Volume 12, Issue 25, January - June 2026

Assessment of current phytosanitary status and farmer practices on the control of insect pests and diseases of Robusta coffee (Coffea canephora Pierre) in Tanganyika sector, Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

Shomari Kiete^1,2♦, Adrien Byamungu Ndeko³, Espoir Bisimwa Basengere^3,4, Obedi Nyamangyoku Ishibwela^1,4

¹Faculty of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Université Espoir du Congo, Baraka, Sud-Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
²Department of Environment and Natural Resource Management, Institut Supérieur de Développement Rural de Fizi, Baraka, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
³Faculty of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Université Evangélique en Afrique, Bukavu, Sud-Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
⁴Faculty of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Université Catholique de Bukavu, Bukavu, Sud-Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

^♦Corresponding author
Shomari Kiete, Faculty of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Université Espoir du Congo, Baraka, Sud-Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

ABSTRACT

After oil, Coffee is the most important agricultural commodity upon which more than 125 million people in 70 countries, including DRC, are dependent for their economy, especially foreign exchange earnings. Coffee crop is facing numerous constraints, including pests and diseases, price volatility, plantation ageing, etc. The study assessed current coffee field health status and farmers’ knowledge of pest and disease management in the Tanganyika sector. A survey was conducted using a mixed questionnaire and field observations to collect data on coffee pests and diseases from 12 randomly selected plants along two intersectional diagonals in each inspected field. Results revealed the following disease incidence levels: coffee leaf rust (30.7%), anthracnose (25.6%), die-back (11.5%), Fusariosis (7.1%), leaf blight (6.3%), and Cercosporiosis (1.7%) as the most frequent diseases. Disease severity, considering moderate, intense and severe attacks, respectively, was as follows: rust (32.1%, 39.1% and 9.2%), anthracnose (32.9%, 25.7% and 12.3%), die-back (10.2%, 7.1% and 1.0%), and Fusariosis (16.4% and 5.1% for moderate and intense attacks). Cropping systems had a highly significant effect on disease incidence and severity (P < 0.0005), with older plantations (45–60 years) and the Babungwe Nord group being the most heavily infested and damaged. Coffee grown as a pure stand was more severely affected than coffee under intercropping systems. Regarding insect pests, the coffee berry borer (21.3%), ants (19.9%), fruit flies (18.1%), and thrips (16.4%) were the most prevalent, followed by defoliating and mining caterpillars, A. orbitaliss, stem borers, and the coffee berry moth. In terms of severity, the most damaging pests were the coffee berry borer (21.5%, 29.6% and 6.2%), fruit flies (11.2%, 29.8% and 5.1%), thrips (31.2% and 6.2%), and stem borers (9.2%, 9.2% and 1.0%), followed by defoliating and mining caterpillars, A. orbitaliss, the coffee berry moth and stink bugs. Marked variations were observed amongst groupings and plantation age, whereas cropping systems had no significant effect on pest severity in most cases (P > 0.05). Farmers demonstrate limited knowledge of coffee pests and diseases and rely on inadequate practices for their control. Such a gap leads to lower productivity and poverty exacerbation amongst coffee farmers from Fizi in the Eastern DRC.

Keywords: Pest Status, Farmer skills, Pest and Diseases, Pest management, Robusta coffee, Tanganyika, Fizi, Democratic Republic of Congo

Discovery Agriculture, 2026, 12, e4da3181

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Published: 16 February 2026