Surround WP^®: valuable alternative to improve productivity and diseases incidence of coffee crop - 
a review

A research compilation of trials was made to evaluate the effect of the heat stress crop protectant Surround WP^® (calcined kaolin) to improve productivity and reduce disease incidence in coffee crop (Coffea arabica). Trials were made during four production cycles (PC) in four different coffee production locations (San Isidro, Carrizal, Los Ángeles de Grecia and San Isidro de Grecia, Alajuela) located between 1.100 and 1.400 m a.s.l. in Costa Rica. The coffee cultivar was ‘Catuaí Rojo’, under a full sun exposure production system (without shade), except for the Carrizal location where cultivars ‘Catimor CR-95’ and ‘Catuaí Rojo’ were used under a total shade production system using pine (Pinus caribaea) and eucalyptus (Eucalyptus sp.) shade trees. Experimental design was a randomized block design using farm locations as blocks with two treatments (with and without Surround WP^®) with replicated variable measures in time (consecutive year’s harvests). Yields in fanegas ha^-1 and grain weight ha^-1 were measured from harvested coffee grain (kg) and disease incidence from leaf counting and presence of the following main coffee diseases: Hemileia vastatrix, Cercospora coffeicola, Colletotrichum coffeanum, and Mycena citricolor. Kaolin applications as Surround WP^® showed higher yields in fanegas ha^-1 (P<0.0271) and grain weigh ha^-1 (P<0.0423) as compared to the control treatment in all locations. Incidence of all assessed diseases was lower (P<0.002) in Surround WP^® treated areas as compared to the control. Surround WP^® is a very valuable tool and alternative to reduce heat stress and increase productivity in coffee crop.