Coffee breeding center
Coffee plants are replaced after approximately 40 years. At Blawan they developed a new method to expand the longevity of arabica, also called the Ijen Pruning System. It seems that fields are 'empty', but if you look harder you will see stems that are cut some 50 centimeters above the soil. Although production levels diminish after many years of service, the stem and the roots of the arabica are stil in good condition. After sprouting, the plants will reach a higher production than before.The traditional method of replacing coffee is to grow seedlings. The most easy way to grow seedlings is to put 20 seeds in each hole at the beginning of the rainy season. Half of them is eleminated automatically. A more effective method of growing coffee is to raise seedlings in nurseries that are then planted outside at six to twelve months. As is done in Blawan, where the coffee seedling centre is situated.
Coffee seeds and germination process
For propagation of arabica coffee, ripe red cherries are collected, pulped, and the mucilage (slime of the beans) is removed by fermentation. The freshly picked coffee seeds (typically referred to as beans) can either be planted immediately or dried for later use. Dried coffee seeds can be used up to a year or more if properly stored.Coffee seeds are pregerminated by spreading on a sand bed and covering with moist burlap bag sacks or straw. The seeds are watched closely and removed as soon as radicals emerge. An alternative method of germinating coffee beans is to mix the seeds with moist vermiculite or expanded polystyrene and keep in the polythene bag.
Once pregerminated, the coffee seedlings are planted in nursery beds containing soil consisting of well rotted cattle manure and phosphate fertilizer. The nursery beds are shaded 50% for the first couple months. Then, shading is reduced slowly and completely removed the last two months before planting coffee seedlings. Coffee seedlings are planted in the coffee fields when they reach 20-40 cm.
New techniques at Blawan to improve coffee quality
In cooperation with the coffee plantation in Jember, a grafting program was started. The plantation was experiencing problems with nematodes. They found a solution in grafting, because the stem of Robusta is stronger than those of Arabica plants, while coffee from the Arabica plant is more tasteful. Thus, for the stem the coffee plant Robusta is used, while Arabica is put on top. Nowadays all coffee plants in Blawan are arabica coffee. About three-quarters of coffee cultivated worldwide is C. arabica.
MORE INFORMATION :
email :
ijeninfo@gmail.com
Phone / SMS / WatsApp:
+628121561972
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