Análise GGE Biplot como tecnologia para recomendação de cultivares de café no Sul de Minas Gerais

Abstract

The South of Minas Gerais is an extensive region of great importance in coffee production. Therefore, it is interesting to have cultivars that are better adapted to the cultivation. The evolution of genetic breeding in coffee plants has led to the release of several coffee cultivars with desirable characteristics such as resistance to the main diseases and pests, drink quality, and high productivity. However, the performance and adaptability of new cultivars in different producing regions must be evaluated in search of promising results, enabling more accurate recommendations. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of new arabica coffee cultivars in the South of Minas Gerais through GGE Biplot analysis. For this, evaluations were carried out in fields planted in January 2021 in six municipalities of this region: Três Pontas, Machado, Itamogi, Campestre, Paraguaçu, and São Sebastião do Paraíso, using cultivars from the main research institutions in Brazil. The experimental design used was a randomized block design (RBD) with 30 treatments (cultivars) and four replications in each cultivation environment. The following factors were evaluated: productivity, percentage of high-screened grains, percentage of defective grains, density, and the sensory quality of the coffee beverage. The collected data were analyzed jointly using R software, performing an analysis of variance, and when significant differences were detected by the F-test (p<0.05), the Scott-Knott test was applied to group the means. GGE Biplot analysis was also used to study the adaptability and stability of the cultivars in the study environments. The results allowed for the inference that there are coffee cultivars with greater productive potential in the first two harvests, with IPR 100 standing out with 38.85 sc ha-1 in the first productive biennium. A second group of cultivars with high average productivity was also identified, including: IAC Obatã Amarelo 4739, Arara, and Catucaí 2SL, with average productivities of 33.90, 33.44, and 33.30 sc ha-1, respectively. The cultivar IPR 107 stood out with a high percentage of high- screened grains and a low percentage of defective grains. The cultivar MGS Paraíso 2 achieved the best sensory quality of the beverage among all others, reaching over 85 points on average across six environments. GGE Biplot analyses were effective for studying adaptability and stability, identifying the best genotypes for each cultivation site and forming mega- environments with similar characteristics, which allows for a joint recommendation.