Combating coffee leaf rust in India through digital technologies

Abstract

Coffee is one of the largest selling cash crop in India which huge economic significance. Income, employment in the agricultural sector and output are generated by its cultivation activities. The output thus produced is used for both domestic use as well as export purpose. In India, Western and Eastern Ghats are the regions where coffee grows the most as these regions provide a natural shade for the coffee plant to grow. These regions are included in 25 biodiversity hotspots of the world, and coffee helps maintain the biodiversity of these regions. Simultaneously, the crop is also the reason behind socio-economic development of these remote regions. In India, coffee is traditionally grown in Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. While the nontraditional coffee cultivation is on the rise in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha as well as in the North East states.