Optimization of water use in Coffea arabica L. grown under different agronomic practices

Abstract

Lower water availability due to climate change has dramatically affected coffee yields and quality. Characteristics related to plants and soil can be explored to obtain more productive and sustainable coffee production under adverse crop conditions. To this end, the objective of this study was to evaluate the potential for using different agronomic practices to optimize water use in coffee plants and to mitigate the effects of lower water availability to the crop. In the plots, three soil management systems (polyethylene film, brachiaria and bare soil) were used. In the subplots, two types of fertilizers were used (conventional and controlled-release fertilizer). Five soil conditioners (coffee husk, gypsum, water-retaining polymer, organic compost, and the control) were distributed throughout the sub-subplots. The plant growth, soil moisture, leaf physiology and anatomy, and soil chemical properties of coffee plants were analysed. The management of the soil cover using polyethylene film or brachiaria stood out as agronomic practices that can be combined with coffee husk applications to enable the better use of water by coffee plants and to favour soil conditioning. Controlled-release fertilizer and gypsum allowed for improvements in the anatomical and physiological characteristics of the plants. The use of organic compost favoured greater water availability; however, it caused losses in terms of coffee growth and physiological parameters due to nutritional imbalance. Therefore, based on results, the use of polyethylene film, brachiaria, controlled-release fertilizer, coffee husks, and gypsum are potential agronomic practices for optimizing water use and mitigating the effects of water deficit in coffee plants.