Methodologies to determine the ripening stage of coffee fruits

Abstract

The asynchronous flowering of coffee trees results in uneven ripening, which makes harvesting ripe fruit crops difficult. To determine the ideal time for harvesting, representative sampling is required. However, existing sampling processes are labor-intensive. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the optimal number of plants and most efficient methodology to evaluate coffee fruit ripening. The experiment was conducted in Inconfidentes, state of Minas Gerais, with trials carried out on Catuaí Vermelho and Icatu Vermelho cultivars. The results of the fruit quantities were subjected to analysis of variance. An individual statistical analysis was performed and, if the homogeneity of residual variances was lower than seven, a joint analysis of variance was performed on the two crops. Each experiment had four treatments and six repetitions. We then performed a joint analysis of the data and used simulation to determine the optimal number of plants to be evaluated. The interaction between treatments and cultivars showed a significant difference in the green and cherry stages, but not in unripe, ripe, and dry fruits, and the optimal number of plants to sample varied by cultivar and treatment. It was found that the optimal number of plants to sample is 13 for the Icatu cultivar and 14 for the Catuaí cultivar using the central rosette harvesting treatment