Desempenho agronômico de cultivares de Coffea arabica L. na região do cerrado mineiro

Abstract

Genetic improvement programs have evolved rapidly, with the launch of new cultivars. Furthermore, they are commonly developed and evaluated for adaptability and stability of agronomic performance, focusing on several characteristics of interest with regionalized placement. Therefore, the objective of this research was to evaluate the agronomic performance of coffee cultivars developed in the EPAMIG genetic improvement program, in the Cerrado Mineiro region. The experiment was conducted in areas owned by coffee growers, in the Cerrado Mineiro region, from October 2016 to October 2022, in 22 locations. Among them, 11 are areas under rainfed cultivation and 11 are irrigated, distributed in the various Cerrado Mineiro microregions, in the cities of Patrocínio, Monte Carmelo, Araguari, Varjão de Minas, Coromandel, Carmo do Paranaíba, Rio Paranaíba, Ibiá and Campos Altos. In each location, cultivars were arranged separately, with 366 plants per plot. Each cultivar occupied an area between 650-850 m2, spaced from 3.50 to 4.00 m between rows and from 0.50 to 0.65 m between plants, totaling a stand of 4386 plants ha-1 to 5714 plants ha-1. As these are production environments in large coffee growing centers, cultivars were randomly systematized, in crop strips. Twelve cultivars already registered in the National Registry of Cultivars (Registro Nacional de Cultivares, RNC) were tested, two of which were considered as a standard for comparing yield (Catuaí Vermelho IAC 144) and quality (Bourbon Amarelo IAC J10), evaluated in the four-year period (2019/2022). Among the evaluated cultivars, the most suitable for the Cerrado of Minas Gerais are: MGS Paraíso 2, MGS EPAMIG 1194 and MGS Ametista. In addition to being the most adapted and productive cultivar for the Cerrado of Minas Gerais, ‘MGS Paraíso 2’ has the best density and yield and was also the one that provided the best sensory quality among the tested genotypes.