Cafeeiro arábica sob diferentes condições de suprimento hídrico, na região centro-norte de Mato Grosso

Abstract

The difficulties faced by coffee growers in traditionally producing regions, related to the availability of seasonal labor, limited mechanization of cultivation and the occurrence of frosts, lead to the search for new regions for the production of Arabica coffee, but temperature and altitude values considered marginal, are challenges to be overcome. In order to overcome these challenges, different cultivation techniques, such as the adoption of irrigation and more adapted cultivars, are being tested. In this context, the objective of this work was to evaluate the vegetative behavior of Arabica coffee (cultivar Acauã Novo) under different conditions of water supply, in the northern region of Mato Grosso. The experiment was carried out at the Federal University of Mato Grosso – UFMT, in the city of Sinop, located in the central north region of the state of Mato Grosso. The adopted experimental design was in randomized blocks in strip scheme, with four replications. In the strips, 4 levels of water depletion in the soil were evaluated, being 30, 50, 60 and 80% of the total availability of water in the soil (DTA). The levels of water depletion in the soil were established from the Soil Water Retention Curve and with the aid of tensiometers. Complementarily, a treatment without irrigation was evaluated. The average gains of plant development characteristics were evaluated: Plant height, number of internodes, number of leaves, diameter of orthotropic branch. Arabica coffee showed good adaptation to the central-northern region of Mato Grosso. Irrigation provided superior development of the productive branches of the plants and the Critical Matric Potential of 34.7 kPa was the most suitable for the crop under the studied conditions.