It was studied the influence of several environmental factors on the intrinsic outturn (RI) of coffee, ratio between the weight of two flat beans and the respective fruit containing them. The RI decreased up to 18% in fruits from unripe (green) to overripe (raising) stage. In seven localities evaluated fruit RI's varied up to 12%. In two different sites of the same locality variation on RI up to 6% was observed. It was observed a difference of 2% among four experimental plots in the same site. Plants of the same cultivar grown in a single experimental plot displayed RI with differences up to 3,7%. In the same locality variations up to 330 meters in altitude were positively correlated with variations up to 4,4% in the RI. Regarding to the influence of the fruit position within the plant it was observed that RI decreased, up to 4,4% if the fruits are located farther from the orthotropic branch, 1,5% in the East side and 0,5% at the middle and upper parts of the plants. The results pointed out that there are considerable environmental influences on the intrinsic outturn of coffee. For breeding purposes, selection for higher RI's must be based on standard sampling as to ripening stage, position in the plant, and be representative of at least 10 plants of uniform progenies evaluated in the same experimental plot.
Coffea arabica; milling; ratio green beans/dry fruits
