Insects are diverse and abundant in forest ecosystems, but poorly documented in afromontane rainforests in Southwestern Ethiopia where Coffea arabica L. originated and is distributed worldwide. Therefore, the present study was initiated to study the occurrence of coffee leaf damaging insect pests in the afromontane rainforest of southwestern Ethiopia. Accordingly, surveys on insect pest of coffee were conducted to investigate pest status and; their damaging intensity in three (Yayu, Berhane-kontir and Bonga) forest coffee ecosystems. Based on general uniformity of forest coffee population, each forest coffee was stratified into three forest sites and 16 trees were systematically selected for leaf insect damage assessment. Survey and damage assessment results reveal that, coffee leaf damaging insect pests in afromontane rainforests of Southwestern Ethiopia include 12 insect families from five insect orders. Mean incidence data showed, significant different (P< 0.05) during different survey seasons within and between three forest coffee populations. Among the frequently occurred and damage causing insect pests were Leucoplema doherthyi, Cryphiomystis aletreuta, coffee giant looper and Leucoptera species and had 72.20 ± 1.42, 14.41 ± 5.15, 10.73 ± 4.30 and 2.63 ± 1.24 proportion damage across forest coffee populations, respectively. There is also high variation among major coffee leaf damaging insect during different seasons (rainy, rainy to dry transition, dry and dry to rainy season transition season). Generally, there were differences in insect pest incidence between and within forest coffee populations with regard to coffee leaf damaging insects and relatively low incidence observed compared to other coffee production systems. The present findings complement other research results meant for the conservation of remnant forest and its biodiversity especially to explore the natural enemies in these forest ecosystems.

A B S T R A C T In Ethiopia, coffee production system can mainly be categorized as; garden, plantation, semi-forest and forest coffee production systems which are assumed to vary in the intensity of management. But, little is known whether these production systems and the associated management practices have effect on coffee beans abnormalities. Besides, the role of pea berry on cup quality parameters has not been documented under Ethiopian condition. Therefore, the study was carried out to assess the influence of coffee production systems on the occurrence of bean abnormality and cup quality. The study was carried out in the landscape matrix of forest and agricultural lands near Jimma, in South-western Ethiopia. A total of 24 study sites in four production systems were sampled. Coffee cherries were prepared following the standard procedure for wet method of processing. The beans sensory quality was tested with and without pea berry (the major bean abnormality observed in this study). Coffee production system showed significant influence on the occurrence of bean abnormality. Plantation coffee production system showed significantly higher proportion of pea berry which accounts for higher portion of bean abnormality than the rest of production systems (p<0.001). There was no significant difference between the coffee beans tested with and without pea berry in all of the production systems except body in the garden coffee production system, where the coffee tested with pea berry gave the lower grade while coffee tested without pea berry scored the highest grade. In conclusion, an evidence was not generated for the negative effect of pea berry on coffee quality. However, future study was recommended on the causes of bean abnormalities in coffee across coffee production systems as occurrence of pea berry may have yield implication.

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