The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of N and K fertilization on the yield and production bienniality of dense coffee plantations, in a long‑term study. Two experiments were evaluated in the Zona da Mata region of Minas Gerais, Brazil, under a randomized complete block design, split‑plotted in time. In the first experiment, carried out with 1.5x0.7 m spacing (9,523 plants per hectare), the effects of seven doses of N + K2O in the proportion of 1:1 were evaluated (0, 200, 400, 600, 800, 1,000, and 1,200 kg ha‑1 per year) during eight crop seasons (2001/2002 to 2008/2009). Since the fertilizer had 1:1 proportion, in order to obtain the dose for each nutrient (N or K2O), the total dose must be divided by two. The second experiment was done with 2.5x0.6 spacing (6,666 plants per hectare), under a factorial arrangement, with five doses of N (0, 150, 300, 450, and 600 kg ha‑1 per year) and five doses of K2O (0, 150, 300, 450, and 600 kg ha‑1 per year), during six crop seasons (2005/2006 to 2010/2011). The doses related to the maximum yield of processed coffee ranged from 424 to 560 kg ha‑1, for N, and from 21 to 338 kg ha‑1, for K2O. Nitrogen fertilization reduces the effect of production bienniality of coffee plants, and K2O fertilization, in years of low productivity, promotes yield recovery of coffee plants in the next year.
Coffea arabica; production stability; fertilization; mineral nutrition
