Estratificação ambiental e caracterização climática como ferramentas de apoio ao melhoramento genético do cafeeiro em Minas Gerais

Abstract

Considering the importance of coffee crop to Minas Gerais State and the need for generation of new technologies to confront with the competitiveness and recommended climate changes, this study was conducted in order to characterize and evaluate the direct and indirect effects of climatic variables (temperature, rainfall and Thornthwaite annual moisture index) and altitude on the coffee productivity in strategic locations for the installation of experiments to evaluate progenies, providing input for the physical space optimization and for experiments planned for the coming future. For this, proper tools were used in environmental characterization, in areas of agro-meteorology and GIS, coupled with methods of plant breeding and statistics already established, such as environmental stratification and path analysis. Seventeen progenies of Mundo Novo Group were evaluated in five locals in Minas Gerais State: Campos Altos, Capelinha, Três Pontas, São Sebastião do Paraíso and Machado. The environmental stratification analysis allowed the formation of three subgroups of environments, the first formed by regions of Campos Altos and Capelinha, the second by Três Pontas and São Sebastião do Paraíso and the third by Machado. Path analysis was efficient to determine the interference of climatic factors and the altitude in the productivity of coffee progenies studied, being pronounced influence of altitude observed. The use of Geotechnology tools, through the spatialization of climatic variables in homogeneous areas, allowed the climate characterization of the locals.