Microclimatic measurements (incoming solar radiation and net radiation) were taken from October, 2001 to September, 2002 in a coffee crop (Coffea arabica L.) cv. Icatu Vermelho IAC 4045, shaded by banana plants (Musa AAB) 'Prata Anã ' and unshaded at Mococa, São Paulo State, Brazil (21º 28' S, 47º 01' W, altitude 665 m), aiming at evaluating the reduction of the solar and net radiation for the different crop conditions. The obtained results showed differences for the different crop conditions. The banana plants reduced the incoming solar radiation to the coffee crop by 21%, with monthly variation from 16% to 27%. Differences were also found concerning the reduction of the incoming solar radiation in different points of the shaded crop. The net radiation was reduced by 16% in the daily values in the shaded plants in comparisom to the unshaded ones. The net radiation represented 50% of the incoming solar radiation in the unshaded crop, with monthly variation from 34% to 62%, and in the plots shadded by banana, the net radiation represented 53% of the incoming solar radiation, with variation from 35 to 38%.
solar radiation; microclimate; shadding; Coffea arabica
