Pruning the coffee tree contributes to increasing crop productivity

Pruning coffee plants of the Arabica and camphora species involves the partial or total elimination of the aerial part of the plant after harvest. Due to the different species and cultivars of coffee, this practice generally occurs from August to October and its main objectives are the renewal by induction of productive branches of plants depleted by age, injuries caused by climatic phenomena and/or the incidence of pests and diseases.

The coffee grower, through this agricultural practice, will also be able to efficiently program the cultivation and production of coffee trees in dense cropping systems, reduce the incidence of pests and diseases in the coffee plantation, facilitating their control, promote more light and aeration of the coffee trees in closed crops, improve plant architecture by renewing and adjusting the canopy structure, reducing the height and lateral parts of plants to facilitate cultural treatments and harvesting in the coming years. Thus, the coffee grower will increase the useful life of the coffee tree with vigor and productivity.

With these objectives, coffee growers can carry out, depending on the conditions of the coffee tree, different pruning techniques or a combination of them, such as pruning, topping, skeletonizing and trimming. Pruning is a high and less drastic pruning applied to plants that still have a skirt, but that present depletion or deformations in the upper part or excessive height. You can adopt a high neckline with a cut from 1,80 m to 2,40 m in height or a low neckline with a cut from 1,20 m to 1,80 m in height.

Regarding pruning, it is a technique that consists of cutting on the side of the plant, from top to bottom (descending), at the ends of the plagiotropic branches (productive branches) leaving them with an average length of 0,60 m to 1,20 m, to encourage branches to increase production. Skeleting also consists of cutting on the side of the plant, but in a downward direction (going upwards), at the ends of the plagiotropic branches, close to the coffee tree trunk, leaving them with an average length of 20 cm to 30 cm, with the aim to promote the opening of the crop and renew the productive stems.

Finally, recepa is a low and more drastic pruning applied to plants that have lost the lower productive branches that form the plant's skirt, or to plants that are completely depleted or deformed. A recepa with lung or high recepa can be applied with the plant cut at an average height of 60 cm to 80 cm from the ground, or a recepa without lung or even a low recepa with the plant cut at 30 cm to 40 cm from the ground . However, if the harvest is higher, for example, 60 cm above the ground and the “new” shoot is above 25 cm above the ground, it is recommended that the 2nd one be done. Prune immediately below the bud emitted after the 1st. pruning. However, if the sprout is very close to the ground, it is best to cut above the insertion of the sprout, as in this case there are few buds to produce new shoots.

Traditionally, these types of pruning are known to most coffee growers, so much so that, within the scope of Coffee Research Consortium, coordinated by Embrapa Coffee, several innovative techniques have already been researched and developed regarding this practice. As examples, the Capixaba Institute for Research, Technical Assistance and Rural Extension – INCAPER and Embrapa Rondônia developed research related to pruning Coffea arabica e Coffea canephora. Scheduled Cycle Pruning of Arabica Coffee, developed by INCAPER, has as its technological base the technique of Scheduled Cycle Pruning of Conilon Coffee, which has been widely used by producers in the state of Espírito Santo since 2007.

Scheduled Cycle Pruning of Arabica Coffee

IIt begins after harvesting, taking from 8.000 to 12.000 orthotropic stems (main stem) per hectare. These stems remain on the plants for up to four harvests and, at that time, 50% to 75% of these stems will be removed to induce new shoots. In this way, new shoots will be selected at the base of the plants and will be viable to produce for another four or even six harvests, completing the pruning cycle.

Scheduled Cycle Pruning of Conilon Coffee

It consists of eliminating vertical stems and horizontal branches that become unproductive, to be replaced with newer ones. Etiolated branches, with low vigor, and excess shoots are also eliminated. After planting and during the first two years of farming, thinning is recommended, leaving a number of vertical stems of around 12.000/ha to 15.000/ha. In both cases, reinvigorated and productive crops are sought.

A Coffee Tree Training Pruning, developed by Embrapa Rondônia, is a technique indicated for the early formation of the crown of conilon and robusta coffee trees, which aims to avoid the formation of thin and elongated stems, standardizing the stage of development of the productive stems, with a view to obtaining more productivity even in the first harvest.

Regardless of the coffee species (and cultivars), in general, pruning coffee trees can help reduce labor costs during the harvest period, facilitate disbudding and cultural treatments, provide uniformity in flowering and fruit maturation , make pest and disease management more efficient, and increase average crop productivity by around 20%, in addition to improving the final quality of the product.

More information about pruning coffee trees can be found in “Coffee Manual: management of coffee plantations in production”, from the Technical Assistance and Rural Extension Company of Minas Gerais – EMATER MG; "Café Conilon”, from the Capixaba Institute of Research, Technical Assistance and Rural Extension – INCAPER; It is "Amazon Coffee”, from Embrapa Rondônia. All these publications are available in full for download on Coffee Observatory.