Coffea plant (Coffea arabica L.) growth with and without grafting and irrigation levels at transplanting time

This work had the objective of evaluating Coffea cultivars development, grafted and not grafted, in seedbed and their resistance to water application at crop implantation. The experiment was established in the seedbed and greenhouse at Coffee Sector of the Agronomy Department, Lavras Federal University (UFLA), from march 2002 to september 2002. The experimental design was a randomized block in factorial schemes. 4 x 2 x 5 in greenhouse, was used four cultivars Acaia Cerrado MG-1474, Icatu Amarelo IAC-3282, IAPAR-59 and Rubi-MG 1192 with and without grafting, and water addition at five levels (40%, 60%, 80%, 100% and 120%) of field capacity two-day intervals. Three replications were used and plots were constituted by three plants, in a total of 40 treatments, 120 plots and 360 plants in trial. Plants were evaluated during the same period after planting in the pots. The characteristics evaluated were: stem diameter (mm), seedling and plant height (cm), number of leaf pairs in orthotrophic branch, number of leaf pairs in plagiotrophic branch, root dry weight (g), above ground dry weight (g). All Coffea cultivars grafted in Apoata IAC-2258 has less development than when not grafted. The development Apoata IAC-2258 root system is not altered by other cultivars grafting. With sufficient water availability seedling without grafting has bether development than when graftd.