ABSTRACT This work evaluated the initial performance and genetic diversity of Coffea canephora genotypes cultivated in environments at contrasting altitudes. Fourteen morphophysiological traits and seven descriptors of the genus Coffea spp. of coffee trees cultivated at altitudes of 140 m and 700 m were evaluated. The design used was Federer’s augmented block in a 2 × 112 factorial scheme with six blocks. The first factor was the two environments, and the second was the 112 genotypes, with eight common treatments, being five conilon coffee clones and three arabica coffee cultivars. The data were analyzed by the method of REML/BLUP and genetic correlation method. Genetic diversity was evaluated by estimating the distance matrix, applying the Gower methodology followed by the clustering method by Tocher and UPGMA. The phenotypic means were higher in the environment at an altitude of 700 m, except for plant height, number of leaves, and canopy height (CH). Genotypic effects were significant for most traits except for leaf width, CH, unit leaf area, and total leaf area. A wide genetic diversity was verified, with distances varying from 0.037 to 0.593 for the pairs of genotypes 26 × 93 and T7 × 76, respectively. Most of the traits studied showed high genotypic correlation with the environment and expressive genetic correlation between the evaluated traits thereby demonstrating the possibility of indirect selection. There is an adaptation of conilon coffee genotypes to high altitudes and the possibility of developing a specific cultivar for the southern state of Espírito Santo.

Abstract The objective of this work was to evaluate the morphophysiological responses and cutting production of clones of Conilon coffee (Coffea canephora) cultivars in a super-dense clonal garden in the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil. The super-dense clonal garden was built in 2019 using 39 clones: 9, 9, 9, and 12 of cultivars Centenária ES8132, Diamante ES8112, ES8122 (Jequitibá), and Marilândia ES8143, respectively. The experiment was carried out in a randomized complete block design, with three replicates. Cutting production and the following morphophysiological traits were evaluated at 9 and 18 months after planting: chlorophyll index, normalized difference vegetation index, plant height, canopy height, canopy diameter, number of shoots, number of viable cuttings, number of leaves, fresh leaf mass, and plant fresh and dry matter mass. The super-dense clonal garden caused different morphophysiological responses among the studied clones. In general, clones C2, C5, C6, C8, D1, D8, D9, J8, M2, M9, M10, and M12 showed a higher mean cutting production, whereas C4, J1, J4, M4, and M5 were the most sensitive to the super-dense regime. Under these conditions, it is recommended to increase the proportion of matrix plants of the latter clones.

Resumo O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar as respostas morfofisiológicas e a produção de estacas de clones de cultivares de café conilon (Coffea canephora) em jardim clonal superadensado, no estado do Espírito Santo, Brasil. O jardim clonal superadensado foi implantado em 2019, com 39 clones: 9, 9, 9 e 12 das cultivares Centenária ES8132, Diamante ES8112, ES8122 (Jequitibá) e Marilândia ES8143, respectivamente. O experimento foi realizado em delineamento em blocos ao acaso, com três repetições. A produção de estacas e as seguintes características morfofisiológicas foram avaliadas aos 9 e 18 meses após o plantio: índice de clorofila, índice de vegetação por diferença normalizada, altura da planta, altura da copa, diâmetro da copa, número de brotações, número de estacas viáveis, número de folhas, massa fresca de folhas, e massa fresca e seca da planta. O jardim clonal superadensado promoveu diferentes respostas morfofisiológicas entre os clones estudados. Em geral, os clones C2, C5, C6, C8, D1, D8, D9, J8, M2, M9, M10 e M12 apresentaram maior produção média de estacas, enquanto C4, J1, J4, M4 e M5 foram os mais sensíveis ao regime superdenso. Nessas condições, recomenda-se aumentar a proporção de plantas matrizes destes clones.