Canopy architecture of arabica coffee conducted with different numbers of orthotropic branches

ABSTRACT The study of the behavior of Arabica coffee trees cultivated with more than one orthotropic branch appears as an alternative to improve the canopy architecture and may enhance the coffee crop yield. In this context, the objective of this study was to analyze traits of canopy architecture of Arabica coffee trees cultivated with different numbers of orthotropic branches per plant. For this end, an experiment was carried out in a productive field located in Santa Teresa-ES, at an altitude of 740 m, the place presents wavy-rugged topography, with annual rainfall and average air temperature of 1,282 mm and 21.1 ºC, respectively. The spacing between plants was 2.5 x 1.0 m and the cultivar used was Catuaí Vermelho IAC44. In November 2012, with the plants at eight years of age, the plants were pruned and the new emerged sprouts were conducted to promote the establishment of three treatments regarding the number of orthotropic branches: one, two or three branches per plant. The experiment followed a randomized block design, with eight repetitions and three treatments. The coffee plants grown with two or three orthotropic branches did not differ among themselves and presented larger canopies in area and volume, larger foliage density and leaf area of their plagiotropic branches. The conduction of the Arabica coffee trees with two orthotropic branches per plant promoted greater production of processed coffee per hectare, as well as greater proportion of large grains (resulting in larger grains and a more homogeneous mass).