The objective of this work was to evaluate the influence of two organic cultivation systems on the growth, phenology, nutrition, and productivity of coffee cultivars, as well as on soil chemical characteristics. Six coffee cultivars were evaluated under both a monoculture system under full sun, and an intercropped system with banana and Erythrina verna plants for shading. The experimental design adopted was the randomized blocks with four replicates. The shading reduced the growth rate of cultivars only during the first 15 months of cultivation. After three years of cultivation, the shading reduced the plant diameter, the number of branches and the number of nodes; increased the leaf area and grain size; reduced soil K content and increased N and Mg contents in coffee plant leaves. In the first harvesting (March 2004), the average yield of the cultivars was smaller in the shading system showing that this treatment delayed grain maturity. In the second harvesting (June 2004), there were differences among cultivars, but not between cropping systems. Yield total average for the two harvestings was the same in the two systems. The cultivars Tupi, Icatu, and Obatã are more promising in shading system.
Coffea arabica; Musa sp.; Erythrina verna; productivity; organic production; shading
