2. • 1503 - introduced by Arabs
• 1658 – Dutch started cultivations
• 1830 – 1912 English established commercial
cultivations
• SL became top exporter of coffee
– Export volume 50,000 t
In 1867
• Coffee rust caused by Hemileia vastatrix destroyed
coffee plantations
• Tea, rubber
• Imported 600 t of coffee per year
3. World leading coffee producers
1. Brazil
2. Vietnam
3. Colombia
4. Indonesia
5. Ethiopia
5. Coffea arabica
• Origin – Ethiopea
• Suitable to cultivate in areas above 800 m amsl
• Prefers cool climate
• Medium size trees
• Leaves – small, shine green colour
• Recovery rate – 5:1 (green coffee to dried coffee)
• Good odour and taste
• Good for export
6. Cultivars of Coffea arabica
Cultivar Remarks
HDT Large berries, resistant to coffee rust
Yield > 2000kg of processed coffee/ha
S 09 Medium berries, Yield > 2000kg of
processed coffee/ha
Catimur
(hybrid)
Recommended for WZ and IZ, highly
resistant to coffee rust, round large berries
but comparatively poor odour and taste,
Yield > 2500kg of processed coffee/ha
Lak Parakum Good for higher altitudes, MC or IC with
tea, resistant to coffee rust, Oval shape
large berries, high quality, yield 3000
kg/ha
7. Cultivars of Coffea arabica
Cultivar Remarks
Lak Saviru Medium berries, Yield > 3000kg /ha, high
quality
Lak Komali Recommended for higher altitudes to IC
with tea, prefers shade, resistant to coffee
rust, large berries, yield 3000 kg/ha
8. Robusta Coffee – Coffea canephora
• Origin – Africa
• Suitable to cultivate in areas 0 to 800 m amsl
• Recommended for WZ and IZ
• Has good adaptability to varying climate
• Large trees with large leaves
• Recovery rate – 4.5 to 5:1 (green coffee to dried
coffee)
• Quality is comparatively lower to Arabica coffee
• Good for instant coffee
• Resistance to many pests and diseases
• Not tolerant to drought
9. Cultivars of Coffea canephora
Cultivar Remarks
IMY Popular cultivar, higher adaptability to
range of climates
Yield > 2000kg of processed coffee/ha
S 274 Similar to IMY, gives higher yield, higher
adaptability, berries appear as clusters of
30-50.
GCR Recommended to IZ, large, wrinkled
leaves, long berries appear as clusters of
30-40.
CCI Recommended to IZ and for IC with
coconut, medium round berries, yield 1500
kg/ha
10. Cultivars of Coffea canephora
Cultivar Remarks
Lanka
Chandra
High quality, medium size round shape
beans, mature at one time, one lateral
bears 9-12 berry clusters, yield 2000kg/ha
Lanka
Bimsara
Small berries, beans also small, berries
appear in 40-50 clusters
Lanka Isuru Yield 2500 kg/ha
11. Liberica Coffee – Coffea liberica
• Tree, leaves and berries are larger compared to
other two species.
• Higher adaptability
• High cost for harvesting and processing
• Berries tightly attached to the tree
• Processed coffee quite bitter in taste
• High demand in Malaysia and Middle East
12. Soil and climatic requirement
Soil
• Requires well drained soils, rich in humus
• Latasolic soil
• pH 5 to 6.5
Temperature and rainfall Arabica Robusta
Average annual temperature 18-24 oC 27-29 oC
Average annual rainfall (mm) 1500-2750 > 1750
Wind: high wind is not favoured, wind barriers should be
established
13. Factors affecting flowering
• Temperature
• RH
• Short day periods
• Monsoonal rain – in SL flowering twice or
more/year
• For fruit set and development – need to have
uniform soil moisture until 12 WAF
– Soil moisture conservation measures
– Mulching
– Irrigation
14. Areas
Species Areas/Districts
Arabica Coffee NuwaraEliya, Kandy, Matale,
Badulla
In WZ and IZ - areas above
800 m altitude
Robusta Coffee Kegalle, Kurunegala, Kandy,
Matale
In WZ and IZ – 0- 800 m
15. Propagation:
• Can be propagated by
– Seeds – easy and profitable
– Cuttings
– Budding and grafting
• DEA certified seedlings available at
– DEA Nurseries
– Registered private nurseries
16. Propagation by seeds
Well matured
seeds from healthy
mother plants
Spacing
2.5 cm x 0.5 cm
Nursery beds – raised
beds 20-25 cm
Medium – fine
sand:compost:topsoil
(1:1:1)
Mixing with
sawdust and drying
under shade for 6
days
Removal
of seed
coat
Mulching with
straw
5 cm
Regular
watering
Provide shade
After about 45
days can transfer
into polybags
17. • Polythene bags
– Gauge 150, black
– Size 12.5 x 20cm with some pores
• Potting mixture
– top soil: sand: compost: coirdust (1:1:1:1)
• Seedlings when fully expanded cotyledons
• Fertilization
– Foliar spray of cowdung at two weeks interval
– Foliar spray of urea at two weeks interval
20. Field planting
Spacing
• Arabica - 1.8 x 1.8 m
– density - 3000 plants/ha
• Robusta 2.5 x 2.5 m
– density - 1600 plants/ha
Size of a planting hole
Loamy soils - 45 x 45 x 45 cm
Hard textured soils - 60 x 60 x 60 cm
21. Filling
• 25 kg compost and 100 g rock phosphate mix
with top soil
• Transplanting with the onset of rains
– Cutting planting holes – March-April
• Mulching and shading is important
22. Crop management
Weeding
• At the first few years – 4 times/year
• Surrounding the young plant – remove weeds totally
• Between rows – slashing
• Cultivating cover crops
– Tephrosia purperea - kathurupila
– Crotalaria juncea - sunhemp
– Sesbania grandiflora
– Calapagonium mucunoides
– Stylosanthes fruticosa
Loppings
can apply
as a mulch
around the
tree
23. Earthening up:
• To cover the surface roots
Shade management:
Shade trees:
• Gliricidia, Albizia, Dadap (Erabadu)
• Timber value trees like Jack, Mahogany also good
• Planting of shade trees should start 6-12 months before
planting coffee
25. Time of Application Robusta Coffee Arabica Coffee
Yala and Maha Yala and Maha
Before After Before After
First year (g/plant) 63 63 50 50
2nd year (g/plant) 250 -- 150 --
3rd year onwards
(g/plant)
350 -- 200 --
Mulching with green manure (loppings of the cover
crops/shade trees – 10 kg/plant/year
26. Tree training
• Single stem method
• Double stem method – Good for Robusta
coffee
• Multiple stem method
• Maintain maximum tree height – 2m
27. Pruning
Objectives of pruning
• To maximize number of bearing branches
• To shapeup the tree for better light
interception
• To remove dead, diseased and over matured
wood
• To minimise P and D incidence
• To facilitate easy harvesting and reduce labour
during harvesting
• To avoid biannual bearing
28. Pest and Diseases
Nursery pests:
Nematodes (Pratylenchus spp)
• Live nearby the root system
• Affected plants show
– Leaf chlorosis
– Poor growth
Snail and lizards
31. Coffee berry borer: Hypothenemus hampei
• Female beetle enter the berry by making a
hole and lay eggs
Control:
• Manage shade
• Remove left over berries after harvesting
• Remove all fallen berries/field sanitation
• Apply recommended insecticide 4 months
after fruit-set
• Select varieties which mature uniformly
32.
33.
34. Harvesting
• Berries should be harvested in repeated
rounds
Harvest Indices
• Red ripe berries
Harvest method
• By manually
35. Processing
• Two methods
– Dried method
– Wet method
Dried method
Drying to a
moisture content
of 16%
Obtain the coffee beans by
using mortar and pestle or
“Coffee huller”
Coffee bean after
removal of seed
coat “Clean
coffee”
36. Wet method
Removal of exocarp, mesocarp and
endocarp of the harvested berries
before 10h since harvesting by using a
pulping machine
Washing until removal of
gelatin like layer
Allow for fermentation by
covering with a polythene sheet
for 24-48 h
Drying under sunlight
or mechanical dryer
Storage in
polypropylene
sacks
Milling by coffee huller to
remove the seed coat “clean
coffee”
37. Grading of coffee – as per the SLS
Parameter
(% maximum)
Grade I Grade II Grade III
Moisture content 16.0 16.0 16.0
Foreign matter 1 2 2
Fungal infections 1.5 4 6
Brokens 10 25 40
