Agronomy
Coffee quality and production are determined to a large degree by agronomic inputs, or the agriculture practices that go into farming. While genetics establishes a coffee’s potential, agronomy is the key to reaching this potential. Factors include:
- Nursery practices – prevention of J-root development; acclimatization prior to transplanting.
- Field layout – terrain, climate and slope determine conservation practices, which include terracing, windbreaks, drainage and roads; road length and spacing must be designed to accommodate harvesting and machinery.
- Irrigation – planning plot size and length to optimize irrigation cycle and harvest.
- Planting – planting preparations to facilitate good tap root development.
- Windbreaks – permanent, intermediate or temporary windbreaks designed in partnership with the field’s irrigation system.
- Shade – tree selection and recommendations if necessary.
- Nutrition – compost, groundcover or green manure crops; incorporating fertilization practices and scheduled monitoring.
- Organic farming – selection of nutrition sources and accreditation.
- Pruning – hedging, skirting, sucker removal pruning or stumping.
- Mechanical harvesting – aggressive or selective picking.
- Disease and insect monitoring and control – sanitation, prevention and IPM controls.
- Grafting – nematode resistant rootstock.
- Breeding program – improving coffee varieties for cup quality and harvest ability; tissue culture practices to speed selection.