Seasonal vegetative growth of Coffea canephora associated with two water management in the SouthWestern Amazon

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the vegetative growth of the species Coffea canephora from the orthotropic and plagiotropic branches of coffee plants of the botanical varieties Conilon and Robusta under irrigated and non-irrigated conditions during the rainy and dry seasons. The experiment was conducted in the municipality of Ouro Preto do Oeste, Rondônia, Brazil, during two periods defined between October 2019 and October 2021. Branch growth rates (mm day−1) were obtained every 14 days and seasonal growth was plotted in series graphs. Average growth rates for each type of branch were compared by Tukey’s test (p ≤ 0.05). Vegetative growth was seasonal during the evaluation periods and seasons and varied according to genetic material and irrigation use. Growth rates were higher in the rainy season, regardless of water management and botanical variety. Irrigation of coffee plants conducted during periods of high temperatures and strong water deficit provided higher growth relative to non-irrigated plants. Furthermore, the growth of coffee plants subjected to non-irrigation was held back during the drought period and was compensated by high growth rates during the rainy season. Plants of the botanical variety Robusta tended to grow more than those of the variety Conilon under water availability conditions (rain or irrigation), considering the climate conditions of the South-Western Amazon.