GentlemanDino

About 150 years ago, coffee cultivation in Sri Lanka came to an end – a rust fungus was to blame. At that time, coffee was the national drink of the British. And the then British crown colony of Ceylon – today’s Sri Lanka – was one of the most important coffee exporters. Then a fungus appeared that caused a devastating leaf disease: the coffee rust Hemileia vastatrix. But the tea plants flourished all the more splendidly. The coffee farmers switched to tea. The English did the same and became enthusiastic tea drinkers.

The most widely consumed coffee in the world is Coffea arabica. However, its low genetic diversity has its downsides. Meanwhile, remedies have long been available to combat the destructive coffee rust, so that coffee is always available as a morning awakener. However, coffee growers have to be prepared for new diseases and constantly adapt their cultivation methods to protect their harvests.