In recent years, the Plantation Community is experimenting with new ideas and the prime reason for this transformation is the active interest of the younger generation who have dug in their heels head on into the Plantation. This indeed is a positive sign because it will enable the coffee sector to be vibrant with newfound […]
Termites as Environmental Bio-indicators inside Coffee Forests
We often look at India’s Coffee forests as a self-sustaining ecosystem closely interlinked with various biotic partners. A microscopic look reveals that all life, both above ground and underground, inside coffee forests is connected to the web of life. We make it a point to look at the larger picture and stimulate our imagination to […]
Striking Butterfly Wings of Color
Coffee forests with its varied landscape coupled with multiple fruit and flowering trees, makes it an ideal habitat for butterflies. The advantage of such an ecosystem is that it provides bountiful flowers throughout the year as a rich source of nectar for various pollinating agents, especially butterflies. It is for this very reason that one […]
Organic Matter Decomposition and Mushrooms
Coffee Forests in India are recognized world over as forests having the most diverse flora and fauna accommodating coffee and multiple crops. The significance of these forests, in terms of its symbiotic association with various biotic components is often overlooked. Our research and publication of papers for the last three decades enumerating the role of […]
Water Use Efficiency for Robusta Coffee
Coffee, being an evergreen bush, requires a high regime of soil moisture during the dry months. In India, coffee usually encounters four to five months of dry spell in a year. The Robusta variety of coffee is more susceptible to drought and needs irrigation to sustain itself compared to the Arabica’s. The rainfall inside the […]
Importance of Healthy Coffee Soils
The British pioneers cultivated coffee in the hilly tracts of the Western Ghats in forest soils, rich in organic matter and humus. Hence, coffee grew luxuriantly because of the nutrient rich soils and excellent shade pattern. More importantly, prior to 1989, expansion of Coffee Plantations into new areas and Agro climatic regions was restricted by […]