YIELD AND PRODUCTIVE CENTERS OF HYBRID COFFEE AS AFFECTED BY POPULATION DENSITY AND PRUNING METHODS

Abstract

The production and productivity of coffee are significantly influenced by several factors,
including the utilization of unimproved varieties and poor agronomic practices. To address
this issue, it is crucial to implement recommended agronomic technologies, such as spacing
and pruning methods. This study aimed to determine the appropriate spacing and pruning
methods that would enhance the yield of hybrid coffee (Gawe) in Jimma, Southwest Ethiopia.
The study spanned seven consecutive cropping seasons from 2014 to 2021 at the Jimma
Agricultural Research Center which had nine treatment combinations with three spacing
(2.5m*2.5m, 2.0m*2.5m, 2.0m*2.0m) and three pruning methods (capped and topped
multiple stems, capped and un-topped multiple stems and free growth) were used. The
treatment combinations were arranged in a factorial randomized complete block design with
three replications. The clean coffee yield, nonproductive centers (dead and nonbearing
branches), productive centers (bearing and new growth branches) and canopy diameter were
recorded and analyzed using statistical software (SAS). The result revealed that the highest
clean coffee yield was obtained from 2.0m*2.0m followed by 2.0m*2.5m with the respective
values of 2333.9kg/ha and 2294.7kg/ha from free growth practice. In contrast, the lowest
clean coffee yield (1375.8kg/ha) was obtained from a wider spacing of 2.5m*2.5m with
capped and un-topped multiple stems. Similarly, the highest coffee tree nonproductive and
productive centers were obtained from closer spacing with free growth practice. The findings
indicated that the implementation of pruning methods increased the canopy diameter of the
coffee tree. Therefore, it can be concluded that a spacing of 2.0m*2.0m, combined with free
growth enhances both yield and productive centers for hybrid coffee variety (Gawe) in mid
altitude areas like Jimma. Additional investigation is necessary for the spacing and pruning
techniques employed for recently introduced hybrid coffee varieties across different
agroecologies.