Nitrogen fertilizer efficiency according to arabica coffee planting spacing, doses and sources of N

Abstract

The continued development of humanity only is possible by sustainable food production. Thus, processes by which can contribute to improving the efficiency of the water and fertilizers use must be applied. The aim of the present work was to determine the productivity, N utilization indexes and the economic return of nitrogen fertilization for mountain Arabica coffee, in the initial production phase. Furthermore, changes in the soil chemical characteristics from the application of the N increasing doses, using common or protected urea, in conventional system planting, dense or super dense were evaluated. Two experiments were carried out varying the coffee Arabica planting spacing and the N doses applied as common or protected urea. They were determined the processed coffee productivity, the characteristics and chemical properties of the soil and N utilization rates. In addition, they were calculated the gross income per hectare and the economic return of nitrogen fertilization. It was possible to conclude that the denser coffee planting increases productivity and the use of the nitrogen fertilizer in the first harvests, without reducing production per plant. The urea with urease inhibitor is more efficient than the common urea on larger planting spacing. High gross income in the first harvests was obtained in denser planting and with a higher N dose, but the highest economic return per unit invested in nitrogen fertilizer occurs in denser planting when lower N doses are applied.