TY - JOUR

T1 - Alternative plant protection strategies for tomorrow's coffee

AU - Koutouleas, Athina

AU - Collinge, David B.

AU - Ræbild, Anders

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Authors. Plant Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Society for Plant Pathology.

PY - 2023

Y1 - 2023

N2 - Continuous pesticide usage has negative impacts on people and ecosystems associated with coffee farms. Alternative plant protection strategies can be implemented that are sustainable for both the environment and the coffee farmer. In this review, new genomic techniques (NGTs) such as RNAi (RNA interference, using spray-induced gene silencing – SIGS) are presented as a possible novel strategy to manage Coffea arabica pests and diseases. Exploitation of the coffee agroforestry system (AFS) is presented as another strategy, offering both plant protection and ecosystem restoration functions. Interactions within a coffee-AFS were found to both hinder and bolster the development of some coffee pests and diseases. Biological control represents a third strategy that has been examined to-date to combat important coffee pests and diseases (i.e., American leaf spot, black coffee twig borer, coffee berry borer, coffee berry disease, coffee leaf miner, coffee leaf rust, coffee wilt disease and green coffee scale). The astute use of RNAi, AFS and/or biological control have the potential to provide alternatives to conventional pesticides for future sustainable coffee production. However, these approaches must be compatible with the coffee farmers' local needs and accessibility and bolstered through nationwide support by advisory services and coffee authorities.

AB - Continuous pesticide usage has negative impacts on people and ecosystems associated with coffee farms. Alternative plant protection strategies can be implemented that are sustainable for both the environment and the coffee farmer. In this review, new genomic techniques (NGTs) such as RNAi (RNA interference, using spray-induced gene silencing – SIGS) are presented as a possible novel strategy to manage Coffea arabica pests and diseases. Exploitation of the coffee agroforestry system (AFS) is presented as another strategy, offering both plant protection and ecosystem restoration functions. Interactions within a coffee-AFS were found to both hinder and bolster the development of some coffee pests and diseases. Biological control represents a third strategy that has been examined to-date to combat important coffee pests and diseases (i.e., American leaf spot, black coffee twig borer, coffee berry borer, coffee berry disease, coffee leaf miner, coffee leaf rust, coffee wilt disease and green coffee scale). The astute use of RNAi, AFS and/or biological control have the potential to provide alternatives to conventional pesticides for future sustainable coffee production. However, these approaches must be compatible with the coffee farmers' local needs and accessibility and bolstered through nationwide support by advisory services and coffee authorities.

KW - agroforestry

KW - biological control

KW - Coffea arabica

KW - pesticides

KW - RNAi

KW - smallholder farmer

U2 - 10.1111/ppa.13676

DO - 10.1111/ppa.13676

M3 - Review

AN - SCOPUS:85132129147

VL - 72

SP - 409

EP - 429

JO - Plant Pathology

JF - Plant Pathology

SN - 0032-0862

IS - 3

ER -