Agustín's nematodes

Volunteer Kate Cimini interviewed a student researcher last month.

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Hebert Augustín Bracamonte is 44 years old. He wears his age and experience well, scattered over his face with a handful of freckles. He has bright black eyes that absolutely shine at the person he’s speaking to, and wears his hair a little longer than ear length, brushed back from his face. Augustín is a student at the college, finishing his ninth semester with his thesis about parasitic nematodes found on coffee plants. Augustín’s graduation from college has been a long time coming and he’s both relieved and proud. And he has taken a rather circuitous route to the place he is today.

Augustín originally entered into college as a traditionally-aged student of Agronomy, but when his younger brother decided to study medicine Augustín’s father told him that he would no longer be able to support Augustín in his university since it would be more lucrative to have a doctor in the family. Augustín explains all this very calmly, and adds that he then began various jobs, the last of which was working in the coffee plant in the nearby community of San Cristóbal. As he tells it, Augustín was forever talking to the manager of the coffee plant about ideas he had for the coffee and asking questions that he wanted answered. Augustín’s curiosity brought him to the attention of Sister Damon.

According to Augustín, Sister Damon approached him at work one day and asked him why he wasn’t considering entering the college. She brushed aside all his concerns; he was not too old, he would be accepted by the younger students, he didn’t need much money, he should to return to school. Augustín decided to take her up on the offer.

His research with nematodes is a continuation of a thesis of a previous student, Hector Hugo Espejo, who identified this parasite. These nematodes destroy the coffee by eating through the primary roots, destroying the plant’s nutrition-gathering system. Augustín hopes to eliminate these nematodes with plant extracts that are toxic to this pest. Funds from conBolivia are helping make this fieldwork possible. With this research, Augustín can start to solve a problem that greatly reduces coffee production in this region of the country, where coffee production is a principal crop.