The objective of this paper was to evaluate the influence of shading, during the period of floral development, on floral bud, flowering, photosynthesis and grain yield of coffee plants. Adult plants IAPAR 59, grown in Londrina, Paraná State, Brazil, were shaded in different periods, with shading screens with 50% porosity, and compared to open-grown plants. The shading screens were placed in monthly intervals, from April to August, and were all removed in the beginning of October. Shading density and period did not influence the amount of nodes in each event of development on floral bud, period and intensity of flowering, photosynthesis and grain yield of the coffee plants, which indicates that the interception of until 50% incident radiation, during the period of floral development, does not affect the yield potential of this crop.
Coffea arabica; physiology; flowering; artificial shade
