Effect of ethylene on the maturation of coffee berries

Abstract

In order to study the possibility of using 2-chloroethyl-phosphonic acid (Ethrel) to accelerate maturation of coffee berries, an experiment was conducted in Campinas, São Paulo State, Brazil, where the coffee harvest has to be carried out during a long period because of sucessive blossoming. Aplication of 50 ml of a solution with 500, 1,000 and 2,000 ppm of active product was made on branches on four occasions. Plants of the cultivars Mundo Novo, Catuaí Amarelo and Catuaí Vermelho were used. A single application of 500 ppm was sufficient to accelerate maturation. Early application caused a very intense fruit drop or the fruit obtained had immature endosperm. Leaf fall and die-back at higher concentrations were observed. The preliminary observations suggest that this product could be used to accelerate the maturation of coffee berries in these cultivars only when the fruits have the endosperm well developed.