Abstract
In coffee plants, fertigation can be an alternative way to minimize the negative effects exerted by drought and maximize fertilizer use efficiency. However, the fertilization recommendations for fertigated coffee trees are still not very specific, and the recommendations for rainfed crops are used. In addition, little is known about the nutritional requirements for fertigated coffee trees that have undergone the low recepa pruning treatment. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different levels of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) fertilizers on leaf anatomy, physiology, and vegetative growth of fertigated coffee trees (Coffea arabica L.) that have been under the low recepa pruning treatment. During the first five years of growth, the cultivar Topázio MG-1190 of the coffee crop received 10, 40, 70, 100, 130, and 160% of the fertilization levels recommended for the rainfed coffee crop. After this period, the crop was exposed to low recepa pruning. It was concluded that different doses of N, P, and K fertilizers modified the internal structure of coffee plant leaves, as well as physiological responses and plant growth; there was stronger vegetative growth, sharper leaf blade, greater thickness of spongy parenchyma, larger phloem area, and higher xylem relative hydraulic conductivity as the N, P, and K fertilizer levels in fertigated coffee (Coffea arabica L.) plants, which received the low recepa pruning treatment, increased. This knowledge can be used as a solid basis for main fertilization recommendations for fertigated coffee trees after exposure to the low recepa pruning treatment. Key words: Coffea arabica L.; Fertigation; Mineral nutrition; Pruning.
Highlights
Brazil is the largest producer and exporter of coffee plants, with the total production at 63.08 million bags in 2020
Well-planned irrigation meets the constant need of crops for water, alleviating the problems caused by drought events, and maximizing the efficiency of fertilizer use applied through fertigation (Dominghetti et al, 2014)
Stomatal function (PD/ ED – the ratio of the polar and equatorial diameter of stomata) exhibited a significant interaction only between evaluations of March and N, P, and K doses, and a significant difference was observed for the xylem area only between fertilization levels, regardless of the periods evaluated
Summary
Brazil is the largest producer and exporter of coffee plants, with the total production at 63.08 million bags in 2020. The state of Minas Gerais is the main producer in Brazil, with 34.65 million bags only in the last harvest (Companhia Nacional de Abastecimento - CONAB, 2021). As a result of drought during critical phenological phases and increased water demand, the irrigated coffee area has been significantly increasing in recent years. Well-planned irrigation meets the constant need of crops for water, alleviating the problems caused by drought events, and maximizing the efficiency of fertilizer use applied through fertigation (Dominghetti et al, 2014). Fertigation allows the controlled application of nutrients at regular time intervals, avoiding problems related to heterogeneous distribution and reducing nutrient loss through leaching (Coelho et al, 2018; Alemayehu; Asfaw; Tirfie, 2020)
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