Promising conilon coffee trees clones for agroforestry and intercropping systems

Abstract

This research aimed to select conilon coffee tree clones (Coffea canephora Pierre ex A.Froehner) for agroforestry and/or intercropping systems. The experiment was carried out at Bananal do Norte Experimental Farm (20º45' S and 41º17' W), Espírito Santo, Brazil. The clones were evaluated in an agroforestry system with “urograndis” hybrid eucalyptus trees (Eucalyptus grandis W.Hill × E. urophylla S.T.Blake) plus prata-type banana herbs (Musa spp.) and an intercropping with ‘Bahia’ sweet orange trees (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck). An augmented block experiment design, with two plants per plot, four controls, in six blocks in the agroforestry system and four in the intercropping, was adopted. Thirteen morphophysiological characteristics were evaluated. Data analysis was performed using the restricted maximum likelihood method and best linear unbiased prediction and the significance of genetic effects by the likelihood ratio test. To select superior clones the Mulamba-Rank index was performed. Twenty clones were selected for the agroforestry and 20 for the intercropped system. The clones 16, 17, 35, 43, 48, 61, 64, 68 and T3 were the most promising for both systems. There is genetic variability to be explored among the clones, being possible the development of varieties, in the future, for agroforestry and intercropping systems.