Cultivation of Coffee Trees

Cultivation of Coffee Trees
The essential requirements for cultivation of coffee plants are water, illumination and ventilation.

The type of soil (edaphic factors) is less important; coffee trees grow as well in argillaceous-siliceous soil of granitic origin as in soil of volcanic origin.

However, the soil must be rich, with a pH between 4.5 and 6.0; also, the soil must be deep because root development is very extensive.

Coffea arabica is cultivated on plantations at altitudes of 3250 – 6500 feet (1000 – 2000 meters) where tropical climates are temperate.

Excessive heat and humidity are adverse conditions. Coffea canophera grows well in a tropical climate and needs atmospheric humidity near saturation.

Low temperatures around 32 degree F or temperatures above 86 degree F adversely affect coffee trees.

Even though coffee scrubs grow wild in shaded area, the coffee tress in highly productive plantations are cultivated in rows separated by banana tree and are well exposed to sunlight.

They are very sensitive to wind which explains the damage that cyclones can cause to coffee plantations.

Cultivation requires constant care and replacement of old trees with young plants obtained by germination of seeds or by cuttings.

Also, they must be protected from numerous parasites of which the most dangerous is rust caused by two fungi:
Hemileia vastatrix causes orange rust
Hemileia coffeicola results in flour like rust

A coffee tree attacked by rust loses its leaves. Other parasites (fungi, nematodes- thread worms, borers, scolytid-bark beetle, flies, pyralis-meal moth, crickets, caterpillars, bugs, etc) can also cause great damage.

Thus, it is necessary to ensure constant chemical or biological protection. For the past few years, this protection has been ensured by selecting coffee trees that are resistant to parasites without affecting the quality of the aroma of the finished product.

There is great hope that progress in genetic manipulation will result in long term improvement, especially since the chromosomal system of the coffee trees is now known.
Cultivation of Coffee Trees

Harvesting the Wheat

Harvesting the Wheat
In the United States, the wheat harvest will usually start in early May in southern Texas reach its peak in the hard red winter areas of the Southwest in early June, and end in October in the northern portions of the red spring wheat area.

Many years ago, the common method of harvesting grains was the binder, which may possibly still be used on some small farms.

Binders have been replaced nearly everywhere by combines, large and small.

These machines cut and thresh the crop and are usually self-propelled. Spring wheat may be cut windrowed or swathed before thrashing.

After combining, most spring and winter wheat is either stored in the farms for a time or promptly taken by truck to local elevators it is loaded on railway cars and carried to terminal markets.

Each year better highways and larger payloads increase the distances wheat can be hauled economically by truck.

Particularly in the corn belt area, soft red winter wheat is often stored in the farm, since smaller amounts are produced in the region and adequate storage facilities are not prohibitive in cost.

Both farm storage and hugh cooperative terminal storage facilities are common in the major wheat producing areas, where government programs in some years subsidize both types of storage.
Harvesting the Wheat