Quinoa stands out as an excellent crop in the Cerrado region for cultivation in the off-season or irrigated winter season. Here, we tested the effects of different water regimes on the agronomic characteristics, physiology, and grain quality of different elite quinoa genotypes under field conditions. The experiment was conducted under field conditions at Embrapa Cerrados (Planaltina, DF, Brazil). The experimental design was in randomized blocks, in a split-plot scheme, with four replications. The plots were composed of 18 quinoa genotypes and modified BRS Piabiru (the currently used genotype), and the split-plots were divided into 4 different water regimes. The following variables were evaluated: productivity and productivity per unit of applied water (PUAA), plant height, flavonoids, anthocyanins, gas exchange, chlorophyll, leaf proline, and relative water content. Our results showed that water regimes between 309 and 389 mm can be recommended for quinoa in the Cerrado region. CPAC6 and CPAC13 presented the highest yield and PUAA under high and intermediate WRs, and hence were the most suitable for winter growth under irrigation. CPAC17 is most suitable for off-season growth under rainfed conditions, as it presented the highest PUAA under the low WRs (247 and 150). CPAC9 stood out in terms of accumulation of flavonoids and anthocyanins in all WRs. Physiological analyses revealed different responses of the genotypes to water restriction, together with symptoms of stress under lower water regimes. Our study reinforces the importance of detailed analyses of the relationship between productivity, physiology, and water use when choosing genotypes for planting and harvest in different seasons.

The objective of this work was to quantify the genetic variability of 213 conilon coffee accessions of the Robusta Tropical cultivar, based on chemical characteristics related to the quality of green coffee beans, as well as to identify promising accessions for the breeding program of irrigated conilon coffee in the Brazilian Cerrado. The chemical characteristics evaluated were: protein and caffeine contents, total soluble solids and total lipids, ether extract, pH, and total titratable acidity. The data were subjected to the principal component analysis and cluster analysis based on the similarities observed within the first two principal components using the minimum variance method (Wards) and, as a measure of similarity, the Euclidean distance. The three main components explained 72.64% of the total variation of the data. All characteristics, except pH, were correlated with the first three components. It was possible to separate the genotypes in three clusters, according to the similarities observed in the behavior of the variables. The evaluated accessions present genetic variability regarding the assessed quality characteristics of green coffee beans, and CPAC 160 and CPAC 32 are the most promising for the breeding program of conilon coffee for cultivation under irrigation in the Cerrado.

The objective of this work was to evaluate arabica coffee (Coffea arabica) under irrigation regimes in the Brazilian Cerrado Central Plateau regarding productivity, chemical quality of raw grains, and sensory quality of the beverage. The experiment was conducted in 2020/2021, with the regimes consisting of two levels of replacement, 100% and 50% of water requirement: irrigation throughout the year, water deficit from April to September, and water deficit from June to September. The chemical characteristics studied were: soluble solids, sucrose, trigonelline, caffeine, caffeoylquinic and citric acids. Sensory analysis was performed by SCA. The regimes of water replacement 100% with irrigation throughout the year and water deficit from June to September present higher productivity of arabica coffee in 2020 and 2021. In regimes with greater water restriction, the levels of sucrose and trigonelline in raw grains increase. In regimes with greater water replacement, the level of citric acid in the raw grains increases. Both regimes with a water deficit from June to September with 100% and 50% of the crop water requirement produce a beverage of excellent quality due to greater uniformity in grain maturation. With 50% of the crop water requirement, the water deficit from April to September is harmful to the quality of the beverage compared to the water deficit from June to September due to the period of two additional months in water stress.

The Coffee production in the Brazilian Cerrado has expanded considerably under irrigated conditions, requiring the identification of agronomic and biochemical traits associated with superior genotype performance. This study investigated the relationships among agronomic, morphological, and biochemical characteristics of 35 irrigated Coffea canephora clones cultivated at Embrapa Cerrados, Brazil, during three consecutive crop seasons (2021/2022, 2022/2023, and 2023/2024). Agronomic traits included plant height, canopy projection, coffee yield, and bean size, while biochemical traits comprised caffeine, chlorogenic acid, and soluble solids. Pearson's correlation analysis and principal component analysis (PCA) were applied to characterize trait associations and phenotypic variability. Coffee yield was positively correlated with plant height (r = 0.36), canopy projection (r = 0.25), beans retained above sieve 10 (r = 0.33), and caffeine content (r = 0.26), whereas chlorogenic acid exhibited predominantly negative correlations with agronomic variables, especially plant height (r = −0.50). Bartlett's test of sphericity (χ² = 211.03, p < 0.001) and a Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin index of 0.65 confirmed the suitability of the dataset for PCA. The first three principal components explained 65.52% of the total variation, with the first two accounting for 52.33%. PCA efficiently discriminated crop years and genotypes, revealing contrasting phenotypic groups associated with vegetative vigor, productivity, and biochemical composition. The integration of correlation and multivariate analyses demonstrated that plant height and canopy projection are valuable indirect selection criteria for improving coffee yield, whereas chlorogenic acid represents an independent biochemical attribute. These findings provide useful information for selecting superior Coffea canephora genotypes and support breeding programs targeting high productivity and bean quality under irrigated Cerrado conditions.

The objective of this study was to identify the genetic, phenotypic and environmental parameters related to chemical compounds associated with beverage quality in a conilon coffee collection, grown in an irrigated system, in the Cerrado. The experiment was carried out at Embrapa Cerrados using green grains harvested in two years from 84 genotypes of the cultivar Robusta Tropical. Caffeine content, protein, ether extract, total soluble solids, pH and titratable acidity were evaluated. The data were subjected to analysis of variance. Significant differences were observed at 1% probability among accessions for all evaluated chemical characteristics in both harvest years. The high heritability, genetic coefficients of variation and selective accuracy reveal the potential for achieving genetic gains via the selection of genotypes adapted to the irrigated system in the Cerrado combined with high beverage quality.