Groundbreaking Coffee Leaf Rust Study Offers Insights Into Resistance

A groundbreaking effort led by Oregon-based nonprofit World Coffee Research (WCR) just delivered the most extensive real-world evaluation to date of how arabica coffee varieties stand up to their most relentless natural foe: coffee leaf rust.

Published in Frontiers in Plant Science, the study analyzed the natural performance of 29 arabica coffee varieties across 23 field sites in 15 countries.

Researchers found that while no single variety is universally immune to coffee leaf rust (CLR), several varieties demonstrated more consistent resistance across different environments. Conversely, some varieties showed high levels of resistance in some environments, and low levels in others, suggesting both variety and location play key roles in resistance to the crop-killing disease.

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