability according to 4C & SAI

Although all coffee certificates talk about sustainability, interpretations of definitions
and scopes differ greatly. On a farm level it makes sense to regard sustainability as: “thecapacity of a coffee farming family to grow coffee without endangering future use of
the garden and resulting in the financial profitability”
For this to become reality 4C aims to expand the definition of coffee quality to include
sustainability of the production and processing method. Normally the price for acoffee is determined by amongst others the quality of the product in terms of taste andsmell. With 4C coffee additional money should be paid to producers who adhere to
the code and produce a sustainable product.

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4C and SAI are very ambitious initiatives in that they aim at the mainstream coffee
market. Mainstream roughly means all coffee that is presently not in any othercertification scheme. This accounts for around 95% of all the coffee produced andinvolves 20-25 million (!) producers.
Future of 4C and SAI

At the time of writing 4C and SAI are still in the development phase. The initialdesigning of sustainability criteria (which say what is sustainable and not) are now being
tested in the field in numerous pilot projects around the world (Figure 209 and Table
38). With the findings of the pilot projects the 4C Code will be fine-tuned and thisshould result in greater adaptability.

China
Mexico Honduras
GuatemalaNicaragua

Ethiopia
UgandaEl Salvador
Peru

Thailand

VietnamPhilippines

Indonesia

Figure 209: SAI Pilot projects worldwide
Table 38: SAI pilot project descriptions

Country/Region – Project name
China - Development of high quality Arabica green coffee in the Yunnan Province of China; Nestlé
El Salvador -Promotion of the sustainable production of Arabica green coffee in El Salvador; Neumann
Kaffee Gruppe (NKG)
Ethiopia – Improving the sustainability of mainstream & forest Arabica green coffee production in theOromia and Bonga region of Ethiopia; Kraft (soon to come)
Guatemala - twin projects:

 Improving the social and environmental sustainability of already economically viable coffee
production in ‘Aldea Ojercaibal’, Chimaltenango, Guatemala; Nestlé and VOLCAFE

 Improving the economical, social and environmental sustainability of the coffee farmers from172

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C U L T I V A T I O NCountry/Region – Project name
Cooperativa ‘Nuestro Futuro’ in Huehuetenanago, Guatemala; Nestlé and VOLCAFE

Honduras - Improving the sustainability of Arabica green coffee production in San Juan, Honduras;
TchiboIndonesia – Support to local production of quality Robusta green coffee in Indonesia; Nestlé
Latin America – Certification under Rainforest Alliance scheme and promotion of sustainable
mainstream Arabica green coffee in Latin America; Kraft (soon to come)
Mexico - Support to Robusta green coffee farmers located in the Tezonapa region of Mexico; Nestlé
Nicaragua - Supply-chain collaboration for the implementation of SAI Platform principles and guidelines
in the Bosawas Biosphere Reserve, Nicaragua; Nestlé and ECOM
Peru – Improvement of the sustainability of Arabica green coffee cultivation and processing in Ubiriki
Valley, Peru; Sara Lee DE
Philippines - Development of high quality and high-yielding Robusta green coffee in the Philippines;
Nestlé
Thailand - Development of high quality Robusta green coffee in the south of Thailand; Nestlé
Uganda - Increasing the income-generating capacity of shade-grown Robusta green coffee farmers in
Luwero, Uganda; Sara Lee DE (soon to come)Vietnam – Promotion of sustainable robusta production in Dak Lak; Nestle
Vietnam - Improvement of the sustainability of Arabica coffee cultivation and processing in Huong Hoa,
Vietnam; Sara Lee DE and Kraft

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Chapter

After export
After all the effort that the farmer has invested the coffee bean still has a long way
to go beforeit is beingconsumed.This chapter will highlight a typical roasting
operations from the moment of export in the country of origin.

N

early all coffee produced in Quang Tri, and Vietnam for that matter, is being
exported. Most of the Vietnamese coffee goes to Europe and the UnitedStates. Germany is typically the largest buyer. Over the last 4 years Vietnam
produced an average of 13 million bags of green coffee, with each bag
weighing 60kg. Figure 210 shows to which countries this coffee was exported in 2002.
The largest buyers were Germany, the USA, Spain and Italy.

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C U L T I V A T I O NCanada Others
10%
1%
Malaysia

Germany
16%

1%
Romania China
1%
2%
Hungary2%
Australia
2%
Netherlands
3%

USA
13%

Philippines
3%
UK
4%
Korea
4%

Spain
8%

Japan
4%
France
5%

Italy
8%

Poland7%

Belgium
7%

Figure 210: Vietnam exports 2002 by country

In companies like TaLaCo, which processes and exports, the standard procedure isthat during the harvest the company contacts potential buyers, mainly in Europe.
When TaLaCo contacts potential buyers they have a fairly good idea of how muchgreen bean of what quality they will have at the end of the harvest.
If the buyer is interested negotiations over the price can start. The price is determinedby the quantity and quality of the coffee, the present world market price and therelative demand for the type of coffee being offered. Because prices on the world
market changes every day, the date at which the price for a particular shipment ofcoffee is set is quite important. Of course the exporter would like to set the price on a
day when the world market price is high and the importer would like to set the priceon a day when the price is low. Because nobody can exactly predict how the price willdevelop, this is always a bit a betting game.
When the price is set, an export contract is signed by both parties. The export contract
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1. the amount of coffee being sold;2. the grade of the coffee (the grade is an indication of the quality and lists a.o.
the amount of defects allowed);
3. the maximum amount of foreign matter allowed (that means leaves, sticks andstones, usually 2-3%);
4. the maximum moisture content of the coffee, usually 11-12%; and5. the expected date of shipment.
Although the coffee has been sold now, it is still in the country of origin and the buyer
has never actually seen the coffee! Two ways are available to the buyer to prevent
discrepancies between the quality of the shipped coffee and the quality described in theexport contract:
1. the buyer can request an independent assessment of the quality by a speciallycertified organization. In Vietnam this is usually done by Cafecontrol from Ho
Chi Minh City (they actually check 80% of all Vietnamese coffee every year!);and
2. the export contract has a clause that the buyer is allowed to refuse the coffee if
the quality is different from what has been specified in the export contract.
The coffee is then sent back to the country of origin and the exporter has topay for the additional costs. This however, is a final measure that is hardly everused.
When the exporter has organized the
local papers (e.g. taxes, customs
declaration, etc) the coffee can betransport from the processing plant or
warehouse to the port. Exporters from
Quang Tri usually use the port of Da
Nang. Here the coffee is loaded on acontainer ship to start its journey to thecountry of the buyer (Figure 211).
In the destination country, the coffee istransported by rail or road to the coffee
roasting factory.
Figure 211: Loading of containers

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At the harbor in the
country of arrival
the containers withcoffeeareunloaded.
Transport from theharbor to theroasting plant canbe either by train orby truck (Figure
212).
Whenever possible
the roasters prefertransport by train.

Figure 212: Train loaded with containers

Quality control
pon arrival a quality check will be done. This check typically includes
cupping. With cupping the taste and smell characteristics of the shipment are
determined.

U

The cupping is a very important
step. Apart from checking thequality of the shipment thecupping results are also used todecide how the coffee can be used
(Figure 213).
Every roaster has a limited numberof packaged coffee products(Figure 214). Usually, the coffee inthese packages is a mix fromseveral different origins.

Figure 213: Cupping

Figure 214: Some of SLDE’s products

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C U L T I V A T I O NConsumers who buy these products naturally expect the coffee of a certain roaster totaste the same every time they drink it. However, suppose that we will have a very dry
year in Huong Phung. The coffee will taste differently from Huong Phung coffee thatwas grown in a very wet year! Quality checking by cupping therefore does not only try
to identify whether the quality meets the expectations based on previously sent
samples, but also determines how much of which coffee can be used to create a certain
blend.
Roasting
fter cupping of a received shipment, and determining how the coffee can beused and in which blend, the coffee is stored in massive silos. Completely
computerized systems then allow the operator to release a certain percentage
of a certain coffee into a roasting machine. All these batches together makeup the blend of a certain coffee product as we saw in the previous section.

A

Figure 215: Arrival of green coffee
in the factory

Figure 216: Control of the roasting and blending process iscomputerized178

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Figure 217: Roasted coffee

Figure 219: Packaging of roasted beans

Figure 218: Checking the darknessof the roast; remember, consumers
want a stable taste and quality!

Figure 220: Storage of packaged coffee

Figure 221: Coffee shop (Source: SLDE)179M A N U A L

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Quality perceptions of different countries
f course taste patterns of people in countries are different. A good quality
coffee for a Vietnamese consumer, with a nice buttery and slightly salty taste
is a quality nightmare for say the Spanish consumer. Again, the taste of the
Spanish, who like to drink Robusta coffee, is entirely different from what
constitutes good quality in Northern Europe. Different quality perceptions arereflected by the types of coffee imported by countries (Figure 222) and the way
different countries roast their coffee (Figure 223).

O
100%

8%

14%

90%
80%

9%

56%

41%

19%

70%
60%

2%

35%
18%

50%
40%
27%
30%

56%

27%

49%

20%
24%

10%

15%
1%

0%
Spain

Robusta

Germany

Unwashed Arabicas

United States

American Milds

NorwayAfrican & Asian Milds

Figure 222: Coffee imports of Robusta and Arabicas by main consuming countries 2001

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C U L T I V A T I O NLight roast, mainly Arabica
Medium roast, blend of Arabica and Robusta
Dark roast, mainly Robusta
Very dark roast, Robusta
Soluble coffee
No data available

Figure 223: Roasting styles of European countries

Consumption
raditionally, coffee is mostly consumed in the western world. These countries
still account for the largest share of coffee imports. Growth of coffee
consumption is fairly limited with at a rate of 1- 2% annually. Globally, mostpeople drink roast and ground coffee. Around 23% of global consumption issoluble coffee, but in Vietnam, soluble coffee (like the Vincafe 3 in 1) accounts for
90% of the market (Jan von Enden, personal communication).

T

Over one and a half billion cups are drunk every day! Coffee comes in a wide variety of
tastes (as we saw earlier) and methods of preparation (Table 39).

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C U L T I V A T I O NTable 39: Different styles of coffee preparation

BrazilVietnam

Northern Europe

Figure 224: Coffee filtering
device from Brazil

Figure 225: Coffee filtering
device from Vietnam

Figure 226: European style, theSenseoBrazilian style coffee isprepared by heating waterwith added sugar over a
medium fire. Just before
boiling the fire is stopped
and ground coffee stirred
in. The coffee is now
poured over a paper orcloth filter positioned on
top of the contraption in
Figure 224 with the coffee
pot positioned underneath

For Vietnamese coffee,
add around 20g of darkly
roasted Robusta in thefiltering cup and compress
the coffee. Position thefilering device over yourcup and fill up the filter
with hot water. Cover thefiltering device and wait
for the water to percolate.
This coffee is typicallyconsumed with condensed
milk

In Europe many people
are using the Senseo
machine or Nespresso.
Both Senseo, make one
cup of coffee at a time andaim to deliver the taste
you’ll commonly find inrestaurants and bars in
Europe. The speed andconvenience of both
systems, cleaning is notnecessary, contributed tothe success.

Figure 228:Turkish coffee,
step2, add ground coffee

Figure 229, step 3 heating thebrewTurkeyFigure 227: Turkish coffee, step
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Turkish coffee is very
sweet. The logical fisrt
step is to add two
teaspoons of sugar. Now
the ibrik is filled with water
up to the start of the neck.

C U L T I V A T I O N

Add two large teaspoonsof coffee, making sure not
to stir the brew, the coffee
should float on the water.
Now the coffee is heatedover fire, ina very slow
manner, making sure it
doesn’t boil.

The coffee will start tofoam, continue heating
until the foam nearly
overflows the ibrik. Stir it,
the foam will disappear
and repeat the heating andstirring 2 more times.
Empty the ibrik in yourcup and drink!

Figure 231: idem

Figure 232: idem

Coffee as an art

Figure 230: Barista at work!
(Source: www.latteart.org)

The amount of satisfaction many people derive from their coffee has turned thebrewing and decorating of coffee into an art in its own right. People who practice thisart are called Barista (which means bartender in Italian). They typically take great
pride in nice decorations (Figure 230, Figure 231 & Figure 232).
Annually, there are even Barista world championships!

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A N N E X I A S S U M P T I O N S
S U S T E N A N C E

O N

F E R T I L I S E R

A P P L I C A T I O N

F O REquation for calculating nutrients needed for sustenance fetilisation

Nutapplied = (NutCherries + NutSustenance – NutRecycled*EffNutRecycled NutShadow) / EffApplication
Assumptions:
1. NutCherries: as described
2. NutSustenance : one can assume that in mature crops there is a linear relation
between NutCherries and NutSustenance (for leaves and wood), therefore
NutSustenance = alpha*NutCherries; assumptions: alpha = 0.5
3. NutRecycled: in mature crops and proper pruning, a large part of the existing
vegetative material will be returned (because of pruning and leaf-fall); assuming
a steady state in mature crops (i.e. no real growth of vegetative biomass), thismeans that NutRecycled = NutSustenance.
4. EffNutRecycled: The efficiency of recycling, i.e. the fraction of a recycled
nutrient that becomes available for uptake by the crop, will depend on the
nutrient. In the absence of erosion, for P it may be assumed that fraction
recycling is near 100% (because of very limited leaching, and notransformation into gaseous forms) but for N it will be lower (leaching +gaseous), and for K it will be in between (only leaching). Assumptions:
EffNRecycled = 0.8-0.9; EffPRecycled = 1 and EffKRecycled = 0.9
5. NutShadow: the effective (net) contribution of shadow trees, i.e. what they
returned to the field minus the nutrients they took up; this implies that it isalmost zero (or slightly negative) for P and K and potentially positive for N (inthe case of shadow trees; let’s assume 25 kg N per ha per year).
6. EffApplication: this is not the ‘standard’ agronomic efficiency, but theefficiency of incorporating the nutrient in the system; for P this could be near
1, for N it will depend on the number of applications (between 0.7-0.9 sincecoffee is a perennial crop with a better developed root system than annual
crops that may have between 0.5-0.7efficiency for N) and for K it will be
about 0.8-0.9This leads to the resulting equation of
Nutapplied =EffApplication(NutCherries*(1+alpha*(1-EffNutRecycled))-NutShadow)

Filling in the assumptions (in the absence of shadow trees):
NApplied = NCherries *(1+0.5*(1-0.87))/0.8 = 1.1/0.8 = 1.375 * NCherries

184/

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S U S T E N A N C E

C U L T I V A T I O NO NF E R T I L I S E R

A P P L I C A T I O N

PApplied = PCherries * (1+0.5*(1-1))/1 = 1* PCherries
KApplied = KCherries * (1+0.5*(1-0.9))/0.85 = 1.235*KCherries

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C L T I V A T I O N

B E N E F I T

C A L C U L A T I O N

Year 2
Data in this table is based on farmers’ and local coffee experts’ estimates
LabourUnit

Cost/unit Subtotal
Amount (VND)(VND)

Weeding

Days

150

20,0003,000,000

Pruning
Pest and disease
Fertilising
Other
Harvesting
Subtotal
Materials
N (Urea)
P (P2O5)
K (K2O)
Lime
ManurePesticides
Subtotal
Total

Days
Days
Days
Days
Days

20
5
30
20
50

20,00020,00020,00020,00020,000400,000
100,000
600,000
400,000
1,000,000
5,500,000

Kg
Kg
Kg

240
429
230

5,000
1,400
3,800

1,200,000
600,000
875,000

Balanceestimate

100,000
2,775,000
8,275,000

Yield

Unit

Price/unit
Amount (VND)
Subtotal

Coffeecherry

kg

1,500

1,900

2,850,000

2,850,000-5,425,000M A N U A L
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B E N E F I T

C A L C U L A T I O N S

Year 3
Data in this table is based on farmers and local coffee experts’ estimates
LabourUnit

Cost/unit
Amount (VND)

Subtotal(VND)

Weeding

Days

150

20,0003,000,000

Pruning
Pest and disease
Fertilising
OthersHarvesting
Subtotal
Materials
N (Urea)
P (P2O5)
K (K2O)
Lime
ManurePesticides
Subtotal
Total

Days
Days
Days
Days
Days

50
5
40
20
130

20,00020,00020,00020,00020,0001,000,000
100,000
800,000
400,000
2,600,000
7,900,000

Kg
Kg
Kg
Kg
Kg

360
600
329

5,000
1,400
3,800

1,800,000
840,000
1,250,000

25,000100

2,500,000
100,000
6,490,000
14,390,00
0Balance

Yield

Unit

AmountPrice/unit(VND)
Subtotal

Coffeecherry

kg

5,000

1,900

9,500,000

9,500,000-4,890,000

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B E N E F I T

C A L C U L A T I O N S

Year 4
Data in this table is based on Fieldbook results from fields of a similar age. Fertiliser applications have been adjusted to recommendations fromthis manual.
Cost/unit
Amount (VND)

Subtotal(VND)

Labour

Unit

Yield

WeedingDays

128

Pruning
Pest and disease
Fertilising
OthersHarvesting
Subtotal
Materials
N (Urea)
P (P2O5)
K (K2O)
Lime
ManurePesticides
Subtotal
Total

Days
Days
Days
Days
Days

53
8
30
20
161
399

20,000 2,551,364 Coffee
cherry20,000 1,060,163
20,000162,183
20,000600,000
20,000400,000
20,000 3,213,917
7,987,627

Kg
Kg
Kg
Kg
Kg

174
43
166

5,000
1,400
3,800

Unit
kg

Amount8,000

Price/unit(VND)
Subtotal
1,900

15,200,000

869,565
60,412628,966
150,000
1,708,943
9,696,56

Balance

15,200,000
5,503,431

188

M A N U A L
A N N E X

I I

F O R

A R A B I C AC O S TC U L T I V A T I O N

B E N E F I T

C A L C U L A T I O N S

Year 5
Data in this table is based on Fieldbook results from fields of a similar age. Fertiliser applications have been adjusted to recommendations fromthis manual.
LabourUnit

WeedingDays

Pruning
Pest and disease
Fertilising
OthersHarvesting
Subtotal
Materials
N (Urea)
P (P2O5)
K (K2O)
Lime
ManurePesticides
Subtotal
Total

Cost/unit
Amount (VND)

Days
Days
Days
Days
Days

89
28
3
39
20
333
512

Kg
Kg
Kg
Kg
Kg

349
87
332
5,000
25,000Subtotal
(VND)

Yield

Coffee20,000 1,770,095 cherry
20,000562,624
20,00063,53320,000780,000
20,000400,000
20,000 6,663,461
10,239,71
5,000 1,743,776
1,400
121,1473,800 1,261,291
50
250,000
100 2,500,000
100,000
5,976,214
16,215,92

BalanceUnit

AmountPrice/unit(VND)
Subtotalkg
16,0431,900

30,481,203

30,481,203
14,265,276

189

M A N U A L
A N N E X

I I

F O R

A R A B I C AC O S TC U L T I V A T I O N

B E N E F I T

C A L C U L A T I O N S

Year 6
Data in this table is based on Fieldbook results from fields of a similar age. Fertiliser applications have been adjusted to recommendations fromthis manual.
LabourUnit

WeedingDays

Pruning
Pest and disease
Fertilising
OthersHarvesting
Subtotal
Materials
N (Urea)
P (P2O5)
K (K2O)
Lime
ManurePesticides
Subtotal
Total

Days
Days
Days
Days
Days
Kg
Kg
Kg
Kg
Kg

Cost/unit
Amount (VND)

Subtotal
(VND)

Yield

Unit

78
64
3
27
20
213
405

20,00020,00020,00020,00020,00020,000Coffee kg
1,554,555 cherry
1,272,727
68,829548,527400,000
4,260,198
8,104,836

304
76
290

5,000
1,400
3,800

1,521,739
105,721
1,100,690
100,000
2,828,150
10,932,986

BalanceAmount14,000Price/unit(VND)
Subtotal
1,900

26,600,000

26,600,000
15,667,014

190

M A N U A L
A N N E X

I I

F O R

A R A B I C AC O S TC U L T I V A T I O N

B E N E F I T

C A L C U L A T I O N S

Year 7
Data in this table is based on Fieldbook results from fields of a similar age. Fertiliser applications have been adjusted to recommendations fromthis manual.
LabourUnit

WeedingDays

Pruning
Pest and disease
Fertilising
OthersHarvesting
Subtotal
Materials
N (Urea)
P (P2O5)
K (K2O)
Lime
ManurePesticides
Subtotal
Total

Days
Days
Days
Days
Days
Kg
Kg
Kg
Kg
Kg

Cost/unit
Amount (VND)

Subtotal
(VND)

Yield

Unit

72
140
4
47
20
322
606

20,00020,00020,00020,00020,00020,000Coffee kg
1,447,732 cherry
2,796,499
77,848948,055
400,000
6,446,730
12,116,865

359
89
342

5,000
1,400
3,800

1,795,609
124,748
1,298,782

25,000100

2,500,000
100,000
5,819,139
17,936,004

BalanceAmount16,520Price/unit(VND)
Subtotal
1,900

31,387,240

31,387,240
13,451,236

191

M A N U A L
A N N E X

I I

F O R

A R A B I C AC O S TC U L T I V A T I O N

B E N E F I T

C A L C U L A T I O N S

Year 8
Data in this table is based on Fieldbook results from fields of a similar age. Fertiliser applications have been adjusted to recommendations fromthis manual.
LabourUnit

WeedingDays

Pruning
Pest and disease
Fertilising
OthersHarvesting
Subtotal
Materials
N (Urea)
P (P2O5)
K (K2O)
Lime
ManurePesticides
Subtotal
Total

Days
Days
Days
Days
Days
Kg
Kg
Kg
Kg
Kg

Cost/unit
Amount (VND)

Subtotal
(VND)

Yield

Unit

44
91
7
26
20
446
635

20,00020,00020,00020,00020,00020,000Coffee kg
880,801 cherry
1,827,123
146,103
517,557
400,000
8,924,792
12,696,375

488
121
464

5,000
1,400
3,800

2,439,115
169,455
1,764,237

25,000100

2,500,000
100,000
6,972,806
19,669,181

BalanceAmount22,440Price/unit(VND)
Subtotal
1,900

42,635,723

42,635,723
22,966,541

192

M A N U A L
A N N E X

I I

F O R

A R A B I C AC O S TC U L T I V A T I O N

B E N E F I T

C A L C U L A T I O N S

Year 9
Data in this table is based on Fieldbook results from fields of a similar age. Fertiliser applications have been adjusted to recommendations fromthis manual.
LabourUnit

WeedingDays

Pruning
Pest and disease
Fertilising
OthersHarvesting
Subtotal
Materials
N (Urea)
P (P2O5)
K (K2O)
Lime
ManurePesticides
Subtotal
Total

Days
Days
Days
Days
Days
Kg
Kg
Kg
Kg
Kg

Cost/unit
Amount (VND)

Subtotal
(VND)

Yield

Unit

51
116
2
19
20
223
430

20,00020,00020,00020,00020,00020,000Coffee kg
1,018,136 cherry
2,325,362
31,213382,838
400,000
4,450,736
8,608,285

199
49
190

5,000
1,400
3,800

997,471
69,298721,481

25,000100

2,500,000
100,000
4,388,251
12,996,536

BalanceAmount9,177

Price/unit(VND)
Subtotal
1,900

17,435,797

17,435,797
4,439,261

193

M A N U A L
A N N E X

I I

F O R

A R A B I C AC O S TC U L T I V A T I O N

B E N E F I T

C A L C U L A T I O N S

Year 10
Data in this table is based on field observations in Huong Hoa and extrapolation of past Fieldbook results. Fertiliser applications have beenadjusted to recommendations from this manual.
LabourUnit

WeedingDays

Pruning
Pest and disease
Fertilising
OthersHarvesting
Subtotal
Materials
N (Urea)
P (P2O5)
K (K2O)
Lime
ManurePesticides
Subtotal
Total

Days
Days
Days
Days
Days
Kg
Kg
Kg
Kg
Kg

Cost/unit
Amount (VND)

Subtotal
(VND)

Yield

Unit

78
64
3
37
20
213
415

20,00020,00020,00020,00020,00020,000Coffee kg
1,554,555 cherry
1,272,727
68,829740,000
400,000
4,260,198
8,296,309

391
97
372

5,000
1,400
3,800

1,956,522
135,927
1,415,172

25,000100

2,500,000
100,000
6,107,621
14,403,930

Amount18,000

Balance

Price/unit(VND)
Subtotal
1,900

34,200,000

34,200,000
19,796,070

After 10 years, valuing all labour at 20,000VND/day, the net benefit amounts to 71,967,249VND.

194

IndexA

Primary
Secondary
Tertiary, 8
Brown eye spot
symptoms, 108
Brown eye spot disease, 107
Prevention and treatment, 108
Brown Scale, 111
Symptoms, 111
Bud
Terminal, 20
buds, 89

Acacia auliculiformis, 51
Acacia auriculiformis, 52
Acacia confusa, 52
Acid soils, 37
Active ingredient, 117
Acute Toxicity, 122
A-frame, 46
Aluminum, 36
Aluminum toxicity, 40
Ammonium, 35
animal traction, 41

C

B

C/N ratio, 38
Cajanus cajan, 63
Calcium, 36
Carcinogenicity, 123
Catimor, 126
Coffee Leaf Rust, 106
Cation Exchange Capacity, 37
Organic matter
Clay
Sand, 37
Caturra, 126
Centrosema pubescens, 62
Cercospora coffeicola, 107
Certification
Bird friendly, 165
Common Code for the Coffee
Community (4C), 166
Fair Trade, 165
history of, 164
Rain Forest Alliance, 165

Barista, 179
Bark, 14
Basalt, 27
Benefits, 142
Biological activity, 60
Bird Friendly coffee, 165
Black Spot Diease
PRevention and treatment, 111
Black Spot Disease, 110
Economic impact, 111
Symptoms, 110
blends, 4
Bourbon, 126
BranchLateral, 88
sucker, 89
Orthotropic
Plagiotropic

195

Utz Kapeh, 165
CherryDevelopment, 10
Drop, 9Pinhead, 10
Silverskin
Parchment, 11
Chloride, 36
Cholinesterase inhibitor, 123
clay, 29
Clay loam, 30
clean weeding, 59
ClimateCoffee Leaf Rust, development of,104
nutrient uptake, 126
Co Stylo, 61
Coccus viridis, 112
Coffea Arabica, 3Coffea canephora, 3
Coffea exelsa, 3CoffeeBlending, 174
Consumption, 159, 177
crisis, 164
Price, 160
Producing countries, 157
Roasting, 174transport, 172
Coffee crisis
roasters' response to, 166
Coffee Leaf Rust, 103
Development, 104
Prevention and treatment, 106
Resistance, 16
Sporulation, 104
Symptoms, 103
Coffee Mealy Bug, 112biological control, 113
Prevention and treatment, 113
Symptoms, 112
Coffee preparation
Brazil, 178
Senseo, 178
Turkey, 179
Vietnam, 178
Coffee price
Bogota group, 161

drought, influence of, 162
fluctuations, 161
frost, influence of, 162
local price agreements, 163
negotiations, 171
Coffee Stem Borer, 114
Prevention and treatment, 116
Red, 114
Symptoms, 115
White, 115
Coffee tree
multiple stem. See
single stem, 87
Common Code for the Coffee
Community, 166
CompostBenefits of, 73
Composting
acids, 83coffee pulp, 82
heap structure, 84
heap turning, 86
limitations of, 82
pathogens, 83
Consumption
Global, 3
patterns, 159
contours, 45
Cost
Labour, 141
Maintenance, 140
Material and equipment, 141
Planting, 140
Soil preparation, 140
cover crop, 48
Cover crop, 60
Species, 60
Crop records, 133biophysical analysis, 134
Economic analysis, 136
types of analysis, 134
Cupping
Acidity
Body, 4

D
196

Flemingia spec., 62
Floaters, 11
Flowers
Starflowers
Sterile, 10
Stigmata
Loculus, 9
FOB price, 162
Foreign exchange, 162
full-sun, 53
fungicides, 116
Fungicides
Coffee Leaf Rust, 107
Futures markets, 161

Dai loan tuong tu, 52
Dau Dua, 62
Dau Ma, 61
Dau Sang, 63
Dau Son Tay, 62
Decomposition, 38
Developmental or reproductive
toxin, 123
dieback, 55
Dieback, 108
Prevention and treatment, 109
Symptoms, 109
DiseaseBlack spot, 110
Brown eye spot, 107
Coffee Leaf Rust, 12, 103
Dieback, 15, 108

GE

Genotype, 16Germination, 19
Global production
distribution of, 158
Grafting, 23
Cleft, 25
Species, 24
Sucker, 25
Tools
Procedure, 24Granite, 27
Green Scale, 112
prevention and treatment, 112
Growing conditions
AltitudeTemperature
RainfallSoil pH, 7
Growth, 13
Nutrients
Hormones, 13

Endocrine disruptor, 123
erosion, 45
Erosion, 38, 60
evapotranspiration, 53
Evapotranspiration, 26
Experimental fields, 134
Export contracts, 172

F

Fair trade, 164, 165
Farmer's research, 145
Ferrasols, 40
Fertiliser
Absorbtion, 36
Application methods, 79
timing of applications, 78
Urea, 35, 36
fertiliser application, 65
Economics, 72
Frequency, 37
guidelines for, 74
nutrient concentration, 70
respons to, 65
single nutrient fertilizers, 73
Fieldbook, 133

H

Harvesting, 125
dried cherries, 129
economics of, 129
green cherries, 128
over-ripe cherries, 128

197

ripe cherries, 128
selectively, 127
strip picking, 127
under-ripe cherries, 128
Heavy clay, 31
herbicides, 116
History
ArabiaYemen
Java
TurkeyMartinique, 2Ethiopia
Kaldi, 1
honey dew, 111
Humidity, 55
Hydrogen, 35

Thickness, 11
Stomata, 12
LeavesBracteoles, 19
Deformation, 69
discolouration, 66
Leaf drop, 66
Necrosis, 67
pale, 67
Photosynthesis, 67
Leucena leucocephala, 52
Liberica, 4Light clay, 30
lime, 44
Liming, 38, 40
Application, 41
Materials, 40
Neutralising effect, 40
litter fall, 53
Loam, 30
Loamy sand, 30

I

M

Infiltration, 60
insecticides, 116
Intercropping, 59
Annuals, 64
Pepper, 64
International Coffee Agreements,
161
Investment calculation, 139
Iron, 36

Magnesium, 35
Management
improvement of, 133
manure, 44
Mealy bugs
natural enemies, 113
Moisture stress, 10
Muc trung bo, 52

KLN

Keo bong vang, 52
Keo dau, 52

Nitrate, 36
Nitrogen, 71
nitrogen fixing, 56
NurseryBags, 19
Density, 26
Drainage, 19
Dying off, 20
Fertiliser, 19
Shading
Soil

Lablab purpureus, 61
Land allocation, 5Land preparation, 42
Mechnical
Manual, 43Leaching, 27
Leaf
Colour198

Sowing, 18
Watering, 20
nutrientbalance, 65, 76
Recycling, 53
uptake, 80
nutrient competition, 59
nutrient losses, 77
nutrient removal, 74, 75
Nutrient requirements, 73
nutrients
Micro, 28, 69
Pimary, 28, 66
Secondary, 28, 68
Nutrients
An-organic, 70
functions of, 66
influence on cup quality, 127
MineralNon-mineral, 28
Organic, 70

Personal protection, 121
Preventive, 116
Storage, 121
systemic effect, 121
Utz Kapeh, 123
Pests
Aphids, 14
Brown Scale, 111
Coffee Mealy Bug, 112
Coffee Stem Borer, 114
Green Scale, 112
Phloem, 14
Phosphate, 36
Phosphorus, 71
Planococcus lilacinus, 112
Plant, 10, 13, 53, 111
Planting, 47
Fertiliser, 48
Time of, 21
Planting density, 42, 88
planting hole, 44
plough, 41
Pollination
Cross-pollination
Self-pollination, 9
Potassium, 35, 71
Primary branches, 89
Producing countries
Volume, 3
Production
Arabica, share of, 157
Robusta, share of, 157
Propagation, 15
By seed, 16
Cutting, 26
Selection of cherries, 17
Timing, 22
Vegetative, 23
Pruning
objectives of, 87
Pruning requirements
first year, 90
second year, 91
third and following years, 92

O

Observation, 152
Organic fetilisers
Benefits of, 73
Organic matter, 32
Functions of, 38
Nutrients, 38
over-fertilization, 72

P

PAN bad actor, 122
Peaberries, 11Pest and diseasetypes, 102
Pesticide
Active ingredient, 117
Personal safety, 120
Spraying equipment, 119
Trade name, 117
Pesticides, 116
Curative, 116labelling, 117

199

Q

Shadow
Effects of, 53
Labour needs, 55
Permanent, 56
Temporary, 55
Yield
Quality, 53
Shadow trees, 52
planting after stumping, 101
Pruning, 58
Spacing, 56
silt, 29
Silt loam, 30
Sodium, 35
Soil
Acid
Alkaline, 38Compaction, 60
Functions of, 27
Identification, 29, 31
organic matter, 82
Parent material, 34
Particles, 29
pH, 27
Requirements, 27
Texture, 29
Soil aggregation, 60
soil coverage, 59
Soil elements
Cations
Anions, 35
Positive
Negative, 34
soil moisture, 50
Soil pH
Increase, 39
Legumes
Parent material
RainfalFerttilisation, 39
Soil preparation, 43
Spraying
droplet size, 119
Spraying equipment, 119
Stem
Collar, 23
Stumping, 99
inter-cropping after, 100

quality, 125
QualityCafe Control, 172
Cupping, 173
perceptions by country, 176

R

Rainforest Alliance, 165
Research
Analysis, 153
cycle, 145
Design, 149
Evaluation, 155
hypothesis, 148
rhizobia, 63
Ripeness, 128
Robusta, 4
Root
Development, 13
Inspection, 19
Tap
CoaxialLateral, 12root development, 48
Root system
pruning, 100

S

SAI
Pilot projects, 168
Sand, 29
Sassetia coffea, 111
Science, 145
Secondary branches, 89
Seedling, 18
Diseases, 49
Selection, 18
Seedlings
Protection of, 47

200

phases, 99
wind damage, 100
stumping cycle, 43
Stylosanthes gracillis, 61
Sulfate, 36
Supply and demand, 160
Sustainable Agriculture Initiative,
167
sustenance fertilisation, 74
Sustenance fertilization, 77

export subsidy, 162
exports, 171
Production, 5Tuyen Quang
Lang Son
Ninh Binh
Nghe AnHa TinhQuang Tri, 5

T

W

U
V

X
Y

Water, 29
water logging, 42
weed pressure, 59
Weeding, 43, 49
WindbreakSpacing, 50
Structure, 52
Windbreak species, 51
Windbreaks, 50
Wrightia annamensis, 52

Taproot
DoubleStraight, 19
tax, 3
tertiary branches, 89
topsoil, 44
Toxicity, 121

Utz Kapeh, 165

Xylem, 14
Xylotrechus quadripes, 114

Varieties
CatimorHybrido de Timor
Caturra, 4
Catuai, 7
Varietyquality, 125
Vetiver, 63
Vetiver grass, 45
Vietnam
Areas by province, 6
Dak Lak, 5yield estimation, 74
yield levels
nutrient applications, 74Z

Zeuzera coffeae, 115

201

Answers to questions
Q – page 11:
During which stage of cherry development do you think is the nutrition requirement of the tree
greatest?
A - page 11:
During cherry filling the trees uses most nutrients, this influences timing of fertiliser applications
Q - page 12:
Given the fact that Robusta can grow at lower altitudes than Arabica, what would be the difference
in stomata density between the two?
A - page 12:
Robusta reportedly has fewer stomata, therefore loses less moisture and can grow in hotter climatesQ – page 13:
When you are planting, how can you prevent the development of crooked taproots in mature trees?
A - page 13:
By making sure the soil at the bottom of the plantin hole has been loosened. This helps the taproot
to penetrate the soil and grow straight down.:
Q - page 14:
During which commonly found disease does blocking of stomata occur?
A - page 14:
The fungus Coffee Leaf Rust uses stomata to enter the leaf and feed on it
Q - page 15:
Why would the tree give preference to filling cherries rather than maintaining leaves when water or
nutrients are in short supply?
A - page 15:
Cherries take preference over leaf maintenance when the tree is under stress, because cherries allow
the tree to survive via a new generation.
Q - page 18:
How could you avoid the deviation from the genetic base of the mother plant when propagating?
A - page 18:
By not using sexual propagation, but vegetative propagation202

Q - page18:
Do the leaves at the tip of the shoots also give you an indication of the trueness of the Catimor
variety?
A - page 18:
Yes they do. Real catimor has brownish top leaves
Q - page 20:
Why is it recommended to use topsoil and not soil from deeper down?
A - page 20:
Because the topsoil contains more organic matter and is therefore more fertile.
Q - page 24:
How can you identify seedlings that have received too much nitrogen?
A - page 24:
Seedlings that have received too much nitrogen usually have elongated stems and heavy leaf growth
Q - page 24:
Which nutrient related disease is often observed in nurseries?
A - page 24:
Brown eye spot can be observed in nurseries. This relates to mainly nitrigen deficiency, but can also
be caused by a lack of shade
Q -page 25:
Based on the conditions in Huong Hoa, which combination of species and varieties would besuitable for grafting?
A - page 25:
One could consider a Liberica rootstock with Catimor graft. The Liberica has a large and drought
resistant rootsystem, while the Catimor is Coffee Leaf Rust resistant and gives large yields.
Q - page 26:
What is the advantage of grafting over propagation by seed from a disease resistancy point of view?
A - page 26:
The advantage is that vegetative propagation ensures an identical genetic make up of the new tree.
Favourable chracteristics such as Coffee Leaf Rust resistance are genetically determined. Using seedon the other hand may result in deviations from the original genotype and result in reduced
resistance against disease203

Q - page 29:
Apart from fertilizer and compost application what other mechanisms contribute nutrients to thesoil?
A page 29:
Other sources of nutrients are litterfall from coffee, shade and windbreak trees, natural deposition
through rainfall (Nitrogen mostly), decomposition of organic matter in the topsoil, decomposition ofold roots and run-off from higher areas
Q - page 29:
Primary nutrients are used in large quanities, what does this imply for foliar fertilizer application?
A - page 29:
This means that spraying foliar fertiliser to remedy nitrogen shortage will most likely not be very
effective. For micro nutrients folair fertiliser can be used.
Q - page 30:
Give the importance of pore size for tree development, which would be better: mechanical or
manual land preparation?
A - page 30:
Mechanical land preparation uses often heavy machinery. Especially in wet conditions this may leadto compaction of the soil and smaller pores. This makes it more difficult for the young roots topenetrate the soil. Therefore manual land preparation should have preference.
Q - page 36:
Looking at the surrounding landscape what seems a likely origin of the basaltic parent material in
Khe Sanh?
A - page 36:
The origin of the parent material is volcanic. When entering Khe Sanh, just before the customs
station one can see old volcanic rocks on the right hand side of the road.
Q - page 397:
Which particle will bond more strongly with the clay particle Mg2+ or K+? 38
A - apge 37:
Mg2+ will bond stronger with clay, because it's electrical charge is twice that of K+
Q - page 38:
Can you think of more reasons than the one mentioned why it’s better to give several small fertilizer
applications rather than one or two large ones?

204

A - page 38
Trees use fairly small amounts of nutrients, applying a large dose at one time does not mean the tree
will use all that is available. Contrary, nutrients will be lost because the tree can only take up so much.
Splitting fertiliser applications in smaller volumes reduces this problem
Q - page 39:
How much composted coffee pulp in dry matter would be needed to apply 150 kg of N (assuming a
5% N content)?
A - page 39:
150/5% = 3000 kg
Q - page 40:
Why does pH generally decrease with soil depth?
A - page 40:
This is because soil organic matter is fairly acid. Deeper down in the soil there is less organic matter
available
Q - page 43:
How to determine the slope of a field?
A - page 43
By looking perpendicular along the slope keep your left hand level and let the fingers of this handtouch the lower palm of your right hand. Now raise the fingers of your right hand until they line up
with the slope. Have somebody else measure the angle between your hands. This will give you arough indication of the slope.
Q - page 45
Why is it important to use top soil in the planting mix?
A - page 45:
The topsoil contains more organic matter than the lower layers and is generally more fertile.
Q - page 46
Assuming a bulk density of 900 kg/m3 for the soil in Figure 71 to what depth is the soil eroded if thetotal amount lost is 30Mt/ha?
A - page 46
30,000 Mt/ha / 10,000 m2 = 3kg/m2
3kg/m2 / 900 kg/m3 = 0.0033m

205

Q - page 48
Why is it important to loosen the soil in the planting hole sufficiently deep?
A - page 48
Loosening the soil allows the root to penetrate it more easily and leads to better establishment of thetree.
Q - page 49
How does covering the soil prevent excessive moisture loss?
A - page 49
By reducing the amount of sun shine that falls on the soil covering the soil reduces soil temperatureand thereby evaporation.
Q - page 53
Why would one prefer deep rooting windbreak trees?
A - page 53
Deep rooting trees will utilise more of the soil depth than coffee trees. As coffee mostly depends onthe first 0.5m of soil this will reduce competition for water and nutrients between windbreak andcoffee.
Q - page 54
Apart from reducing evapotranspiration, what other effects can shade have on moisture?
A - page 54
Too much shade leads to higher humidity in the coffee field and this in turn may aggrevate Coffee
Leaf Rust occurance.
Q - page 56
How can you in the design of your coffee field limit the potential amount of competition for waterand nutrients between shade and coffee trees?
A - page 56
By selecting species that do not consume too much water and have deep roots. Deep rooting trees
get water and nutrients from deeper down in the soil than coffee. This reduces competition.
Q - page 57
What is still needed in Figure 90 to optimize conditions for the newly planted coffee trees?
A - page 57

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Despite the temporary shade the soil in Figure 90 recieves a lot of sun. A cover crop or mulch layer
will reduce intercept light and reduce evaporation. This makes more moisture available for the coffee
trees.
Q - page 60
If cover cropping is not an option in a newly established field, how could weed control be practiced
without resorting to clean weeding?
A - page 60
Several options are available. One is to use mulching to suppress weeds. Another is to cut the grass
and weed only around the base of the tree.
Q - page 67
Why do leafs discolour under N deficiency?
A - page 67
The leaves need nitrogen to make chlorophyll. Chlorophyll gives leaves the green color, hence a lackof nitrogen results in discolouration of leaves.
Q - page 68
During which stage of its live are phosphorus applications most important?
A - page 68
Phosphorus is used mostly for root development. Therefore it is important to have sufficientphosphorus during establishment of the field. Also after stumping more phophorus may be neededas the imbalance between canopy and root system that results from stumping means that a lot ofroots die. This is because the little green matter that is left can not sustain the entire root system.
Q - page 70
How likely do you think Fe deficiencies are on the red soils in Khe Sanh?
A - page 70
The red color indicates high Fe content of the soil, deficiencies of Fe are therefore not very likely,
although it depends on how easily the tree can uptake the Fe.
Q - page 71
How do energy prices influence the price of fertilizers?
A - page 71
Especially the production of nitrogen fertiliser requries a lot of energy. Hence higher energy prices
result in higher prices for nitrogen fertiliser.

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Q - page 74
Why is maintaining an adequate CEC level so important, and how can this be done?
A - page 74
The CEC refers to the capacity of the soil to deliver cations, what we call nutrients for the trees.
Increasing CEC can be done by ensuring sufficient organic matter in the top soil.
Q - page 75
If you decide to use NPK in the first 2 years after planting, what would be a suitable composition?
A - page 75
During the first 2 years the rootsystem is being established. For this the tree needs phosphorus. A
suitable NPK compund therefore should have a relatively high phosphorus content.
Q - page 76
How to select trees randomly?
A - page 76
Many ways are available. An easy one is to walk diagonally through the field and select say every fifth
tree than you pass.
Q - page 83
What is the difference between compost and organic material?
A - page 83
Organic material refers to any material of organic origin, whereas compost is organic material thathas been broken down by soil organisms. Nutrients in the latter are moer easily obtainable by thetrees.
Q - page 84
What kind of damage could the organic acids from raw pulp do to the roots of the tree?
A - page 84
Organic acids in sufficient quantities can lower the soil pH. This in turn makes it harder for the tree
to take up nutrients.
Q - page 90
When pruning, which type of branches would you favour over others?
A - page 90
Important is to maintain sufficient fruit-bearing wood.
Q - page 91

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Why is it advisable to use pruing sissors?
A - page 91
Pruning sissors leave a very smooth and clean wound. The tree will heal the wound quicker
compared to rough wounds that you get from ripping branches of by hand. Cleaner wounds thereby
reduce the chance of disease infection.
Q - page 92
What is the best time of the year to prune?
A - page 92
After the harvest and the second time is one month after flowering.
Q - page 100
Why would one remove the branches on the eastern side of the tree and not on the western side?
A - page 100
By removing the branches on the eastern side of the tree first, maximum utilisation can be made ofsunlight in the morning hours. This results in quick generation of suckers. Of course the decision
depends to a large extent on individual field layout.
Q - page 104
How could the selection of taproots during propagation and planting influence future pest anddisease problems?
A - page 104
A well developed root system is crucial for healthy trees and healthy strong are less easily affected bypest and disease.
Q - page 105
Why is it important to wash clothes that have been worn in a field infected with Coffee Leaf Rust
before using them again?
A - page 105
These clothes may contain Coffee Leaf Rust spores. Wearing them without washing first may spreadthe spores to other fields.
Q - page 107
What does the leafrust infection in Huong Phung in 2002 tell you about propagation practices?
A - page 107

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Original Catimor os Coffee Leaf Rust resistant, but unbriddled sexual propagation has resulted in a
degeneration of the genotype. This means that present Catimor is not pure Catimor anymore. This is
one of the reasons fields in Huong Phung were so heavily affected.
Q - page 109
How does drought affect die-back?
A - page 109
Drought makes it hard for the tree to take up nutrients. When drought and dieback occur at the sametime the effects on the tree will be worse still.
Q - page 110
How can heavy crops such as pictured in Figure 146 be prevented?
A - page
A possible way is to selectively remove flowers by hand when the flowering is heavy. Alternatively,
the use of shade can be practiced to reduce the occurance of heavy flowering.
Q -page 117
Why does application of pesticides have limited effect on stem borers?
A - page 117
The stemborer larvea are inside the tree and well-protected from pesticide applications. The best way
to control them is to cut out infected parts and burn them immediately.
Q - page 122
How many people do you know that have had negative health effects from applying pesticides?
A - page 122
Of course this is personal and the answers will vary among people. A fact is that present birth defects
in Vietnam resulting from agent orange are an extreme example of herbicide application affecting
health.
Q - page 123
Which parts of the body take up pesticides most easily?
A - page 123
Firstly uptake is most easily throught the mouth and nose. Other important areas are those where theskin is relatively thin. The parts are the inside of elbows, crotch, thighs and the area between theshoulders.
Q - page 127

210

What has been the main consideration for promoting Catimor in Vietnam?
A - page
Important considerations were Coffee Leaf Rust resistance and high yields.
Q - page 136
What would be an optimal fertilizer application timing based on what you have just read?
A - page 136
Q - page 152
Why is replication so important to achieve reliable test results?
A - page 152
If you do only one single test without replications the outcomes can be influenced by a peculiarity of
the field in which the test was done. By replicating the chance o such mistakes is reduced.
Q - page 153
Would you expect bias in an experiment on fertilisers, or plant spacing?
A- page 153
Although nitrogen and pottasium are mobile in the soil, this mobility is usually vertical or downhill.
Bias may be possible because of this, but the effects are likely to be too small to notice. With a plantspacing experiment no bias will occur.
Q - page 159
Why did the share of the Asia-Pacific region increase so strong?
A - page 159
Reasons are two-fold. When Vietnam increased production in the 90-ties several African Robusta
producers saw sharp decreases in production. This resulted in a larger global share for the AsiaPacific region.
Q - page 164
Why is it interesting for farmers to sell to more than one exporter in the area?
A - page 164
Competition among exporters to buy cherries from farmers can drive up the price farmers receive. In
Vietnam the share of export price earned by farmers is one of the highest in the world.
Q- page 166
Using 5USct/lb as premium for Arabica, how much would this be in VND per kg fresh cherry?
A - page 166

211

1 lb = 0.45 kg
1 USD = 15,000 VND
1/0.45 = 2.22lb = 1 kg --> 2.22*0.05=0.10 USD/kg premium
0.10*1000=100 USD/Mt green bean
Conversion from green bean to fresh cherry is 6.5
Premium equals 100 USD per 1000*6.5=6,500 Mt fresh cherry.
Premium for 1 Mt fresh cherry 100/6.5 = 15.38 USD or 230,000VND

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1 www.ineedcoffee.com, accessed on 12-7-05
2 Rene Coste 1991, Coffee The plant and the product3 Muschler, R.G. ; Shade improves coffee quality in a sub-optimal coffee-zone of Ccsta Rica
4 CAB International, Global Crop Protection Compendium
5 http://dev.ico.org/projects/pstem.htm, accessed 21-2-06
6 CAB International, Global Crop Compendium
7 H. Lempke, 2000, Extension Manual
8 Worldbank 2004

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