When to install an irrigation project on a coffee farm?

Planning in areas where planting will be carried out without irrigation must be much greater, as seedling growth is absolutely dependent on rainfall.

09.03.2022 | 09:55 (UTC -3)

Irrigation for coffee cultivation is already consolidated in many coffee growing regions, mainly concentrated, in the case of Arabica coffee, in the Minas Gerais triangle and upper Paranaíba. Approximately 450 thousand hectares of coffee are irrigated, including arabica and conilon, corresponding to 20% of all national coffee production. The irrigated area is responsible for 40% of all national coffee production.

However, to be successful with irrigation, the project needs to be well designed. Carrying out a preliminary study of the crop that will be implemented, taking into account the water demand, the type of soil, knowing the retention capacity and availability for the plants, references of the region taking into account the topography, climatic data on precipitation and evapotranspiration, to This way we can define the blade, spacing, emitter model and other technical information for the project.

In addition to adequate sizing, irrigation and fertigation management also plays an important role in ensuring that the system achieves its objectives of increasing productivity and quality within a property. But after all, what better time to think about an irrigation project for coffee crops, would it be for newly planted plants or adult plants?

Under normal circumstances, the average rainfed productivity is around 25 to 30 bags, while in irrigated areas it is 50 to 60 bags. When we think about the first harvest, some rainfed crops can reach 15 bags per hectare, while irrigated areas at the first harvest can produce 40 to 50 bags per hectare.

When irrigation is implemented together with the planting of seedlings, the risk of losses due to water deficit is lower and soil humidity will be more favorable for the acclimatization of seedlings in the field. Furthermore, the replanting rate in irrigated areas is 2 to 5%, while in rainfed areas the rate can reach up to 20% depending on climatic conditions. In addition to this, irrigation provides high productivity from the first harvest.

Therefore, planning in areas where planting will be carried out without irrigation must be much greater, as seedling growth is absolutely dependent on rainfall.

However, implementation in already formed crops is also recommended, as the supply of water, especially in the most critical phases of the crop, increases the efficiency of the photosynthesis process, consequently increasing productivity. In this case, the use of irrigation can help to induce more homogeneous flowering, resulting in larger grains and uniform maturation.

Among other advantages of implementing irrigation in adult crops are: the reduction of the effects of bienniality, the possibility of carrying out a nutritional balance according to the phenological phase with the fertigation technique and increased productivity, with averages exceeding 60 bags.

We understand that irrigation has its benefits and positive results for both already formed crops and newly planted crops. For this reason, the success of irrigation is entirely linked to the adequate dimensioning of the irrigation project and its management and maintenance in subsequent years.

for its Gabriela Terra, Netafim Agronomic Specialist

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