TY - JOUR

T1 - The coffee leaf rust pandemic

T2 - An ever-present danger to coffee production

AU - Koutouleas, Athina

AU - Collinge, David B.

AU - Boa, Eric

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2023 British Society for Plant Pathology.

PY - 2024

Y1 - 2024

N2 - Coffee leaf rust (CLR) is caused by the biotrophic pathogenic fungus Hemileia vastatrix. Despite being the most researched coffee disease, mysteries still exist relating to its epidemiology and biology. The objective of this work is to highlight past and present events concerning this prominent coffee disease. We start with an historical overview of the homeland of Coffea arabica, the Afromontane forest of south-west Ethiopia, and then follow its journey across the globe linked to colonial trade and power struggles. We report the relevance of CLR to coffee production today, with a focus on the Americas and summarize unproven hypotheses in relation to the cause of recent epidemics. We present an original hypothesis concerning the first major outbreak occurring in 1869 in Ceylon (Sri Lanka), based on geopolitical connections to global trade. We review old and new options for management of the disease. The likelihood of a yet undetected alternate host of H. vastatrix is also considered as an additional piece of the epidemiological puzzle. Finally, we reflect on the interactions between H. vastatrix and a changing climate. By better understanding past events, linked to CLR, we may be better prepared for future outbreaks.

AB - Coffee leaf rust (CLR) is caused by the biotrophic pathogenic fungus Hemileia vastatrix. Despite being the most researched coffee disease, mysteries still exist relating to its epidemiology and biology. The objective of this work is to highlight past and present events concerning this prominent coffee disease. We start with an historical overview of the homeland of Coffea arabica, the Afromontane forest of south-west Ethiopia, and then follow its journey across the globe linked to colonial trade and power struggles. We report the relevance of CLR to coffee production today, with a focus on the Americas and summarize unproven hypotheses in relation to the cause of recent epidemics. We present an original hypothesis concerning the first major outbreak occurring in 1869 in Ceylon (Sri Lanka), based on geopolitical connections to global trade. We review old and new options for management of the disease. The likelihood of a yet undetected alternate host of H. vastatrix is also considered as an additional piece of the epidemiological puzzle. Finally, we reflect on the interactions between H. vastatrix and a changing climate. By better understanding past events, linked to CLR, we may be better prepared for future outbreaks.

KW - agroforestry

KW - biological control

KW - Coffea arabica

KW - Coffea canephora

KW - Coffea robusta

KW - Hemileia vastatrix

U2 - 10.1111/ppa.13846

DO - 10.1111/ppa.13846

M3 - Review

AN - SCOPUS:85179728256

VL - 73

SP - 522

EP - 534

JO - Plant Pathology

JF - Plant Pathology

SN - 0032-0862

IS - 3

ER -