Ruiru 11 is a compact, high-yielding variety developed in Kenya to allow for more intensive coffee production with fewer losses from diseases and pests. this is the updated version test.Ruiru 11 is a compact, high-yielding variety developed in Kenya to allow for more intensive coffee production with fewer losses from diseases and pests.

Ruiru 11 owes its existence to a coffee berry disease (CBD) epidemic in 1968 that led to the loss of 50% of Kenya’s production. The crisis sparked action. In the 1970s, the coffee research station at Ruiru, which gives Ruiru 11 its name, began an intensive breeding program for varieties that were immune to CBD. 

Ruiru 11 Coffee Variety Plantation

Botany and characteristics of the Ruiru 11

The Coffee Research Foundation named it the Ruiru 11 for two reasons. One, the cultivar was developed at Coffee Research Station in Ruiru, hence the prefix Ruiru. The code “11” denotes that it is the first cultivar developed by Kenyans and that it was released from a one-way cross; in other words, it’s an F1 hybrid. The Ruiru 11 can resist CBD and CLR and is suitable for all growing altitudes in Kenya.

Instead of yielding cherries after two years, it can produce after 1½ years. Another feature that farmers love, is the compact growth. This means that Ruiru 11 plants don’t need a lot of room to produce a good yield. Instead of 1330 trees per hectare for SL28 and SL34, they can plant 2500 trees per hectare. The farmers can scale their volumes with Ruiru 11 trees.

Besides volume output, the Ruiru 11 comes with several disadvantages. The cultivar is sensitive to water stress unless grafted on traditional varieties. And the quality is slightly inferior to the SL28, SL34, and K7 varieties.