Development and productivity of coffee (Coffea arabica L.) submitted to nutricional management via foliar

Abstract

Brazil is the largest producer and exporter of coffee in the world and second largest consumer of the product. Arabica coffee is the most important species of the genus Coffea, corresponding to 70% of the coffee marketed worldwide and presenting superior quality drink with a striking aroma and sweet taste. For decades, the Nova Alta Paulista region was founded on the cultivation of coffee, having seen the retrospective of the colonization and infrastructure present in the properties of the region. As a result of the continuous use of the land, depletion and nutritional degradation intensified, and the current situation is the presence of depleted crops and low productivity, so that correct use of fertilizers and correctives is necessary. The objective of the present work is to evaluate the vegetative development of coffee of small size and high coffee after management of pruning type "esqueletamento" and the productivity of these coffee trees submitted to nutritional management via foliar, since the foliar fertilization is a widespread practice , since the leaf has the ability to absorb nutrients very efficiently when compared to the soil route. The experiments were installed in Osvaldo Cruz-SP. The experimental periods corresponded to the months of November 2016 to August 2017. Components of growth and productivity were evaluated. The experimental design was in randomized blocks, with four replications and three treatments. After the end of the evaluations, no differences were found between the treatments for the evaluated variables, however the Test treatment produced 5 more sacks compared to the standard treatment of the farm. For the coffee, the results showed significant differences for length of plagiotropic branches, where the test treatment produced branches 12 cm longer on average when compared to the control treatment.