Department of Plant Sciences

The cultivars adapted to regions of cultivation with regular coffee tree numbers per area and the adequate nutritional state are premises to obtaining high coffee yield. The coffee triennial production and the leaf macronutrient contents of coffee tree cultivars were studied under different plant densities on a randomized completely blocks design, with 3 replications, in split plot system, the parcels corresponding to the populations and the sub parcels to the cultivars. Catuaí Amarelo (IAC 47), Obatã (IAC 1669-20), Acaiá (IAC 474-19) and Icatu Amarelo (IAC 2944) were planted in the population of 2500, 5000, 7519, 10000 plants per ha-1 with one plant per hole and the 2500 plant ha-1 with two plants per hole. The recommended fertilization was equally distributed among the plants of each treatment, but the liming wasn’t done after the coffee tree plantation. Increments in the coffee tree populations increased the triennial coffee yield per area, decreased the yield per plant and increased the leaf contents of phosphorus, potassium and sulfur in the plants. Equal or higher macronutrient contents were found in the coffee trees under dense system than on the ones under conventional and highest level of the elements in the taller cultivars and the lower contents in the Obatã. An increasing coffee yield and lower phosphorus, calcium and sulfur concentrations were observed with one plant per hole than in the ones with two. The coffee tree cultivars and populations showed excessive levels of nitrogen and sulfur, but adequate levels of other macronutrients.