This simple difference has been used in the field for coca plantation monitoring surveys. But differences in leaf size and shape may not be a reliable way to separate the types of plants.

Forests have been cut down to make way for coca bushes Colombia has increased its cultivation of coca plants - the main ingredient in the illegal drug cocaine - by 43%, a new UN report says.

Agricultural and technological advancements have allowed farmers to increase the yield of each coca plant. Farmers are increasingly planting new species of coca that need less fertilizer, are ...