General Information :

• It is a medium sized wild plant growing 12 ft tall.
• Leaves opposite, glossy green in color.
• Flowers are white in color.
• Seeds are contained in a drupe.

Distribution :

• Native to Ethiopia, Introduced in India and widely cultivated

Habitat : Humid Tropics

Soil : Soil should be deep, friable, open textured rich in plant nutrients with plenty of humus and of slightly acidic nature

Altitude :1300-3000 m(MSL)

Rainfall :1500-2000 mm

Temperature : 15-25° C

Terrain : Hilly

Tree Characteristics :

• Light demander

Habit : Evergreen tree

Natural Regeneration :

• Propagated by seeds.

Artificial Regeneration :

• Propagated by Nursery raised seedlings.

Seed collection and Storage :

• Ripe berries are harvested from specially identified plants for use as seed bearers.
• Berries are depulped and seeds are separated.
• The seed is then graded to remove all cut, triangular and elephant beans.

Seed Treatment :

• Seed are treated with Azospirillum and Phosphobacterium
• The seeds are treated with Agrosan or any Organomercurial compound to prevent fungal infection.

Nursery Technique :

• Seeds are sown in December – January
• Then they are covered with a thin layer of fine soil and a layer of paddy straw.
• Water the beds daily and protect from direct sunlight
• Seeds germinate in about 45 days after which they are transplanted to a poly bags

Plantation technique :

Preparation of field

• Selective felling may be done while retaining a number of desirable shade trees.
• Terracing should be done in deep slopy areas.
• After the summer showers, pits of 45 cm3 are dug at 1.25 - 2.5 m apart.
• The pits are left open for weathering and then filled and heaped for planting.
• At the time of filling, apply 500 g of rock phosphate per pit along with top soil.
• Planting is done along the contour in slopy areas.

Spacing :

• 1.5 to 2.0 m either way.

Planting shade trees:

• Dadap is commonly used as a lower canopy shade.
• Two metre long stakes are planted for every two plants of coffee.
• Silver Oak and Dadaps are planted during onset of monsoon.
• Regulate shade by cutting criss-cross branches during monsoon season.
• Silver oak trees are planted for permanent shade.

Care & Disease Control :

• Weeding and mulching should be done as and when necessary.
• Digging is done to a depth of 30 cm towards the end of monsoon (October - November). 
• The weeds and vegetative debris are completely turned under and buried in the soil while the stumps are removed.
• This is known as the cover digging.
• In slopy areas dig trenches on the contour 45 cm wide and 30 cm deep of any convenient length. 
• Prune water shoots and disease affected shoots.

Recommended Harvest :

• Harvest starts during November and harvesting extends up to February. 

Fly picking:

• Small scale picking of ripe berries during October to February

Main picking:

• Well formed and ripened berries are harvested during December. Bulks of the yields are obtained from this picking.

Stripping:

• Picking of all the berries left irrespective of ripening.

Yield :

• Approximately 900 to 1400 kg of coffee beans/ha.

Major uses :

• Coffee is widely used as a flavoring, as in ice cream, pastries, candies, and liqueurs.
• Wood is hard, dense, durable, takes a good polish, and is suitable for tables, chairs, and turnery.