Legume Trees in the Coffee Agroecosystem of Puerto Rico

Abstract

Coffee (Coffea arabica) probably originated in Abyssinia (now Ethiopia) and, after travelling around the world, arrived in Puerto Rico in 1755 (Mondoñedo, 1957). Up to the 1960s, it was grown under the shade of trees. In an effort to increase production, the trees were cut and the Department of Agriculture recommended the sun-grown system (Vicente-Chandler et al., 1968).