Contribution of soil sustainable management to improve coffee nutrition and mitigate water scarcity

Abstract

The soil can be managed to improve plant nutrition and resilience under water scarcity. The objective of this study was to evaluate the contribution of soil conditioners, controlled-release fertilizers, and water availability levels to mitigate water scarcity and improve the nutrition of coffee plants. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse under a randomized block design with four replicates in a factorial scheme (2 irrigation levels × 2 fertilizer types × 5 soil conditioners) of analysis of variance. The factors under study were two irrigation levels (low—40% of water holding capacity, and high—80% of water holding capacity), fertilizer type (conventional and controlled-release), and soil conditioners (coffee husk, gypsum, water-retaining polymer, organic compost, and control without soil conditioner), The characteristics assessed were soil fertility, soil moisture, and nutrient foliar contents. Multivariate analytical methods were used to interpret the results. Soil moisture, chemical attributes, and leaf nutrient contents were analyzed. There was a similarity in the clusters formed by the controlled-release fertilizer treatments, which contribute to plant nutrition. Even under water restriction, the treatments with coffee husk and organic compost were clustered along with soil moisture, favoring the absorption of nutrients. Soil cover with organic compounds improved soil moisture, even under low water availability, which favored plant fertility and nutrition.

Keywords:

• Coffea arabica L.
• drought
• fertilizers
• plant nutrition
• soil conditioners

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the Consórcio Pesquisa Café, the INCTCafé, the FAPEMIG, CAPES, CNPq, the Coffee Sector/UFLA, ICL América do Sul, Terra de Cultivo and Hydroplan for their support in this project.

Authors’ contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design, the acquisition, data analysis and interpretation, and the drafting of the work.

Disclosure statement

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest.

Ethics approval

This article does not contain any studies with human participants performed by any of the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This project was carried out with the support of the Consórcio Pesquisa Café, the INCTCafé, the FAPEMIG, CAPES, CNPq, the Coffee Sector/UFLA, ICL América do Sul, Terra de Cultivo and Hydroplan.