The effect of soil water regimes on coffee yield and intercropping species were assessed by an experiment conducted in a red dark Latosol, in Londrina, State of Paraná, Brazil. Treatments consisting on application of irrigation for maintaining soil moisture in the 0-0.7m depth above 50% soil available water (40 kPa at 0.25 m) and 70% soil available water (70 kPa at 0.25 m), in addition to a non irrigated treatment, were evaluated during seven years. During coffee reproductive stage, the irrigation management depth was extended to 1 m and irrigated treatments were split into irrigation during the whole year and irrigation from September to March. During the first two years, dry beans followed by rice were cultivated intercropping to the coffee crop. The mean results over the years revealed coffee yield increases from 15% to 22% over the non irrigated treatment, when irrigation was applied from September to March, and about 10%, when applied during the whole year, however maturation was more uniform and there was no differences in interanual yield variability. The treatment consisting in irrigation applied from September to March, maintaining soil above 30% available water (70 kPa at 0.25 m), lead to low water requirement as compared with other irrigated treatments. For intercropping, irrigation increased dry bean yield by 240 to 300% and for rice yield by about 50%.
irrigation; coffee; soil moisture
