Phenology of Coffea canephora from different maturation cycles

Abstract

The vegetative and reproductive development of Coffea canephora is affected by climatic variations; however, how environmental signals affect its phenology, especially across different maturation genotypes, remains poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the effects of climatic conditions on the vegetative growth, flowering, and fruiting of C. canephora genotypes during different maturation cycles. During the 2021–2022 harvest, early genotypes 104 and A1, intermediate genotype P2, and late genotype 143 were studied in Marilândia, ES, Brazil. A phenological scale of the reproductive period was developed, along with evaluations of vegetative development, productivity, and fruit maturation stages. The main flowering occurred in September. Distinct flowering patterns were found, with a large, medium bloom occurring in July in the early clones. Flowering occurred from July to October 2021 and in February and May 2022. The late genotype 143 presented the highest yield, with 92.6% of the fruits reaching the cherry stage. Compared to the other genotypes, the A1 genotype required 21% more ripe fruit to make up a bag of coffee, indicating a loss of yield in the immature stages (45%). A1 and P2 showed the highest growth. The vegetative growth rates peaked in spring and summer, which coincided with periods of the highest precipitation (86% of the annual precipitation). Factors such as long days, average minimum temperature, and humidity were associated with an increase in growth rates, whereas maximum temperature and solar radiation in summer negatively affected vegetative growth.