As early as the 1980s

[keannu]

Does it mean "early 1980s" or "so early as 1980s"?
2p) Unfortunately, this success story did not last long. As early as the 1980s, a new, more dangerous breed of the disease called “TR4” (Tropical Race 4) first appeared in Taiwan, and went on to destroy 70 percent of its Cavendish population.

 

[Barb_D]

It emphasizes how long ago it was. Not this decade or the last or even the 1990s, but all the way back in the 1980s.

 

[Rover_KE]

It emphasizes how long ago it was. Not this decade or the last or even the 1990s, but all the back in the 1980s.

That's right. I could have appeared as late as 1989, but no later.