Coffee culture

How to Treat Coffee Leaf Rust: Colombian Coffee Researchers Discover New Variant of Coffee Leaf Rust

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee
Last Updated: 2026/01/27, For more professional coffee knowledge and coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style). Leaders of Colombian coffee growing organizations are urging coffee growers to switch to rust-resistant coffee varieties after discovering a more aggressive new variant of Coffee Leaf Rust (CLR). This unsettling news comes from Colombian national...

Professional Coffee Knowledge Exchange · For More Coffee Bean Information · Please Follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat Public Account: cafe_style)

New Aggressive Coffee Leaf Rust Variants Discovered in Colombia

Leaders of Colombia's coffee growing organizations are urging coffee growers to switch to rust-resistant coffee varieties after discovering more aggressive new variants of Coffee Leaf Rust (CLR).

This alarming news was discovered by Colombia's National Federation of Coffee Growers (FNC, Cenicafé). According to the organization, they have identified six new subspecies of leaf rust within the country, as well as nine new destructive variants of the fungus.

Coffee leaf rust affecting coffee plants

According to estimates by Colombia's National Federation of Coffee Growers (FNC), approximately 84% of the planting area in Colombia is planted with coffee trees that have rust-resistant genes. However, the organization warns that resistance to leaf rust does not mean immunity.

"Like other microorganisms that survive in adverse and diverse environments, the coffee leaf rust fungus can change and mutate in its only host (both susceptible and rust-resistant coffee varieties)," said plant pathology researcher Carlos Ariel Ángel in a statement from the organization. "This pressure of selection and response is a normal dynamic biological process by which the fungus attempts to adapt and survive. Therefore, more than 50 of its mutant subspecies have already been identified worldwide, and new variants in different countries continue to be identified."

Recommended Rust-Resistant Varieties

Given the prevalence of new variants and subspecies, Colombia's National Federation of Coffee Growers (FNC) encourages growers to plant proven rust-resistant coffee varieties, such as Castillo, Cenicafé 1, Castillo zonales, or Tabi - varieties developed and promoted by FNC and Cenicafé at different times.

Rust-resistant coffee varieties recommended by FNC

The organization considers the selection of disease-resistant varieties as a frontline defense measure to prevent further spread of leaf rust, before the application of fungicides. This approach has been crucial since the leaf rust pandemic of 2012, which caused devastating damage to crops in Colombia and throughout Latin America.

According to FNC estimates, if no measures are taken, this disease could destroy approximately 30% to 80% of coffee crops.

Impact on Global Coffee Production

Coffee leaf rust has been present in most coffee-producing countries for at least 150 years. Despite significant advances in research on coffee variety adaptability over the past decade, rust pathogens continue to emerge, posing direct threats to coffee farmers' livelihoods and the supply of Arabica beans.

Recently, coffee leaf rust was discovered for the first time in Hawaii.

For more specialty coffee beans, please add FrontStreet Coffee on private WeChat (ID: kaixinguoguo0925)

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473

0