Coffee: More Diversity, Better Harvest

Link to article 

Coffee: More Diversity, Better Harvest  

 

While also being the tallest mountain in Africa, Mount Kilimanjaro is actually known for having a large amount of coffee grown on it! While traditionally this coffee thrives in shaded gardens, the large majority of it is grown on plantations, covered by large trees. Recently however, these large trees have been getting cut down in order for more effective shade devices to be used for the coffee, known for being more resistant to fungi. This comes with a setback though, there's a possibility that the habitat will become unstable for an entire ecosystem that lives within the trees and helps pollinate the coffee and fight off pests. 

Steffan-Dewenter wanted to find out how all of these animals contributed to pollination and to the pest control in coffee fields. In collaboration with the teams from the Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre located in FrankFurt and the Institute of Experimental Ecology at the University of Ulm, these teams experimented in twelve areas on Africa's largest mountain. By using finely woven nets, they prevented certain areas to being accessible by animals normally in their ecosystem  

Data collected during this experiment revealed that the plants that animals access to obtained a 10% higher fruit set. Along with this, researchers found out that when pollinators had access to the coffee plants, the cherries were seven percent heavier, which results in a higher quality coffee.  

“So, the effects of pollination and pest control complement each other perfectly; both are important for higher yields,” says Steffan-Dewenter: “Birds and bats provide more cherries; bees and other pollinators ensure better quality.”

NOS Themes: 

Science is based on evidence, this is supported by the data collected during the experiments performed on the coffee plants.

Role of Credibility, the groups performing this experiment were professional and highly respected.

Role of motivation and curiosity, this experiment took place solely because of someones curiosity about the subject.