The period between anthesis and fruit ripening varies according to the Conilon coffee (Coffea canephora) genotype. Therefore, the time of the nutritional requirements for fruit formation may differ, depending on the formation phase and the genotype, and may directly affect split application of fertilizer. The aim of this study was to quantify the accumulation of dry matter and N, P, K, Ca, Mg and S at several stages in the fruit of the Conilon coffee genotype with different ripening cycles, which may suggest the need for split application of fertilizer in coffee. The experiment was carried out in the municipality of Nova Venecia, Espírito Santo, Brazil, throughout the reproductive cycle. The treatments were composed of four coffee genotypes with different ripening cycles. A completely randomised experimental design was used. with five replicates. Plagiotropic branches were harvested from flowering to fruit ripening at 28-day intervals to determine the dry matter of the fruits and the concentration and accumulation of the nutrients they contained. The behavior of dry matter and macronutrient accumulation during the study period was similar and increasing, but it differed among genotypes sampled in the same season. Early genotypes exhibited a higher speed of dry matter and nutrient accumulation. Split application of fertilizer should differ among coffee genotypes with different ripening cycles (early, intermediate, late and very late).
Gain from selection is an important criterion in quantifying the efficiency of breeding programs. This study quantified the selection gain estimated under experimental conditions and realized gain achieved in the field, seeking to interpret the efficiency of the Coffea canephora selection. For that purpose, we considered experiments that began in 2004 with directed hybridizations to obtain new hybrid progenies. From a breeding population composed of 288 hybrid individuals, 12 genotypes were selected in experimental conditions from 2005 to 2012, with amplitude in the estimated gains from 127.70 to−19.19%. Those genotypes were evaluated from 2012 to 2018 in clonal tests in four environments of the Western Amazon. The environment that exhibited the greatest correlation between the predicted genetic values and the realized genetic gain observed in the field was the environment of Ouro Preto do Oeste, RO (0.67), the location in which the plants were selected, followed by the environments of Alta FlorestaD´Oeste, RO (0.44), Rio Branco, AC (0.43), and Porto Velho, RO (0.37).Experimental conditions showed that the effect due to dominance deviations was approximately three times greater than the additive effect. Nine clones exhibited higher genetic gains in the experimental conditions and at field, and two clones exhibited lower estimated gains and lower field performance.The clone G17-P7 exhibited high genetic gain under experimental conditions and low field performance. The selection in experimental conditions was positively correlated with plant performance in the field (r=0.55), which allows reduction of the original breeding population to a set of more promising clones to be grown in multiple environments, optimizing time and resources.
This study aimed to evaluate the beverage quality of Coffea canephora genotypes in different environments of the western Amazon to assist plant selection and new cultivar development. To analyze beverage quality, samples of cherry coffee beans were collected separately for each genotype from clonal competition trials installed in the municipalities of Ouro Preto do Oeste, Alta Floresta do Oeste, Porto Velho, and Ariquemes in Rondônia State and Rio Branco in Acre State (Brazil). The beverage quality was assessed using the Robusta Cupping Protocol, which attribute to each genotype a score in a range from 0 to 100, highlighting nuances. Analysis of variance and principal components using reference points were used to quantify genotype x environment interaction (G x E). The analysis of variance indicated that genotypic and G x E interaction effects were significant (p < 0.01). By using a centroid dispersion method, we could identify four clones of low, eight of specific (to favorable or unfavorable environments), and seven of broad adaptability to the environments. The clones BRS 2314, 11, and 17 had average quality scores above 80 in all environments, with potential for specialty coffee production. The clones BRS 1216, BRS 3220, and BRS 3193 presented unstable behavior, with beans of higher quality in some of the evaluated environments. Such inconsistency in clone behavior is caused by unpredictable changes in plant performance in different environments. Our results indicate that both genotypic (clones) and G x E interaction effects are important for the expression of coffee beverage quality. However, the clones BRS 3213, BRS 3210, and BRS 2299 had less prominent nuances, with lower potential for specialty coffee production.
NBPT (N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide), a urease inhibitor, has been reported as one of the most promising compounds to maximize urea nitrogen use in agricultural systems. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of irrigated wheat fertilized with urea or urea + NBPT as single or split application. The experiment was conducted from June to October 2006 in Viçosa, MG, Brazil. The experimental design followed a 2×2 factorial scheme, in which urea or urea + NBPT were combined with two modes of application: full dose at sowing (60kg ha-1) or split (20kg ha-1 at sowing + 40kg ha-1 as topdressing at tillering), in randomized blocks with ten replications. The split application of nitrogen fertilization does not improve the yield wheat under used conditions. The use of urease inhibitor improves the grain yield of wheat crop when urea is applied in topdressing at tillering, but its use does not promote difference when urea is applied in the furrow at planting.
This study presents an evaluation of the viability of using protected urea under different irrigation depths to reduce nitrogen losses caused by the volatilization of ammonia (NH3) under the conditions of the Southwestern Amazon. The study was carried out at the Experimental Station of Embrapa Rondônia, in the municipality of Porto Velho, Rondônia State, Brazil. The experiment was conducted in a Red-Yellow Latosol and arranged in a 5 x 6 factorial design consisting of a combination of five treatments (N sources) with six irrigation depths. The sources of N were as follows: 1) urea (45.5% N); 2) urea (44.3% N) + 0.15% copper and 0.4% boron; 3) urea (45% N) + NBPT; 4) urea (43% N) + sulfur (1%); and 5) control (without N). The irrigation depths were 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 mm. The results showed that, regardless of the use of urease inhibitors, an irrigation depth of 10 mm is suitable for incorporating urea into the soil and stabilizing N losses from NH3 volatilization. NBPT is the most efficient inhibitor under nonirrigated conditions. All N sources promote increases in the concentrations of nitric and ammonia nitrogen in the soil. In the first 15 days after fertilizer application, the highest concentrations of ammonium were in the 0 - 10 cm and 10 - 20 cm soil layers, and NBPT showed the highest ammonium content compared to that of the other sources in the 0 - 10 cm layer. The nitric nitrogen content in the soil was slightly influenced by the irrigation depth in the first 15 days after fertilizer application. However, the ammonia nitrogen content decreased exponentially with the increase in irrigation depth due to the movement of ammonia in the soil.