A new way for scientists to identify microscopic worms attacking coffee crops

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The plant that produces coffee, one of the world's most popular drinks, is the target of miniature worms, but scientists are fighting back. Due to the use of a new rapid detection method, an underestimated coffee planting problem has been found in the soil samples in the field of coffee cultivation.

Details of the method are published in the Journal of Plant Pathology, and the researchers hope their method will be used to learn more about which species live where, so growers can take mitigation measures and protect our morning brewing.

The world consumes about 2 billion cups of coffee a day. The supply of this coffee bean is challenged by two major nematode species that live in the soil and destroy the roots of coffee plants without specific symptoms.

Nematodes feed on plant roots, weakening plants and eventually leading to yield loss.

They also like bananas and black pepper plants, which are usually grown with coffee to provide a rich environment for them to grow.

A team led by the University of Leeds worked with Nestle agronomists and researchers as well as international academic colleagues to collect soil samples from plantations in Brazil, Vietnam and Indonesia. They analyzed these samples to identify DNA from worms and found that they were anywhere at destructive levels.

The problem of nematode worms in coffee crops has previously been reported, but this is the first molecular study to evaluate plant parasitic nematodes in coffee fields by sampling multiple crop plants from three major coffee-producing countries.

"We have found extensive evidence of these parasites," said Peter Urwin, a professor of plant nematode in the Department of Bioscience at the University of Leeds. The exact species vary from country to country and soil samples, and I can tell the difference between Vietnam and Brazil or Indonesia. The sad truth is that no matter which sample we take, we will find that plant parasitic nematodes do great damage to coffee crops. "

The average life span of a coffee factory is 20 years, which is a major investment for farmers. They are sometimes grown with bananas and black pepper, creating a wider range of sources of income, but may complicate the problem. One mitigation method, the researchers say, may be to separate the crops, so if one person is infected, others will not be threatened.

Professor Urwin added: "in vineyards, growers often plant insect-resistant but not ideal grapes and then 'transplant' the preferred grape varieties to grapevines to prevent root parasites. Once we better understand which parasites attack which coffee crops and which coffee plants are resistant, this method may be the grower's choice. "

The work is done by the doctor. Researcher Christopher Bell. "We are shocked by the number of parasites found in the sample and hope that our method will be accepted by others so that we can better understand the problems we face," he said. In the end, farmers and growers should benefit from this work and take appropriate mitigation measures. Action ".