Produtividade de cinco safras de cafeeiro arábica conduzido sob diferentes densidades de plantio, com e sem irrigação.

Abstract

This work evaluates the effect of irrigation and plant density on coffee yield after five years of commercial production. The experiment was carried out in Adamantina, SP, Brazil, from June 1998 to September 2005. The experimental design was a factorial 4 x 2 (plant density and irrigation) in blocks with four replications. Plant spacement used was: 1.0 x 1.0, 2.0 x 1.0, 2.5 x 1.0 and 3.33 x 1.0 m, respectively, 10000, 5000, 4000 and 3000 plants per hectare, with and without irrigation. The best treatment in the first three production years was the highest population density with irrigation. However, in the fourth year, already with complete ground cover, this treatment presented a drastic yield drop in a point that all plants were trimmed, that affected yield of next year. In the overall, the best performance was the irrigated treatment with 5000 pl ha-1.