Sunday, December 30, 2012

Roya, the Coffee Fungus

The Roya fungus (Hemileia vastatrix) infects coffee leaves and the resulting leaf damage & discoloration gives it the common name of "coffee rust".  Roya hit El Salvador hard this season & it's estimated that half of the country's coffee plantations have been infected.  Climate change (wetter rainy seasons, dryer dry seasons) has exacerbated Roya across Central America.