CLIMATE CHANGE IN COFFEE TRACTS OF WESTERN GHATS OF INDIA

RUDRAGOUDA CHANAVEERAGOUDRA¹*, GEORGE FELIX D SOUZA², SOMASHEKHARGOUDA PATIL^3
1Department of Agronomy, Central Coffee Research Institute, C.R.S. Post, 577117, Chikmagaluru, Karnataka, India
²Department of Plant Physiology, Central Coffee Research Institute, C.R.S. Post, 577117, Chikmagaluru, Karnataka, India
³Department of Plant Physiology, Central Coffee Research Institute, C.R.S. Post, 577117, Chikmagaluru, Karnataka, India
* Corresponding Author : agronomistcrss@gmail.com

Received : 30-10-2017     Accepted : 16-11-2017     Published : 30-11-2017
Volume : 9     Issue : 52       Pages : 4893 - 4897
Int J Agr Sci 9.52 (2017):4893-4897

Keywords : Coffee plants, Climate change pattern, Gas exchange parameters, Mitigation strategies, Mono shade, Vegetative growth
Academic Editor : Dr Venkata Satish Kuchi, Akhilesh Singh, Dr Avtar Singh Bimbraw
Conflict of Interest : None declared
Acknowledgements/Funding : Authors are thankful to Division of Agronomy, Central Coffee Research Institute, Coffee Research Station Post, Chikmagaluru, 577117, Karnataka, India
Author Contribution : All author equally contributed

The coffee plant is a woody perennial dicotyledon of the genus Coffea (Rubiaceae) consisting of over 80 species, out of which only two species are important for production of coffee beans – Arabica (Coffea arabica) and Robusta (Coffea canephora). Coffee cultivation provides livelihood for nearly 1.5 million families. Coffee has proven to be highly sensitive to climate change. Temperature and rainfall are the conditions considered to be important in defining potential coffee yield under changing climate. The studies were under taken at Central Coffee Research Institute (CCRI), Coffee Research Station, Chikkamagaluru district, Karnataka, INDIA to assess the changes in weather pattern particularly on temperature and rainfall and its influence on coffee growth and development. To understand the change in climate and impact of weather parameters four decades of historical weather data were collected from meteorological observatory of the station and analysis were done by standard statistical procedure. Observations on photosynthetic parameters, berry development (Dry weight basis) and extension growth was recorded and assessed in marked plants at fortnightly intervals in arabica and robusta coffee cultivars at CCRI. Trendline analysis of weather parameters for four decades indicated increase in quantum of annual rainfall with change in distribution pattern, raise in both mean maximum and minimum temperature across coffee growing tracts of Western Ghats. The extreme climatic condition and mono shade affected the physiological processes like photosynthetic efficiency and carboxylation efficiency which lead to reduced instantaneous water use efficiency in coffee plants. Studies on coffee berry growth pattern indicated wide variations in growth pattern in robusta coffee indicating more vulnerability of robusta coffee for climate changes like excess deviation of rainfall. The observations confirmed that the peak period of vegetative growth in coffee is postponed by 15 to 20 days compared to earlier years due to changing monsoon rain fall pattern and rise in temperature. To mitigate this some of the strategies such as better water harvesting structures, improved and rationalized fertilizer use, adequate shade pattern with more diversification, improved soil conservation techniques, uses of plant growth regulators and nutrient sprays could be employed to get maximum crop production under present climate change scenarios.

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