Abstract
The objective of this study was to evaluate nutrient concentrations in the flowers, leaves (pre-flowering and grain-filling period), grains, and husks of Robusta coffee genotypes cultivated in the Amazon region, as well as to identify their genetic diversity. This experiment was carried out in Alta Floresta D’Oeste, Rondônia, Brazil, in randomized blocks with three replications; for the leaves, a factorial experimental design of sampling periods was included. The nutrient concentrations of the different evaluated organs were subjected to analysis of variance by the F test (p < 0.01), and the genetic parameters were estimated. To determine the genetic diversity, the genotypes were grouped by the UPGMA hierarchical method, and to predict it the relative importance of traits was analyzed. Genetic divergence among Coffea canephora genotypes was indicated by the leaf nutrient concentrations. At a maximum dissimilarity threshold of 82% for the genotypes, the UPGMA method formed six groups. Concentrations of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in the leaf sampling periods of pre-flowering and grain filling were not influenced by genotypes. The leaf and flower iron (Fe) concentrations contributed most to genetic divergence. For a nutritional diagnosis of Robusta coffee, it is important to take into account the comparisons of genetic diversity as well as the nutritional requirements during the flowering and grain-filling periods.
Highlights
Introduction iationsBrazil is the world’s largest coffee producer [1], and the two most important agricultural species of the genus Coffea, Coffea arabica and C. canephora, are produced on a large scale [2]
The objective of this study was to evaluate the flower and leaf nutrient concentrations in the flowers, grains, husks, and leaves, the latter during both pre-flowering and grain-filling, as well as to identify the genetic diversity in Robusta coffee genotypes grown in the Amazon region
Genetic divergence among C. canephora genotypes for leaf nutrient concentration was observed in the phenological stages of pre-flowering and grain-filling
Summary
Brazil is the world’s largest coffee producer [1], and the two most important agricultural species of the genus Coffea, Coffea arabica and C. canephora, are produced on a large scale [2]. The cultivation of Robusta or Conilon coffee (C. canephora) is a relevant commercial agricultural activity in a number of Brazilian states, in Espírito. This species accounts for 34% of the coffee output in the country and has other environmental and nutritional demands than C. arabica, in that the former is mainly adapted to hot and low-altitude regions, as found in northern Brazil [4–6]. Robusta/Conilon coffees are characterized by a wide genetic diversity and subdivided into several groups and subgroups. Within the species C. canephora, the so-called Congolese group includes the two most commonly cultivated botanical varieties, Conilon (SG1) and Robusta (SG2) [7,8]. Since allogamy and self-incompatibility can both be observed in the Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland
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