Melhoramento do cafeeiro: XX- Influência de variáveis proporções de frutos verdes na avaliação da produção total de cafeeiros em seleção

Abstract

In the breeding program that is being carried on at the Instituto Agronômico, Campinas, the total yield expressed in weight of only ripe fruits is registered for comparison and samples of the harvested coffee are taken for seed type and seed size determinations. In some special projects, when only total fruit weight determinations are made the harvest of all fruits when most of them are already developed is desirable for being an easier and cheaper operation. In order to evaluate tiie effect of various proportions of green developed coffee fruit on the total yields, mixtures oí ripe and green developed fruits were prepared in the proportions of 4:0, 3:1, 2:2, 1:3 and 0:4 liters of each of them. Weight of the samples was determined soon after harvesting, drying of the fruits and also after drying of the clean seeds. It was noted that lhe differences in total weight between samples 4:0, 3:1 and 2:2 were not significant, this pointing out that when most of the fruits on the coffee trees is ripe, a single harvest can he made including the green developed fruits, without altering substantially the evaluation of the yield of the coffee tree. A single harvest should not he made when yields are to he expressed in dry fruit or in clean coffee, since weight differences between the mixtures and the standard product obtained from ripe fruit are significant.