Seasonal vegetative growth of different age branches of Conilon coffee tree

Resumo

The seasonal pattern of vegetative growth is an important feature for evaluation of crop status and its management. The aim of this work was to evaluate the seasonality of vegetative growth of Conilon coffee tree (Coffea canephora Pierre) and its relation with climate variables. The evaluation of vegetative growth rates of three groups of plagiotropic branches and one group of orthotropic branches was performed along one year, in Rio Janeiro state, Brazil. The vegetative growth rates of the branches varied along the period of evaluation, and it seems to be related to the minimum air temperature (in the low growth phase). Higher growth rates were observed when the average of minimum air temperatures was higher than 17ºC and the average of the maximum temperatures lower than 31.5ºC. Below 17ºC the growth rate declined. The branches' growth patterns appeared to be similar, but the plagiotropic branches of different ages presented different rates in the same period of the year, indicating that seasonal growth studies should not be based on a single branch group with the same age.