Seasonal Variation in Physiological Traits of Amazonian Coffea canephora Genotypes in Cultivation Systems with Contrasting Water Availability

• Published in: Agronomy (Basel) Vol. 12; no. 12; p. 3197
• Main Authors: Custodio, Aldo Max, de Menezes Silva, Paulo Eduardo, Santos, Thiago Rodrigues dos, Lourenço, Lucas Loram, Avila, Roniel Geraldo, da Silva, Anderson Rodrigo, de Lima e Silva, Fernando Higino, Espindula, Marcelo Curitiba, Dias, Jairo Rafael Machado, Silva, Fabiano Guimarães
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01-12-2022
• Subjects: Agricultural production; Amazonian Robusta; anthocyanin; Chlorophyll; Coffea canephora; Coffee; coffee tree; Crop yield; Cultivation; Drought; Dry season; Evaluation; Farming; Fertilizers; Gas exchange; Genotypes; Humidity; Irrigation; Metabolism; Photosynthesis; Physiology; Plantations; Radiation; Rain; Rainy season; Seasonal variations; Seasons; Variables; Water availability; Water shortages; Water supply; Brazil; Amazon Basin
• ISSN: 2073-4395; 2073-4395
• DOI: 10.3390/agronomy12123197

Climate variation throughout the year affects photosynthesis and other physiological processes correlated with plant development and yield. This study aimed to evaluate the changes in the physiological attributes of Coffea canephora genotypes over the year in the Brazilian Amazon and assess their relationship with crop yield. The experiment was carried out in three cultivation systems with three genotypes. The evaluations were carried out in four periods: the peak of the dry season (S1); the beginning of the rainy season (S2); the peak of the rainy season (S3); and the beginning of the dry season (S4). A dataset of gas exchange, pigment indices, chlorophyll fluorescence, branch growth, and coffee yield was obtained. The group of gas exchange variables was the main contributor to treatment discrimination and was most affected by seasons. As expected, the values of gs, E, and A were significantly lower in S1, while the values of VPDLeaf-ar, TLeaf, and IWUE were significantly higher. Our results demonstrate that climatic seasonality affects the photosynthesis of Amazonian Robustas coffee, even under irrigated conditions, particularly in response to increased VPD. The physiological variables analyzed at the leaf level, even in different periods, did not explain the differences in the yield of C. canephora.