Canopy volume and application rate interaction on spray deposition for different phenological stages of coffee crop

Abstract

Coffee plants (Coffea arabica L.) present dense foliage that obstruct the entering of pesticides inside the plant canopy uniformly. Adjust the application rate concerning the plant canopy volume can be a way to make the pesticide applications more efficient. The objective of this study was to evaluate the deposition of spray solution on coffee leaves with different volumes of plant canopy and different application rates; additionally, to determine the specific volume indexes for different coffee phenological stages. The studies of coffee leaf deposition were performed on commercial fields of C. arabica - Topázio MG 1190 and Catuaí Vermelho IAC 99 cultivars, in different months. Three volumes of vegetation ranging from 8.572 to 16.200 m3 ha-1 - obtained from the calculation of tree-row volume (TRV) performed in 20 plants - and five application rates (200, 300, 400, 600 and 800 L ha-1) and in each phenological stage (maturation, post-harvest, grain filling) were evaluated in a randomized block design with five replications. A bright blue marker was added to the spray solution to be detected by spectrophotometry in order to study the spray deposition and losses to the soil. After the treatment applications, ten coffee leaves corresponding to the 1st pair of leaf from an orthotropic branch of each third of the coffee plant (upper, middle, lower) were randomly collected. Petri dishes were used to evaluate the losses to the soil. The TRV and leaf density should be considered together in the definition of the application rate for coffee protection. It is also possible to reduce the application rate to values close to 200 L ha-1. The volume indexes for each coffee phenological stage were defined for proper canopy wetting and low losses to the soil.