Controlled water stress in uniformity of maturity and productivity of conilon coffee

Abstract

The aim of this work was to evaluate the uniformity of fruit maturity and the productivity of conilon coffee in function of different periods of water stress in the post-harvest period. The study was conducted in a field from August 2014 to July 2015 in an old coffee crop of conilon coffee, cultivar Vitória 'Incaper 8142', cultivated at a spacing of 3.0 × 1.2 m, located at the Federal Institute of Espírito Santo Campus Santa Teresa, ES, Brazil. The experimental design was in randomized blocks, with 4 treatments and 10 repetitions. Each useful plot consisted of 12 plants. The treatments consisted of the application of different levels of water deficit, being: control (continuous irrigation with humidity close to the field capacity) (T1); water deficit of 20 (T2); 40 (T3); and 60 (T4) days after harvest. Productivity was determined by harvesting and weighing the grains of each useful plot. The maturation uniformity was evaluated by random harvesting of 100 fruits in each plot. The application of the treatment with 60 days of water deficit presented greater uniformity of fruit maturation and water saving when compared to the other treatments. The treatment with estimated water deficit of 33 days after harvest showed higher average grain yield (79.2 sc ha-1). Key words: Coffea canephora, irrigation management, grain quality, water, productivity.