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The Impact of Climate Change on Coffeeby Dr. Anand Titus and Geeta N. Pereira Page 1 | Page 2 Climate change is not something new to coffee. It has already hit the coffee farmers hard in a dramatic manner. It is happening right now, in front of our very own eyes. A combination of factors like extreme heat and cold, unseasonal rains, severe droughts and floods, prolonged high daytime temperatures and sudden drop in night time temperature has significantly affected the ecology of plantation belts. Water resources, agriculture systems, cultural operations, plantation economics and loss of plant genetic resources has taken a severe toll, not only on coffee but also on the multiple crops grown inside ecofriendly coffee forests. Little do we realize that the very future of millions of coffee farmers is at stake?
At the outset it is important to understand that the growth and development of the coffee bush is complex and encompasses a variety of anatomical, morphological, physiological and biochemical processes. Events Like shoot and root growth, hard wood formation, flower initiation, pollination, fertilization, embryo development, and fruit ripening, each of these processes, is a culmination of a series of events, many of which are microscopic. All these processes in turn are governed by a particular set of environmental conditions. In fact plant physiologists are certain about the influence of environment on the phyto hormones and biochemical processes during growth and differentiation of the coffee bush.
Under ideal and stable environmental conditions the coffee bush is programmed to complete a set of processes like growth and differentiation. A certain degree of flexibility is allowed. However under a different set of environmental conditions (CLIMATE CHANGE) the life cycle may be shortened or lengthened. Combating climate change inside coffee forests is the main challenge facing the present generation of coffee farmers worldwide.
This article highlights the impact of climate change on coffee. Coffee is a woody perennial shrub and requires great care in order for farmers to pick consistent and high yields. In the early part of the century, the weather patterns inside coffee forests was predictable and most of the operations like fertilizing, composting, liming and sprinkler irrigation was carried out anticipating the rains. In most cases the farmers were right, even though they were not assisted by computer controlled satellite weather stations. The stable Weather patterns resulted in high yields and most importantly the farming community was a contended lot.
However for the past 10 -15 years the unpredictable global weather patterns has had a direct bearing on Indian coffee forests. It has reached such unmanageable proportions, that many farmers have moved away from plantations seeking refuge in urban areas. Especially, the mindset of the younger generation is in turmoil and utter chaos. The return on investment has seen a sharp decline, resulting in the abandonment of coffee farms. CELEBRATION TIME
Feb, 10th, 2008 was a red letter day for a majority of coffee farmers in Karnataka. The Districts of Coorg, Chikmagalur and Hassan where ecofriendly shade grown coffee is grown received unexpected early and heavy blossom showers followed by backing showers after a period of three weeks. This phenomenon of timely blossom showers and subsequent backing showers was not witnessed in more than 30 years. The showers at the right time and in a well spread manner gave hope to a record crop where more than 70 % of the Country’s coffee is grown in Karnataka. This ideal moisture regime was supposed to yield bumper crops and the expectation from the farming community was running high. However, a majority of the farmers overlooked the fact that on day 10 of the blossom opening, both Arabica and Robusta plantations received mild and constant rain right from the morning up to late afternoon. The dense pockets of mist during pollination also added to the misery of farmers.
Even though, the rains disrupted the 2007-08 harvest and triggered early flowering of the 2008-09 crop, farmers were happy that the coming year bumper crop would make up the losses of the previous year. DEATHLY SILENCE
Ten months later, the Arabica picking commences and farmers are in for a rude shock. Their expectations of the blossom estimates did not translate into yield. In well maintained plantations the yield was significantly reduced to 4 bags of parchment coffee (Each bag weighing 50 KG). At the present International price (New York terminal) the returns could not even cover half the cost of cultivation.
Since a vast Majority of the coffee farmers own both Arabica and Robusta in the ratio of 40:60, they were of the opinion that the Arabica yields were an aberration and that they would make up for the loss with a higher yield of Robusta. However, Robusta yields were also very low, hardly 3 bags of parchment per acre. Added to the low yields, most of the coffees had a significantly lower out turn because of the infestation of berry borer. Coffee farmers were a desperate lot, on one hand the yields per acre were below their actual cost of cultivation and on the other high berry borer infestation resulted in penalties at the curing works. REASONS ASSOCIATED WITH BERRY BORER INFESTATION
Due to the early rains, there was a considerable delay in harvesting of Robusta coffee and a major portion of the ripe berries dropped to the ground. The delay in harvest and the fact that gleanings could not be completed in time resulted in berry borer going out of control. In fact, the ideal conditions for the growth and reproduction of the berry borer resulted in its spread like wild fire from one region to the other. CLIMATE CHANGE-IMPLICATIONSPHYSIOLOGICAL, INTERNAL & EXTERNAL FACTORS
The coffee bush is a very sensitive plant and requires utmost care. The change from vegetative to reproductive growth marks a major change in the life cycle of the plant. The bush receives various internal and external stimuli that interact with the genetic information to cause changes in metabolic activity and structural organization. Physiological parameters such as plant growth, flowering, fruit set, fruit drop, fruit ripening, bean disorders, soil moisture stress, drought, and shade management play a crucial role in maintaining a healthy bush in both Arabia’s and Robusta’s.
Apart from physiological aspects, both internal ( genetic ) and external factors like, climate and edaphic factors like light, temperature, rainfall, humidity, soil nutrients, soil moisture, aeration and soil temperature play an important role in the productivity of the bush.
However, our observations point out that the most important point for the functioning of the coffee bush is the translocation of photosynthates to different parts, which leads to a healthy balance between vegetative and reproductive growth. HOW DOES A COFFEE BUSH BEHAVE UNDER NORMAL CIRCUMSTANCES?The Central Coffee Research Institute (CCRI), at Chikmagalur district has carried out pioneering work with respect to understanding the physiology of the coffee plant. Their findings suggest that under South west monsoon conditions, the pattern of shoot growth is typically of sigmoidal nature with a slow growth from March/April to July and a period of rapid growth from august to October. Vegetative growth slows down with the onset of the dry period from November and it will be minimum during December-February and once again growth is resumed in March after the receipt of blossom showers. BEHAVIOUR DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE
The advancement of the south west monsoon by almost 45 days (2008); lead to a chain reaction of disturbing events. The first to be affected was the internal clock of the coffee bush. It resulted in the imbalance of the biochemical constituents of the coffee bush. It also disturbed the diurnal temperature patterns. The production of growth regulators and promoters was off balance. The bush which was programmed to synthesize and transport chemicals and nutrients to both the vegetative and reproductive parts behaved erratically resulting in more of vegetative growth. The bush appears to be quite healthy but in reality is in an utter state of confusion.
The coffee research Institute clearly indicates that the quantum of wood that is produced both in terms of new flush and extension growth including the number of nodes and foliage formed, plays a vital role in crop production as it becomes bearing wood for the succeeding year. However, climate change resulted in fewer nodes, less amount of productive wood, reduced spikes, giving rise to poor yields. FLOWERING IN COFFEEOur research work for the past 2 decades clearly indicates a strong relationship between temperature and flowering. Furthermore, the presence or absence of appropriate temperatures during this critical stage determines the success or failure of flowering and fruiting. The importance of temperature and the promotion of reproductive development is a key factor in stabilizing coffee yields.
According to research carried out by the CCRI, flower bud initiation takes place from September onwards, under south Indian conditions. The factors responsible for floral initiation are short days (less hours of daylight), carbon nitrogen (C/N) ratio, intermediate temperature and hormonal balance. After elongation to certain length ( 7-8mm), there will be cessation of growth for a few weeks till the receipt of blossom showers. Then flower buds resume their growth faster, change color and open in about 8 to 10 days after the showers. Plants which are depleted of carbohydrates will also show floral abnormalities.
As a consequence of climate change our observations point out that from the month of September onwards coffee growing regions of South India witnessed short day periods with high daytime temperatures and sudden drop in temperatures during the night time. This resulted in abnormal floral initiation. The translocation of carbohydrates was also affected resulting in floral abnormalities. In simple terms, attainment of short day periods does not automatically lead to the initiation of flower primordia. Certain set of environmental conditions must follow. These same environmental conditions, if presented to coffee that is not ripe to flower, elicit no flowering response.
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