Time for coffee and tea
Agronomy: coffee and tea
This section on coffee agronomy is split into two sections and deals with the various aspects of the (agronomy) cultivation of coffee and tea plants.
The first section gives an overview of coffee agronomy including the discovery of wild species, techniques used for surveying and analysing genetic diversity, species organisation and relationships, Genetic resources, and the evolution of coffea.
Next the cultivation and harvesting of both Arabica and Robusta coffee is dealt with. This includes information on the environmental requirements, nursery practices, planting, protecting and harvesting of these two species.
The principles and practice of coffee plant breeding for production and quality factors associated with Coffea arabica and canephora are presented. This includes a look at the geographical distribution of Coffea arabica, modes of reproduction, techniques for artificial self-pollination and crossing, genetic analysis and breeding methods. The affects of disease and pests are also discussed, as is the use of breeding for other characteristics such as low temperature, drought, caffeine content and seed oil content.