Estratégias de produção de cafeeiro sobre diferentes tipos de manejo da irrigação no cerrado mineiro

Abstract

The study aims to evaluate the efficiency of water use from irrigation in the productivity of coffee plants (Coffea arabica L.), using two irrigation management strategies (climatic management and soil-plant-atmosphere management) in the Cerrado Mineiro region, one of Brazil's main coffee-producing areas. The research was conducted at Fazenda Vitória II, in Monte Carmelo, Minas Gerais, and analyzed two management methods: climatic management, which uses data from a weather station to determine irrigation, and SPA management (Soil-Plant-Atmosphere), based on sensors installed in the plants and soil to monitor real-time conditions. The experiment was conducted using a randomized block design with two treatments and twelve replications. The study emphasizes the need for more precise irrigation strategies tailored to the specific needs of the plants to improve resource efficiency and reduce operational costs. Production and fruit maturation were evaluated, along with parameters such as temperature, humidity, and precipitation for both management methods, compared across three harvests. In terms of productivity, the 2017/2018 and 2019/2020 harvests did not show significant differences between the analyzed treatments. However, during the 2018/2019 harvest, differences were observed in the percentage of cherry fruits, with the climatic management treatment (CM) outperforming SPA management (MSPA). Conversely, for the percentage of coffee beans graded size 16 and above, SPA management (MSPA) was superior to climatic management (CM).