Coffee (Coffea canephora Pierre) productivity was evaluated during three years of intercropping with five leguminous species: sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea L.), Crotalaria spectabilis Roth., dwarf velvet bean (Stizolobium deeringeanum Bort.), soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merryl] and pigeon pea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.] in the western region of São Paulo State, from 1991 to 1993. Leguminous species were seeded 50 cm far from coffee shoot and incorporated at flowering stage. The treatments were arranged in a randomized complete block design with five replicates. Coffee yield was not affected when Crotalaria spectabilis, dwarf velvet bean and soya bean IAC 9 were used as interrow crop, but it was significantly decreased for pigeon pea and sunn hemp treatments. Linear correlation analysis showed that coffee yield was inversely correlated with leguminous dry biomass and positively correlated with coffee shoot height and stem diameter at the harvest year.
coffee; Coffea canephora; green manuring; leguminous species; intercroping
