Why Ruiru 11 Is Better Than Batiani And SL Series

In our last article, we talked about its importance to the economy. In this article, we are going to look at the various coffee varieties and their attributes.

Commercial Coffee varieties grown in Kenya

Table of Contents

Batiani

Features

Tolerant to CBD and CLR
Early maturing (18 months)
Cost-effective – reduces costs by 30%
Grows in all coffee growing areas
Even though it has all these good features, there is one trait that makes it not to be liked by many farmers, Large internodes among the clusters as compared to Ruiru 11. This means it has a low bearing capacity compared to Ruiru 11 thus low production
Low tolerance to drought
If planted in a spacing of 2.1×2.5m (7x8ft), a hectare can hold 1,905trees

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Ruiru 11

Features

Hybrid variety

Resistant to CBD and CLR
Early maturing (18 months)
Cost-effective – reduces costs by 30%
Compact growth amenable to high-density planting
The best when it comes to bearing
Low torrelance to drought that often requires irrigation in the dry season for it to produce
Grows in all coffee growing area
If Planted in a spacing of 2x2m (6.6×6.6ft), a hectare can hold 2,500trees

SL 34

Features

Susceptible to Coffee Leaf Rust and Coffee Berry Disease thus has a high cost of production.
Grows only in high altitude areas with good rainfall
Has the heaviest bean as compared to Ruiru 11 and Batiani
It has a good cup and is often used to blend Ruiru 11 and Batiani
If Planted in a spacing of 2.74 x2.74m (9×9 ft), a hectare can hold 1,330 trees

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SL 28

Features

Susceptible to Coffee Leaf Rust and Coffee Berry Disease
Has heavy bean and a good cup
Grows in medium to high altitude coffee zones less prone to leaf rust
If Planted in a spacing of 2.74 x2.74m (9×9 ft), a hectare can carry 1,330 trees.

K7

Features

Tolerant to Coffee Leaf Rust ∙
Tolerant to drought that why it’s used for grafting Ruiru 11
Grows in low altitude areas
If Planted in a spacing of 2.74 x2.74 m (9 x9ft), a hectare can hold 1,330 trees.