Search for sustainability on agricultural exploration and incorporation of new technologies impose the necessity for knowledge and management of main factors related to production, such as irrigation. This experiment evaluated the irrigation effect on yield and production efficiency (amount of beans to produce a bag of 60Kg) of coffee irrigated by center pivot in Lavras-MG, Brazil. The experiment was planted with the cultivar Rubi MG-1192, planted on March, 1999. spaced 3.5 meters between rows and 0.8 meters between plants. The experimental design was the one of randomized blocks, with six treatment levels and three replicates. The irrigation was applied at intervals of 2 or 3 days, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, based on the amount estimated by the water blance considering the class A pan evaporation (ECA) and rain depths. The irrigation was calculated as 0% of the difference between ECA and rain depth - 0% ECA (T1, non irrigated), 60% ECA (T2), 80% ECA (T3), 100% ECA (T4), 120% ECA (T5) and 140% ECA (T6). After harvesting the coffee grains from the experimental plots, coffee samples were packed in ventilated plastic bags and dried on wood benches exposed to air long enough to decrease its moisture content between 11 and 12%, gravimetric water content. After drying, the beans were unpeeled and weighed to calculate the yield and production efficiency. Irrigation increased the yield of irrigated plots compared to non irrigated. Although non significant difference was statistically observed when comparing annual yields, the differences were statistically significant when the total production was compared among treatment levels. Application of 60% ECA resulted in a total production along five years of 225.6 bags, with annual average of 45.12 bags per hectare, representing an increase of 119% when compared to the non irrigated treatment, where the annual average was 24 bags per hectare. The beans were ripened differently among treatments and this fact influenced the production efficiency, being the dry and ripen fruits, those mostly affected.
Coffee production; coffee yield; irrigation
