Costly fungicides and pesticides aren’t the only way to control pests and diseases on a farm. Left alone, nature has developed complex and effective ways of reducing damage by diseases. Such natural…
Found seventy-two results.
World Coffee Research publishes manual for coffee leaf rust
The Central American coffee leaf rust crisis that began in 2011-2012 exposed a dire lack of good information about best practices for controlling coffee leaf rust. There was no accessible and…
Coffee leaf rust resistant coffee variety overcome in Honduras
May 12, 2017. At a gathering of coffee technical experts from across Central America today, World Coffee Research confirmed that a coffee variety in Honduras, widely planted across the country…
Coffee Rust Is Going To Ruin Your Morning
In this article from The Atlantic, Maryn McKenna discusses the history and current challenges for farmers of the disease coffee leaf rust -- but it is also a story about larger changes impacting…
Prevention and Control of Coffee Leaf Rust
Prevención y control de la roya del café
When it comes to coffee leaf rust, is shade good or bad for coffee?
Researchers and students from CIRAD and CATIE, with funding from World Coffee Research, spent nearly a year taking exhaustive measurements of the movement of rust spores in a coffee agroforestry…
U.S. announces $6m for coffee leaf rust research
A new four-year, $6 million grant will support coordinated research to address the threat of coffee leaf rust for coffee farmers in Hawaii and Puerto Rico. Its impact, however, will extend far beyond…
Harnessing the power of natural enemies to fight coffee leaf rust
Dr. Robert Weingart Barreto is no stranger to Africa’s wild coffee forests. A professor at the Federal University of Viçosa (UFV) in Brazil, he is the lead researcher of a World Coffee Research…
Get to Know Dr. Cathie Aime, a Leading Researcher of Coffee Leaf Rust
One prominent academic figure helping the fight against coffee leaf rust is Dr. Cathie Aime, a mycologist at Purdue University, who broadly studies the systematics of rust fungi. She is one of the…
WCR Presents—Rust: A history
Join us for a deep dive into the history of coffee's most dastardly disease: Coffee leaf rust. Histories of coffee leaf rust often, rightly, focus on its the human and economic costs. Since the…
The correlation of shade and rust
Many existing approaches for controlling coffee leaf rust are one-sided: Use rust-resistant varieties, or spray with as much fungicide as you can afford. But it is increasingly evident that we need…
A Climate for Coffee
The September 2015 of National Geographic Magazine looks at the expected impacts of climate change on coffee through the lens of the 2012-2013 coffee leaf rust outbreak. The article cites David…
World Coffee Research announces Central American regional headquarters in El Salvador
At a national cup tasting event held today in El Salvador, World Coffee Research announced that it will establish a regional headquarters office in the country. El Salvador was hit especially hard by…
To fertilize, or to spray?: The link between nutrition and leaf rust
What is better for the coffee plant: to spray against rust, or to give the plant better nutrition to allow it to grow stronger and as a result fight rust?
Quiet heroes of coffee science gather in China to share latest research
At the biannual International Conference on Coffee Science, held this year in China's Yunnan province, the world's top coffee researchers gathered to share their recent findings. World Coffee…
New coffee variety scores 90 points in Nicaragua Cup of Excellence competition
A coffee variety called Centroamericano, part of a new class of F1 hybrid varieties, has proven its quality potential by earning a score of 90 out of 100 points in the world’s leading competition and…
Understanding Farmer's Relationship with New Plants
In 2017, World Coffee Research and our partner Anacafe distributed seedlings of the new F1 hybrid Centroamericano to 179 farmers in San Pedro Yepocapa, Guatemala, to help the smallholder farmers in…
Photo essay: Farmers’ F1 hybrids in Guatemala
Photographer Devon Barker was recently in San Pedro Yepocapa to visit the area’s smallholder coffee farmers and hear their thoughts on the new rust-resistant varieties provided to them by WCR.
WCR Advocacy Aims to Increase U.S. Government Support for Coffee
World Coffee Research has added advocacy activities in the U.S. to its global leadership portfolio this year. WCR’s advocacy aligns with the National Coffee Association’s (NCA) legislative agenda.…
U.S. coffee welcomes new bill to protect coffee supplies
WCR applauds the introduction of the Coffee Plant Health Initiative Amendments Act (CPHIAA, H.R. 965). The amendment authorizes research to combat pests and diseases that threaten coffee supplies and…
Update from the East Africa Breeding Hub
The East African Breeding Hub (EABH) was established in 2018 by World Coffee Research (WCR), participating countries, and the hub host, the Rwanda Agriculture Board (RAB) in order to support the next…
Researching variety performance in Australia
Coffee has been grown in Australia since the 1800s, though never in a commercial capacity. But the country is capable of producing specialty coffee, and is now participating in research trials with…
Dr. Timothy Schilling: A Life in Coffee
To honor the retirement of Dr. Timothy Schilling, founder of World Coffee Research, we talked to a dozen people who have worked closely with him over the course of his coffee career, which began in…
F1 Hybrid Trials
Understanding the promise of a new class of coffee varieties for climate change and farmer livelihoods
Mexico
Mexico is one of the top 10 exporters of coffee in the world, with a rich coffee heritage. Most Mexican coffee is commercial-grade washed arabica, but the country has increased specialty production.…
Coffee varieties catalog
An interactive website exploring Arabica and Robusta varieties
A new Arabusta for the 21st century
On the island of East Timor, sometime in the 1920s, an impossible legend was born: the Timor Hybrid. Somehow, a C. arabica plant and a C. canephora (Robusta) plant reproduced and created a natural…
Speeding up genetic progress
Molecular breeding is an approach that allows breeders to be more efficient and targeted in their work. Molecular breeding is different from genetic modification—it allows breeders to make…
Breeding program milestones for 2015
The coffee industry cannot single-handedly reverse climate change. Our best hope for sustaining the supply of high quality coffee in the 21st century is to focus on making the coffee plant more…
Coming along in Kenya
Kenya was one of the first countries to be included in the International Multilocation Variety Trial.
International Multilocation Variety Trial expands to 23 countries
Four new countries have committed to participate in the International Multilocation Variety Trial (IMLVT), the largest, collaborative, global coffee research platform and variety exchange in history.…
Hybrid harvest
In 2019, the Flor Amarilla F1 breeding program reached an exciting milestone: its first production harvest. While we have carefully monitored and measured each plants' growth since it arrived in the…
F1 Hybrids Explainer
While these varieties are still relatively new to coffee farmers and industry, it is difficult to imagine a future without them. No varieties in the past have been able to combine traits that matter…
Two new groups of F1 hybrid crosses in 2017/2018!
In 2017 and 2018, World Coffee Research has created two new groups of F1 hybrid crosses for evaluation in Central America, bringing the total number of F1 hybrids in evaluation to 66. The latest…
Experimental F1 hybrids in the field
In 2016, we established trials of 46 new F1 hybrids, derived from crosses between 8 wild Arabicas in the WCR Core Collection and three rust-resistant Sarchimor varieties (Obatá, Marsellesa and IAPAR…
It starts with a seed—but what seed is it?
WCR undertook crucial work in 2019 to advance our Nursery Development Program. Before nursery training programs begin, program workers typically conduct a baseline assessment of the seed and nursery…
Coffee’s missing seed sector
The best plants and farming practices in the world aren’t worth a thing if they are not available to the farmers who need them. Though WCR is not a seed company or extension service, our work doesn’t…
Coffee against the odds
In fall 2017, Hurricanes Irma and Maria ripped across Puerto Rico and destroyed millions of coffee trees. It was a devastating blow: The island was on track to have the best harvest in 10 years,…
Healthy, Productive and Environmentally Friendly Coffee Farms
Cafetales sanos, productivos y ambientalmente amigables
Mercon announces long-term partnership with World Coffee Research
This week, global green coffee supplier Mercon Coffee Group announced a long-term partnership with World Coffee Research. With the announcement, Mercon becomes the only green coffee supplier to fill…
2019: A Year in Review
Highlighting some of WCR's greatest accomplishments in 2019.
ASIC 2020: Montpellier, France
The Association for the Science and Information on Coffee Conference, also known as the ASIC Conference, will be held from June 22 to 25 2020 in Montpellier, France. This year's theme is 'connecting…
Why breeding?
Variety improvement is essential for the future of coffee
WCR welcomes molecular genetics and genomics leader
World Coffee Research is pleased to announce the appointment of Patricia Klein, Ph.D., to the position of molecular biologist in coffee genetic diversity and genomic selection. Dr. Klein is an…
A new center for coffee research in Texas
Texas A&M University administrators and researchers are stepping up efforts to protect a worldwide multibillion dollar-a-year industry. In response to challenges facing coffee, including diseases,…
World Coffee Research welcomes new team members
Over the last few months, World Coffee Research has hired new team members to support programs in Central America, where we have also recently established a regional headquarters office in El…
General Assembly for Members
Last week, World Coffee Research held its first-ever General Assembly for members at the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) in Atlanta. At the assembly, we launched our 2015 Annual Report…
WCR wins 2016 SCAA Sustainability Award
The SCAA's Sustainability Award celebrates innovative projects to expand and promote sustainability within the coffee world. In addition to recognizing the hard work of the individuals, businesses…
WCR @ SCAA
Where to find us in Atlanta this week
WCR welcomes new partnerships director
World Coffee Research is thrilled to welcome Greg Meenahan as our first partnerships development director. Before joining WCR, Meenahan was the Chief Operating Officer of Child Aid, an international…
Starmaya—the future of coffee?
A new coffee variety called Starmaya may dramatically shift prospects for coffee producers in the years to come. Starmaya is the first variety of its kind: An F1 hybrid that is propagated by seed,…
New manual for resilient coffee farming
A new Spanish-language manual promotes research-backed farm practices and disease management in a simplified format geared toward small family farmers. The manual, titled Guía para trabajo con…
WCR Welcomes New Molecular Breeder
World Coffee Research is thrilled to welcome Lucile Toniutti, an agronomist specialized in plant breeding, as our new molecular breeder. Toniutti holds a PhD in the ecophysiology and adaptation of…
2017 Annual Report
Using advances in agricultural science, it is possible to dramatically improve coffee yields, coffee quality, climate resilience, and farmer livelihoods. Our globe-spanning research is designed to…
Request for proposals: Coffee Nursery Training Manuals
WCR is seeking the services of a professional team to develop two training manuals for a Nursery Development Program, which will operate in several coffee producing countries globally. The Nursery…
What to check out at the upcoming ASIC conference
Next week, coffee scientists from all over the world will gather in Portland, Ore., for a biennial conference dedicated to the science and technology of coffee. This conference, known as ASIC, always…
WCR to deepen work in Latin America
At the beginning of October, a five-year, $36.4 million initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to build the agricultural sectors of coffee and cacao in five countries—El Salvador,…
CEO Update
For International Coffee Day 2021, we are taking a moment to reflect on what we’ve accomplished at WCR in the past couple years and what we have in store for the months and years ahead.
Farmer Profitability
Farmers—the stewards of coffee productivity and quality—must be profitable to continue farming, and for the entire industry to thrive.
Final Four: WCR F1 hybrids complete phase 1 trials
Seven years later, the first phase of trials is wrapping up and four high-performing candidates have been identified.
Exploring the wild: cupping diverse arabica accessions
Experiment further characterizes WCR-CATIE Core Collection
World Coffee Research launches Innovea Global Coffee Breeding Network
A collaborative network to accelerate climate resilience and secure long-term coffee supplies
International Multi-location Variety Trial produces initial global results
Worldwide data collection is ongoing and further analysis is to come
World Coffee Research and collaborators awarded new USDA AFRI grant to modernize coffee breeding
Collaborative project will explore technologies and methodologies to make phenotyping—and thus breeding—faster, more efficient, and cost-effective.
World Coffee Research supports the long-term revitalization of El Salvador’s coffee sector
Agricultural R&D innovations to support new regulations and help assure the distribution of high-quality, disease-resistant plants to farmers nationwide
Showcasing the Komasti variety for farmers in Indonesia
Demonstration plot program illustrates what Komasti, an Indonesian arabica variety, can do for farmers in the face of climate change
Cultivating scientific exchange in Vietnam: a learning journey
World Coffee Research supports 13 researchers from producing countries to attend ASIC conference, learn about Vietnamese coffee production
Supporting farmer access to high-performing coffee varieties in Peru
Establishment of 10 new seed lots across 3 major coffee-producing regions in Peru will promote increased farmer choice and access to locally relevant varieties
World Coffee Research and Cornell launch coffee improvement program
In a new partnership, Cornell University and World Coffee Research (WCR) are rolling out a pioneering program focused on improving the resilience and productivity of coffee smallholders worldwide.…
The roots of Robusta—cultivating growth for a species once overlooked
How World Coffee Research is fast-tracking innovation for robusta to forge the future of coffee Extended version
Second annual member day fosters a deeper connection to global variety development research
Member company representatives from across the world gather in Costa Rica to engage first-hand with WCR’s work