PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES OF COFFEE TREE UNDER DIFFERENT IRRIGATION LEVELS

ABSTRACT The plant water potential and the leaf temperature are physiological responses of the coffee tree that can be used as indicative of the irrigation management of this crop. There is a dependence between the leaf water potential with the potential matrix of the soil solution, however, the water potential levels found for the coffee tree show divergent relationships in the literature regarding the matrix potential. The objective of this study is to verify the water potential and leaf surface temperature in the coffee tree when submitted to different irrigation levels. The study was conducted in Piracicaba, SP, Brazil, using Coffea arabica species from Red Catuaí IAC 144 variety, the drip irrigation system was adopted and the management done by tensiometry. The relationships among these physiological responses and the treatments of actions presented high determination coefficients (R2 of 0.84, 0.90 and 0.65 for the leaf water potential, leaf temperature measured with the portable infrared sensor and the thermal camera respectively). The estimated values for leaf water potential were −0.23, −0.56, −0.89 and −1.22 MPa for irrigation treatments L130%, L100%, L70% and L40%, respectively. The calculated leaf temperature values were 31.7, 32.4, 33.0 and 33.7°C in average, for treatments L130%, L100%, L70% and L40% in proper order.