Responsiveness of Arabica coffee cultivars to skeleton pruning in a low-altitude region

Abstract

Skeleton pruning is a type of pruning that, by cutting lateral branches (plagiotropic), allows the reinvigoration of coffee plants through the renewal of productive branches. The crop response to this management may be affected by several factors, such as the trees age, crop practices, and, mainly, the genotype. This study aimed to identify the Arabica coffee cultivars with greatest responsiveness to skeleton pruning and desirable productive and qualitative characteristics in a low-altitude region. The experiment was conducted in northeastern São Paulo state, Brazil, at an altitude of 565 m. The experimental design was randomized blocks with four replicates, and the treatments consisted of 17 short-stature Arabica coffee cultivars. On average, the responsiveness of the cultivars to pruning was 32% in the first year and 14% in the second year. The cultivars IAC Catuaí SH3, IAC Ouro Verde, IAC Obatã 4739, Tupi IAC 1669-33, Catiguá MG1, Oeiras MG 6851, Pau-Brasil MG1, Sacramento MG1, IPR 99, IPR 103, and Sabiá Tardio were responsive to skeleton pruning. Among these, Catiguá, Oeiras, Sacramento, and Sabiá stood out with pruning responsiveness above 45%. The cultivars Obatã IAC 4739, Tupi IAC 1669-33, and Catuaí SH3 stood out in terms of yield, with an average between 40 and 50 bags ha−1. In addition to high yields, the cultivar Obatã IAC 4739 obtained grains with higher weight and sieve 17. Skeleton pruning was found to be genotype dependent and emerged as a viable alternative for revitalizing Arabica coffee cultivars in low-altitude regions.