BALANÇO HÍDRICO PARA O CULTIVO DO CAFÉ (Coffea canephora) NOS MUNICÍPIOS DE RIO BRANCO, TARAUACÁ E CRUZEIRO DO SUL, ACRE

Abstract

SOUSA, J.W.; RIBEIRO, M.J.; SOUZA, M. L. A.

WATER BALANCE FOR CULTIVATION OF COFFEE (Coffea canephora) IN THE MUNICIPALITIES OF RIO BRANCO, TARAUACÁ AND CRUZEIRO DO SUL, ACRE

2 ABSTRACT

The water balance is an important tool for determining periods of water deficiency and surplus that interfere with the growth, development, and production of coffee trees. The objective of this research was to determine the water balance for the coffee crop (Coffea canephora) in the municipalities of Rio Branco, Tarauacá, and Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre, based on the data series available at the National Institute of Meteorology (INMET), considering a medium-textured soil with available water capacity (AWC) of 55 mm, different crop coefficients (Kc), and long, dense, and super-dense crop row spacing. The annual water deficiency in the municipalities of Rio Branco and Tarauacá, Acre, ranged from 96 to 384 mm and from 55 to 358 mm, respectively, what may compromise the vegetative and reproductive phenological phases of coffee plants (Coffea canephora), highlighting the crucial need for the use of supplementary irrigation in these locations. While, in Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre, there was the lowest annual water deficiency among the locations evaluated, which oscillated from 23 to 237 mm from May to September, so that regular supplementary irrigation it is also indicated in this location.

Keywords: cultivation coefficient, water deficiency, evapotranspiration.